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Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Volunteering For Opiate Addiction Treatment Is The Only Solution For Addicts

By Paul Peterson


There are countless people that are addicted to some substance. They can be found in any society, regardless of wealth, culture, religion or race. Many of these addicts live their entire lives focusing on where and when they will be getting their next batch of substances from. This is not true for addicts of illegal drugs only. Numerous people are addicted to seemingly innocent substances such as prescription pain killers. The only solution for such addicts is professional opiate addiction treatment.

International health organizations have warned that dependency upon prescription painkillers is on the rise across all boundaries. Pain killers are readily available and a huge black market for these substances have developed. One problem is that so many doctors simply issue a prescription when asked to do so by the patient. Many patients abuse prescription pain killers, thinking that they are simply medicine and they do not realize the danger they pose.

One of the problems with opiate abuse is that there are often no tell tale signs as is the case with many other addictive substances. Addicts often regularly complain of severe pain, thus justifying their ongoing need for prescription pain medication. They may even resort to seeing different doctors in order to hide their dependency and they will buy their pain killers at different places every time.

Even if there is no doubt whatsoever that a loved one is addicted to pain killers, no treatment program will help unless the addict himself admit that he has a serious problem and that he needs help in overcoming his addiction. Even then rehabilitation centres will only admit a patient once they are sure that the patient really wants to overcome his problem and that he is committed to the success of rehabilitation.

The first and often most difficult part of rehabilitation is the detoxification of the addict. Patients experience withdrawal symptoms, pain and often other side effects such as insomnia, nausea and excessive sweating. In addition, many patients become depressed and demotivated. During this phase medication to alleviate the side effects is prescribed only if truly deemed necessary because the patient must learn that medication cannot always solve problems.

As soon as the patient is completely detoxified the real rehabilitation program can begin. The patient will have to learn techniques to cope with life without needing help from addictive substances such as pain killers. Patients are taught how to prepare balanced meals, exercise properly and cope with stress. They are also encouraged to communicate their feelings when things are difficult.

When a patient completes a rehabilitation program he, as well as his loved ones, are warned that a dangerous period awaits. The patient will have to take up life again and all too often they quickly fall back into their old harmful habits. The only solution is to continue with therapy, to become part of support groups and to speak to loved ones when things seem dark and futile.

People who become dependent upon prescription pain killers place their lives on the line. Many agencies have called for much stricter control over the availability of pain killers, but it is a lucrative market and it will be very difficult to control. It is up to each individual to take control of his own live and to resolve not to abuse any substance.




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