Help for Prescription Opioid Abuse

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Whether legal or not, prescription opioid abuse can cause as much damage in a person’s life as heroin and cocaine. Prescription opioids, also known as prescription pain medications, are popular because they are very effective.

These drugs also produce feelings of calm and euphoria along with pain-killing effects. For these reasons, prescription opioid abuse rates outnumber almost every other type of addictive drug.

According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, between 2023 and 2024, the overall drug overdose death rate declined across all age groups, but the raw numbers remained high. The age-adjusted rate for opioid overdose deaths also declined in the same time period from 22.2 to 14.3 people per 100,000.  This is a range of roughly 76,000 to 50,000 people per year who are dying only from opioid overdoses.

Getting help for a prescription opioid abuse problem can never happen too soon, as these drugs can quickly take over a person’s life. Thankfully, there is a wide range of treatment programs and services available to help addicts overcome the effects of prescription opioid abuse.

Prescription Opioids

Help for opioid abuse comes in many forms, including support groups.

Prescription opioids exist under many different names and strengths, each of which is capable of treating various types of pain symptoms. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, examples of prescription opioids include:

• Fentanyl
• Oxycodone
• Hydroocodone
• Codeine
• Demerol
• Roxanol

Prescription opioid abuse typically develops because these drugs are addictive, which alters the brain in much the same way as cocaine and LSD addictions. The key factor driving opioid addictions has to do with how these drugs interact with specific cell receptor sites in the brain.

The brain houses endorphin-producing cell receptor sites that naturally react to opioid substances. In effect, opioids stimulate the release of endorphin chemicals in massive amounts. With ongoing use, this process works to warp cell receptor site functions, causing dependency and addiction to develop.

Dependence vs. Addiction: Why Prescription Opioid Use Is Not the Same as Illicit Abuse

There is a significant difference between opioid drug dependence and addiction, and by understanding this you can learn how to avoid both and know when to seek treatment help.

Treatment Programs

Prescription opioid abuse treatment programs help recovering addicts work through the different stages of the addiction process. Detox treatment marks the first stage of the recovery process. From there, addiction requires continued treatment to address the psychological aspects of the condition.

Residential and outpatient treatment programs both accomplish the same ends, though residential programs offer a more intense and structured treatment environment. Many people in recovery go directly from residential to outpatient treatment care to stay engaged in the recovery process.

In cases of chronic, long-term prescription opioid abuse, sober living homes offer recovering addicts the opportunity to transition from drug treatment to everyday life within a supportive, recovery-focused living environment.

Treatment Program Services

Prescription opioid abuse treatment programs administer various services designed to address the individual treatment needs of each person. While some people may only require ongoing psychotherapy and group counseling, others may need help dealing with the drug cravings and withdrawal effects that so often persist into the recovery process.

According to the Mayo Clinic, medication therapies in the form of methadone, naltrexone and buprenorphine can help reduce withdrawal and cravings effects. These medications work especially well for people coming off chronic opioid addictions.

As the potential for relapse can remain for years into the recovery process, treatment programs encourage recovering addicts to attend 12-Step support group meetings as a regular part of their weekly schedules.

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