Substance abuse is one of the toughest challenges to overcome, and if your loved one is suffering from opioid addiction, we understand how mentally and physically drained you must be feeling. However, there are ways through which you can help them battle this addiction.
Getting over opioid addiction requires more than just willpower. The individual must also be provided with professional support to help them fight this battle. If you are a San Francisco resident, you can offer to support them with professional help in numerous ways. Some reputable MAT clinics in San Francisco provide a combination of medication and therapy to overcome opioid addiction, which is something you can consider if you are looking for help. However, before looking further into the treatment angle of the addiction, let us understand what opioid addiction is.
What is Opioid Addiction?
Opioids are a class of drugs that include legal prescription painkillers such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, morphine, and fentanyl, as well as illegal drugs like heroin. Here, you must remember that even though consuming legal prescription drugs in the right dosage will not lead to addiction, consuming them in a way other than what the physician had suggested will surely do. Hence, you should closely monitor this if your loved one has been prescribed any of the above-mentioned medicines.
There are numerous short-term and long-term risks involved with opioids. When a person initially starts taking the drug, they start releasing the happy hormone endorphin. However, regular use makes the body tolerant to the dosage, and the individual thinks that they must increase their dosage, making them addicted to the drug, and by the time they realize it, it is too late. Moreover, if one suddenly stops taking opioids, they start experiencing withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, diarrhea, goosebumps, and worsening of pain.
Treatment for Opioid Addiction
Successful opioid treatment consists of medication and counseling.
Medication for Opioid Addiction
- Suboxone: Suboxone is a combination of two drugs, buprenorphine and naloxone, that work together to reduce the severity of the withdrawal symptoms. Suboxone is a part of medical-assisted treatment and is known as an opioid antagonist. When one takes the drug, it mimics the effects of an endorphin release, which is similar to consuming opioids minus the side effects. Now, you may wonder, what if the person becomes addicted to suboxone? Don’t worry! The likelihood of being addicted to suboxone is very low as it is less habit-forming.
- Methadone: This drug works the same as any other drug included in the opioid addiction category. However, the only difference is that you don’t get high after taking it, and you need a prescription to purchase it, which makes controlling dosage and usage easy.
Counseling and Behavioral Therapy for Opioid
For long-term relief from opioid addiction, one needs to combine medicine with some form of counseling and behavioral therapy. When an individual opts for a medication-assisted treatment, they are offered a combination of both to ensure that they don’t fall back into the rabbit hole. The MAT uses a combination of the following counseling and behavioral therapies:
- Contingency Management: This therapy involves using rewards and incentives to help the patient stick to the goal, such as taking medications and attending therapy.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: CBT therapy helps build self-belief that you will be able to overcome drug addiction and teaches you how to manage the effects that come with addiction.
- Family Therapy: In this, the therapist brings together family members for the support and motivation of the patient and encourages them to overcome addiction.
- Support Groups: In support groups, the patient is introduced to people with similar addictions and experiences. This allows them to get tips and suggestions on recovery and how to deal with setbacks.
Conclusion
Dealing with a loved one who is addicted to opioids can be really difficult. However, with the right therapy and medication, you can help them overcome it successfully. Being addicted to opioids can really impact the quality of life, and withdrawal can lead to severe symptoms. However, one can confidently tackle it with the right support and care.
