Opiate Detox Centers

A lot of drugs are considered opiates, including illicit drugs like heroin and prescription pain killers like oxycodone. Whether one illegally obtains and uses the drugs or finds themselves shifting from medically supervised use to nonmedical doses, opiates have a very high potential for abuse. Some of them can create dependence in as little time as a few weeks of sustained use.

An estimated 26.4 million to 36 million people across the globe abuse opiates. In America, 2.1 million people suffer from a prescription opiate addiction and 467,000 grapple with a heroin abuse problem. The scope of the problem continues to increase, as law makers and medical professionals work to control access to the drugs.

For people with an opiate addiction, professional drug addiction rehab offers the best chance at a successful recovery. But, a person can’t effectively work their way through treatment without eliminating the drugs in their system and achieving sobriety. This is done through the process of detox. Many people assume they can detox independently, but that is almost a guarantee of failure.

Withdrawal symptoms keep people using because they cannot deal with the discomfort of not using. Only by taking opiates can they keep these painful symptoms at bay and who wouldn’t take the easy option to end the pain? It is this situation that leads those attempting to detox on their own to relapse.

The following discussion should help you to understand professional detox and the withdrawals associated with ceasing opiate use. You should come to see the role that professional detox plays in recovery. To learn more about that role or to get answers to your questions, call 800-315-1376 (Who Answers?). Don’t wait.

What Is Professional Opiate Detox?

You know the word “detox.” It is often attached to fad diets, like green smoothies and tea cleanses, or to exercise routines, like yoga and tai chi. In popular culture, the term simply references any activity that claims to rid your body of toxins. On a basic level, this is what professional drug detox does as well.

However, professional drug detox has a foundation in medical science and it draws from a growing body of addiction research as well. It’s not just about getting the opiates out of your body. Sure, sobriety is achieved. But, professional detox is about the methods used to ease and alleviate withdrawal symptoms and the maintenance of your overall health during the process.

What Does Professional Detox Do?

Professional detox allows you to go through the process in a controlled setting with monitoring by clinicians. Not only will your withdrawal symptoms be dealt with, the detox will also treat any additional medical or psychological conditions that accompany or result from the addiction. Plus, this all takes place in a drug and alcohol free environment, which means that you can’t relapse as long as you stay in treatment.

What Withdrawal Symptoms Does Professional Detox Manage?

According to the US National Library of Medicine, there are two stages of opiate withdrawal—early and late stage symptoms.

Early:

Insomnia and anxiety are common early stage opiate withdrawal symptoms.

• Agitation
• Muscle aches
• Insomnia and trouble staying asleep
• Sweating
• Anxiety
• Increased tearing
• Runny nose
• Yawning

Late:

• Abdominal pain and cramping
• Enlarged pupils
• Nausea and vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Goose bumps

One thing to remember is that opiates ease pain. People with a pattern of opiate use will have trained their brains and bodies to be pain resistant. When the opiates are removed from a user’s system, pain will wash over them and it will be excruciating because they haven’t dealt with it in so long. This is one reason that opiate withdrawal is so uncomfortable.

What Factors Contribute to the Severity of Withdrawal Symptoms?

Each person’s individual withdrawal symptoms will differ. The onset and the severity will depend upon a number of factors, including:

• The user’s overall health
• The amounts of drugs typically used
• The length of the addiction
• The number of substances being abused
• The user’s level of tolerance

In general, an increase in addiction severity results in an increase in withdrawal symptom severity.

What Methods Does Professional Detox Use?

Detox will use a number of different interventions to ease and alleviate symptoms of withdrawal, including:

• Opiate withdrawal specific medications: morphine, clonidine, buprenorphine
• Supplementary medications for specific symptoms
• Behavioral therapy
• Education

To learn about how each of these interventions works and benefits patients, call 800-315-1376 (Who Answers?). We can walk you through a day in detox and help you to understand what a help professional detox will be in your overall recovery.