Opioids are known by many people as being some of the hardest drugs to quit. While you may have heard of people struggling to stop using opioids, it is good to know that there are effective treatments that can help you to enjoy a lifetime of sobriety. The first thing you’ll want to do is understand that opioids affect essential parts of your brain that regulate your emotional responses to events. Over time, using opioids can change how your brain responds to experiences, and this is why many people struggle with quitting the drugs at first. The good news is that it is possible to retrain your brain to respond to positive experiences without having to use drugs. Going to a detox program helps you to begin learning more about the best treatments for opioid addiction. As with most drug addictions, you’ll likely use several types of treatments to help you begin to live without opioids. Due to the severity of this type of addiction, you may start off using medication-assisted therapy to help you through the withdrawal process. While some people are able to avoid using prescription medications, others may need to use them for a specific period of time as they work on getting sober. In an opioid treatment program, you may be offered one or all of these different types of treatments.
- prescription medications such as Suboxone and methadone
- behavioral counseling
- treatments for underlying mental health conditions
- group therapy
- pain management techniques such as meditation
Discover How to Break Free From Your Opioid Addiction
Trying to quit opioids on your own can lead to serious withdrawal symptoms that include increased muscle pain, vomiting, high blood pressure and excessive sweating. Some withdrawal symptoms may be life threatening, which is why it is important to seek professional assistance with the detox process. While these first few days may be hard, you can rest assured that it is possible to be successful with quitting opiates when you have professionals supporting your decision. Depending upon your treatment plan, you may need to be completely weaned off of opioids before you are able to begin medication-assisted therapy. Although this is hard to imagine doing, you’ll be surrounded by support the entire time. Your detox treatment team will help you identify ways to stay comfortable as your body learns how to function without drugs in its system.
You may focus on distracting yourself from your withdrawal symptoms by doing fun things with the other people who are in your program. You may also spend time exercising, reading and talking to others who can help you work through any emotional responses that you have to quitting drugs. Every effective opioid treatment program also offers intensive counseling that helps you to learn more about why you developed your addiction. This type of counseling often involves speaking to a therapist one-on-one so that you can dive deeper into the events of your life that led up to you using opioids. For instance, you may have started out using prescription painkillers to assist you with coping with pain after you were involved in an accident.
Or, you might have tried heroin for the first time at the urging of someone that you thought cared about you. You may also be using opioids to help you cope with an underlying mental health issue. Working through all of the reasons why you developed your addiction helps you to begin taking steps that make it possible to stay sober. As you work with your counselors to create your treatment plan, try to remember that everyone’s journey to sobriety is different. While some people prefer to use medications to get sober, others may try to end their addiction without using other types of drugs. You may also need to consider the likelihood of you needing to continue your treatment even after you leave the detox facility. Since opioid addictions are so hard to quit, many people continue to attend group therapy and individual counseling sessions for many years. This is especially important if you are struggling with underlying mental health issues such as depression since these can affect your sobriety if they are not managed properly. Making your mental health and sobriety a main priority in your life helps you to stay on track and avoid picking up your opioid habit again.
Are you wondering what your best treatment options are for kicking an opioid addiction? We can help you find the right place to begin your detox. Call us today at 833-497-3812.