Opioid, or otherwise called narcotics, are drugs that may lead to overdose. These drugs are strong prescription drugs used as pain relievers. Oxycodone, hydrocodone, fentanyl, and tramadol are some of the few of these as well as heroin. These drugs are made from an opium plant while others are man-made.
Opioids are prescription drugs used for chronic pain. These are usually used by people who have experienced major injuries, surgery, or cancer treatment. Using opioids may also result in dependency on the drug or what is commonly termed as addiction.
According to CBC News, 102 people were saved from opioid overdose as of July 31, 2020, in Canada. In 2016, 16 Canadians were being hospitalized every day due to opioid overdose. Every year since 2018, 151 people are being saved from opioid overdose by emergency crew response by giving naloxone. Naloxone is a drug being used by Emergency Health Services. It is a drug that reverses an opioid overdose. It is also made available as an over-the-counter drug as a first aid response for an opioid overdose.
Symptoms if a person is experiencing an opioid overdose:
- Cold skin
- Bluish skin
- Depressed level of consciousness
- Respiratory arrest
- Dilated pupils
Opioid addiction is a chronic condition that needs complex medical and psychological treatment.
Opioid addiction causes changes in the brain that leads to mood and behavioral changes. It also changes the body’s functional system. Stopping the intake of opioids causes withdrawal.
Here are some of the withdrawal symptoms:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Drug cravings
- Diarrhea
- Belly pain
- Body aches
- Severe bad mood or mood swings
- Agitation
Symptoms of withdrawal may last for a couple of days or take many months depending on the person’s dependency on the opioid. This stage of recovery is known to be the most challenging and difficult for a person suffering from opioid addiction. What happens if the family or loved ones do not give support to the affected person? Or what if there is no proper treatment facility for him or her? There is there is a high probability of going back to taking drugs again since withdrawal symptoms may become unbearable as it progresses.
Opioid Addiction Medication
As these withdrawal symptoms hinder the person from trying to be sober, there are available medications given to prevent symptoms. Opioid treatment involves long term medication and lifelong counseling therapy to avoid relapse.
- Methadone
Is a type of an acting drug that does not get you high.
- Buprenorphine
Is a treatment drug for opioid dependency. This drug has a lower lethal overdose risk. This drug comes in a tablet form, shots, film, a skin patch, or an implant.
- Naltrexone
This type of drug does not ease withdrawal symptoms but does not get you high. It is taken after a detox cleanse to aid in your recovery.
Treatment Therapies for Opioid Addiction: Counseling or Behavioral Therapy
Treatment therapies for Opioid addiction involve counseling therapy and behavioral therapy.
Counseling
Find a walk-in clinic that caters counseling by a professional. Counseling helps find the root causes of your addiction. From childhood traumas to other traumatic experiences that may lead to a person depending on narcotics to relieve one’s pain. Counseling also improves one’s self-worth, solving identity crisis, helps tackle problems at home and work.
Different types of treatment programs for Opioid Addiction
- Motivational interviewing
Motivational interviewing is a counseling method that helps resolve people’s conflicted emotions and insecurities to find the internal motivation to change oneself. It is a short-term process that is empathetic to the person going through the transition by making difficult life decisions.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or CBT
Cognitive-behavioral therapy is also a short-term process that finds new ways to approach, solve, and change behavioral patterns by changing one’s thought process. CBT is a problem-specific approach that requires the patient’s active involvement in their recovery focusing on their present-day problems, challenges, behavior, and thoughts.
- Contingency Management
Contingency management is a behavioral therapy that involves using incentives and rewards to give a person a drive to fulfill its responsibility to get well and continue one’s recovery in abstaining drugs.
- Family Therapy
Family therapy is psychological counseling that focuses on family involvement in helping improve their communication skill and resolve conflicts to help a loved one in their full recovery journey. This type of therapy is otherwise known as psychotherapy.
- 12 Step Programs
This treatment is a kind of community program for people suffering from addiction. First, the 12 steps program connects you to a community that has the same addiction problem. Then, it provides you guidelines to slowly but surely overcome substance, alcohol, and other behavioral addictions.
- Support Groups
Support groups are community groups that provide an opportunity to share personal experiences, recovery journeys, personal growth, thought processes, and difficulties to others suffering as well. They provide a safe space and discussion and gives a person a feeling of belongingness.Overcoming opioid addiction is a life long process. If you are suffering from opioid addiction, find a community and walk-in clinics that cater to counseling and other types of treatment. Walk in clinic Calgary are open for opioid addiction treatments. If that is not an option for you, you can also call an online doctor. Don’t give up on finding help for your opioid addiction.
