Opiate Addiction

Receiving drug reahb or treatment for addiction should be done in a safe & stable environment that is conducive to addiction recovery. Research studies show that in-patient drug rehab or residential drug treatment programs that are a minimum of 90 days in duration have the best success rates. Three months may seem like a long time, but one day in the life of an individual addicted to Opiates can feel like an eternity. National Drug Rehab Treatment Centers understands how hard it is to confront ending an addiction, in spite of all of the evidence that give one no alternatives. It is a moral crime for a residential drug treatment center or a drug rehab of any kind to make implicit promises that they can give you services that will end your addiction and, when you have completed the program, you are left without any mental or physical tools that could ever end addiction. Unfortunately, most of the residential alcohol and drug rehab centers are doing just that. They are redefining the addiction in terms that present it as a chronic and progressive disease...meaning that it will last forever, and it will get worse throughout you or lifetime, if you are using or not. Natinal Drug Rehab Treatment Centers can explain a different and more truthful view of addiction and can introduce you to alcohol and drug rehab programs that end addiction in your life or that of your loved one. CAll 1-877-444-1137 and speak to a counselor and find out the truth about addiction. This is a free service that will help you find a drug rehab for any alcohol or drug addiction problem you or a loved one may be having. It is easy to confuse the different terms used in this field, describing the different types of drug rehab centers, drug rehabilitation centers, and substance abuse treatment programs. For your specific addiction or drug problem, you maybe looking for an Outpatient, In-patient, Residential Treatment Center, Long term or Short term treatment and, secondly, what modality of treatment is the most effective and what are the cost related to these forms of treatment or rehab. Depending on your level of addiction to Opiate, you may neeed a specific type of treatment. There are many terms that are used to describe clinical actions related to Opiate. Some terms you may have come across are: Opiate Detox Center, a Opiate Rehab, Opiate Treatment, Opiate Addiction Treatment, Opiate Addiction Counseling, Opiate In-Patient Treatment and Opiate Out-Patient Treatment.

Opiates, sometimes referred to as narcotics, are a group of drugs which are used medically to relieve pain and are considered a viable analygesic (pain medication) , but opiates also have a high potential for abuse. Most opiates made from a resin taken from the seed pod of the Asian poppy. This group of drugs includes opium, morphine, heroin, and codeine. Other opiates, such as meperidine (Demerol), are synthesized, which is a much more expensive process.

Opium appears as dark brown chunks or as a powder and is usually smoked or eaten. Heroin can be a white or brownish powder which is usually dissolved in water and then injected. Most street preparations of heroin are diluted, or "cut," with other substances such as sugar or quinine. Other opiates come in a variety of forms including capsules, tablets, syrups, solutions, and suppositories. Heroin ("junk" "smack") accounts for 90 percent of the opiate abuse in the United States. Sometimes opiates with legal medicinal uses also are abused. They include morphine, meperidine, paregoric (which contains opium), and cough syrups that contain codeine [or a synthetic narcotic, such as dextromethorphan].

Opiates have a tranquilizing effect and are abused mainly for their ability to relieve anxiety and worry. When opiates are injected, the user feels an immediate "rush", which is a pleasant feeling of warmth and euphoria, however there are other unpleasant effects including restlessness, nausea, and vomiting. These negative effects will subside with regular use, but after regular use of opiates, you will experience the same negative effects when you stop using opiates after a person has become physically addicted. The opiate user may go "on the nod," going back and forth from feeling alert to drowsy. With very large doses of opiates, a person may not be able to be awakened, pupils become smaller, and the skin becomes cold, moist, and bluish in color. Breathing slows down and death may occur.

Opiates are a broad range of analgesics that range from hydrocodone to fyntinal in their potency. Fyntinal is rated as being 1,000 times stronger than morphine. Obviously, this figure can't be scientifically accurate, but leave it to say that it is the strongest opiate on the market and is sometimes mixed with weak heroin to make the heroin appear more pure. This is a very dangerous activity since there have been many over-doses caused from this mixture.

The regular and continuous use of opiates, over a period of days, creates a physiological need to continue the administration of the drugs. Once the person stops taking opiates, he will experience some alarming physical symptoms as well as depression and a heightening of those mental issues that were so pleasantly relieved by the opiate in the beginning. It is the mental anxiety and other mental manifestations that drive the user back to the opiates and are the driving force in the person becoming an opiate addict. As the opiates wear off, the person will feel that time is beginning to stand still. He will have his thoughts focused on taking any form of an opiate to relieve this painful feeling of "unrealness". Most addicts report that they could easily get through the physical pain associated with opiate withdrawal, but the mental anguish is more than they can stand.

The effects of taking an opiate, if taken by a non-addict, are a general dulling for the senses, accompanied by a pleasant state of mind which is characterized by freedom from pain and worry and sometimes a more rapid flow of ideas. There is a stimulant effect when opiates are first taken. The effects of taking an opiate for the first time will vary in relation to the individual's need for pain relief, whether it be physical pain or mental anguish. Since most addicts "graduate" to opiates after trying to feel happy or normal with other drugs. A person that has unresolved problems of conscious, worry and anxiety, will find opiates to remove them from dwelling on these issues. The feeling has a quality of relief that the user hasn't found in any other drug and, if this is the case with the first-time user of opiates, it is a high probability that he will want more of this feeling and the drug as soon as these positive outcomes are wearing off.

Naturally, most people that are attempting to withdrawal from opiates without professional support will fail and may violate their own moral code to do whatever it takes to get some more of the narcotic and stop the withdrawal symptoms.

Opiates addiction is a very serious and sometimes life threatening dilemma. Not only is it difficult for the addict, it is hard on those around them who care for them. For the addict to admit they have an problem with drugs can be very difficult. However painful this may be, it must be acknowledged as the first gradient to overcoming the problem. The next hurdle is being willing to seek & accept help from an addiction professional. It can be hard for an addict to confront the fact that they can not do it alone. Once this fact is accepted, it is time to seek the appropriate professional treatment. Drug rehab programs based on the social education modality are highly successful. This means that individuals who are recovering from Opiates addiction are not made wrong for their past indiscretions, but are taught how to avoid future ones. They are provided with knowledge on how to change their lives and how to live comfortably without Opiates. Receiving treatment for addiction should be done in a safe & stable environment that is conducive to addiction recovery. Research studies show that residential treatment programs of at least 3 months in duration have the best success rates. 3 months may seem like a long time, but one day in the life of an individual addicted to Opiates can feel like an eternity. Addiction is a self imposed hellish slavery. The chains can be broken people do it everyday. You can be free!

Drug rehabilitation is a multi-phase, multi-faceted, long term process. Detoxification is only the first step on the road of addiction treatment. Physical detoxification alone is not sufficient to change the patterns of a drug addict. Recovery from addiction involves an extended process which usually requires the help of drug addiction professionals. To make a successful recovery, the addict needs new tools in order to deal with situations and problems which arise. Factors such as encountering someone from their days of using, returning to the same environment and places, or even small things such as smells and objects trigger memories which can create psychological stress. This can hinder the addict's goal of complete recovery, thus not allowing the addict to permanently regain control of his or her life.

Almost all addicts tell themselves in the beginning that they can conquer their addiction on their own without the help of outside resources. Unfortunately, this is not usually the case. When an addict makes an attempt at detoxification and to discontinue drug use without the aid of professional help, statistically the results do not last long. Research into the effects of long-term addiction has shown that substantial changes in the way the brain functions are present long after the addict has stopped using drugs. Realizing that a drug addict who wishes to recover from their addiction needs more than just strong will power is the key to a successful recovery. Battling not only cravings for their drug of choice, re-stimulation of their past and changes in the way their brain functions, it is no wonder that quitting drugs without professional help is an uphill battle.