Opiate addiction making this red-headed young woman depressedOpiate addiction is one of the biggest problems in the United States. Every year, more and more people fall victim to these addictive drugs. To make matters worse, it’s becoming more affordable to buy opiates on the street. The need for reliable addiction treatment programs is at an all-time high.

Opiate Addiction Isn’t a Mental or Moral Weakness

Some people mistakenly think that opiate addiction is a lifestyle choice. In reality, addiction is a chronic mental illness that develops as a result of chemical changes in the brain. Once people develop an addiction to opiates, they have to deal with the disease for life. With rehab and prevention treatment, however, they can learn to manage it and have a normal life.

Overcoming opiate addiction takes more than just willpower. It takes an understanding of how addiction works and how to live and avoid relapse. However, the first step in overcoming addiction is to detox from the opiates.

Opiate Detox

Beating opiate addiction requires people to get into a detox program. The best course of action is to choose a rehab center that also offers detox. Since opiate withdrawal is painful, medical detox is the most comfortable option. Some of the withdrawal symptoms that opiates cause include:

  • Diarrhea
  • Craving for drugs
  • Vomiting and nausea
  • Goosebumps and chills
  • Severe negative moods
  • Abdominal pain

Medical detox makes these withdrawal symptoms less aggressive. It involves medications that work on the same opioid receptors in the brain as the drugs. However, the effects are far less harmful and extreme.

There are three main types of detox medications for opiate withdrawal. The first type is an agonist. This type of med activates the opioid receptors in the brain.

The second is a partial agonist, which also activates opioid receptors in the brain but produces a much smaller response. The last is an antagonist, which interferes with the rewarding effects that opioids have on the brain.

Behavioral Therapies

After detoxing, people have to move on to rehab treatment. Simply undergoing detox isn’t enough. They also have to learn how to spot triggers so that they can avoid relapse. They also have to get to the bottom of any underlying issues that caused their addiction.

One of the best ways to identify triggers is through behavioral therapy. There are several types that therapists can use during rehab. However, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has made a name for itself in the world of drug rehab. Therapists can use this technique in both individual and group sessions.

CBT puts forward the idea that people use drugs as a result of negative thoughts and behaviors. Using this theory, counselors teach client to replace negative thoughts and emotions with positive ones. Experts praise CBT. The main reason is that it’s the most likely to produce results and do it faster than other techniques.

Santé Center for Healing Can Help You With Your Addiction

At Santé Center for Healing, we’re proud to provide an intimate setting for our clients. Our goal is to provide opiate addiction rehab that you can count on. In fact, we offer a number of great addiction treatments that can help people overcome prescription drug abuse, including:

Santé Center for Healing also encourages family involvement. We invite family members to participate in treatment. We take this time to teach family members about addiction. The more relatives who understand it, the more family support they can provide outside of rehab.

Of course, we don’t just focus on indoor activities. We also turn to nature for therapeutic release. For example, we have softball tournaments, art therapy, and ropes courses. We’re interested in giving you a holistic look at recovery while addressing your addiction.

Don’t waste your time looking for addiction treatment in all the wrong places. Let Santé Center for Healing help you overcome opiate addiction in a safe way. Contact us today at 866-238-3154 for answers your opiate addiction questions.