Opiates are powerful, highly addictive chemicals. Individuals may grow hooked on these drugs for different reasons. However, addiction specialists stress dependency on such substances is hard to kick. In many instances, the problem becomes so severe, the reliant soul must call upon relatives and other close relations to help them achieve sobriety.
What Are Opiates?
Opiates originate from extracts taken from poppy plant seeds. Once seeds are cultivated, the material garnered from them can be turned into powder and liquid bases for a variety of opiate drugs.
Opioids are created for various purposes. Certain narcotic drugs are created for legitimate medical reasons. Opiates alter brain chemistry and lessen the body and mind’s response to pain.
Therefore, such preparations are often prescribed to help those stricken with appreciable pain-inducing injuries or illnesses experience a certain degree of relief. These substances are advertised and prescribed under notable names such as:
- Codeine
- Morphine
- Hydrocodone
- Oxycodone
- Tramadol
- Fentanyl
- Meperidine
That said, the most infamous opiate is the illicit chemical known as heroin. This drug is a street drug created, purchased, and sold illegally and often employed for recreational purposes.
The Long-Term Impacts Of Opioids
Over time, continued opiate ingestion can heighten one’s risk for dependency. Even persons using said substances for legitimate purposes have been known to grow addicted to such drugs.
Long-standing addiction could pose serious health risks, including permanently disrupted brain chemistry, diminished cognitive abilities, breathing difficulties, slowed digestion, and serious systemic infections.
However, chronic users also hold a greater chance for potentially but immediately fatal overdose. The bodies and minds of dependents require increasingly prodigious concentrations of an opiate substance to produce desired effects.
Occasionally, one might ingest such a large quantity that their body immediately shuts down. If not promptly and aggressively treated, overdose is almost invariably fatal.
Recognizing The Signs Of An Opiate Abuser
Unfortunately, opioid dependents become so addicted that they often lose touch with reality. In such instances, family members and other intimate associations must bear the burden of initiating their path to sobriety.
However, the first step in said process is the recognition of red flag clues. These signs can often be differentiated into two categories, physical and non-physical.
Physical Clues
Physical proof to look out for, includes needle marks on one’s arms and legs, constricted pupils, a disrupted sleep cycle, skin problems, and appetite changes.
Non-Physical Signs
From a non-physical standpoint, opiate abusers may repeatedly lie to cover up their behavior, experience social isolation or withdrawal, disassociate with past relations and develop new kinship, partake in risky activities, and undergo wild, sometimes violent mood and demeanor changes.
Actions Loved Ones Can Take
The best advice many treatment specialists offer impacted family members is to act quickly. The significant long-term consequences combined with the high rate of recidivism renders opiate addiction one of the most serious dependencies one could develop.
The Need For Professional Assistance
The plain truth is that those afflicted with opioid addictions typically require professional assistance to conquer said struggles. Addiction treatment is usually performed in steps.
The first stage is medical detox in which highly trained and experienced medical specialists gradually wean the dependent off a particular substance. Once one’s physical dependency is broken, treatment shifts to working on a former user’s mental state.
Overcoming the mental impact of opiate ingestion can prove challenging. However, the knowledgeable mental health professionals employed at reputable treatment centers possess the acumen needed to help recovering souls identify the reasons they began using, develop coping skills, learn how to render better decisions, and embrace life from a sober viewpoint.
Being Proactive
Though doing so is not always easy, a dependent’s loved ones must take a proactive stance. The problem is not simply going to disappear on its own accord. That said, convincing an addict that they need help is a delicate balance and the slightest misstep can have deleterious results.
Industry professionals recommend caring kinfolk approach the subject firmly but without employing combativeness. This means:
- Clearly and effectively expressing their concerns
- Demonstrating how the addiction is harming themselves and others
- Avoiding denial
- No longer enabling this addictive behavior in the remotest way
At the end of the day, the addict must be convinced and decide to seek help. Reaching said outcomes often necessitates the involvement of an established interventionist employed at a noted treatment facility.
Contacting Us
If you or a close relation wants to shake an opiate dependency, please reach out to us. Our Florida-based establishment boasts a significantly high record of helping opiate addicts recover, return to productive lives and, above all, remain clean for the rest of their lives. Call us at 833-497-3812.