Leading Texas Opioid Addiction Treatment Center
Opioid addiction is on the rise, and more people are attending rehab centers to help combat their addiction than ever. Since prescriptions are easy to obtain, opioids like hydrocodone and oxycontin are becoming a dangerous gateway to heavier drugs like heroin and fentanyl. What might start as a simple injury or a prescription after a surgery could turn into a debilitating addiction. Oftentimes, this can happen without you even realizing it.
There are a myriad of treatment methods available to help rid one of their opioid addiction. The programs offered at rehab centers like Willow Springs are specialized to combat opioid addiction. Treatment programs like SMART recovery and the 12 stepsare utilized to fit your individualized treatment plan in order to give you the best chance at recovery.
Those in recovery for opioids face a tough challenge, but thanks to the treatment programs offered at Willow Springs, your recovery can be comfortable, rewarding, and successful.
Inpatient or Outpatient Opioid Addiction Treatment
There are many factors to consider when you’re deciding to go to rehab for opioid addiction treatment. One of the biggest hangups people face when choosing rehab is whether to attend inpatient or outpatient rehab. It’s important to know the strengths and weaknesses of each type of treatment, so you can find the one that’s best for you.
Why Inpatient Treatment?
The main and most popular characteristic of inpatient rehab is that a patient will stay in a treatment center for a set period of time, all the while receiving treatment and learning how to live a sober life in a secluded, safe environment. However, there are a multitude of benefits associated with inpatient rehab beyond the environment one stays in, including:
- A new environment means less temptation to use drugs
- A dedicated medical staff working to help you around the clock
- Ongoing therapy and addiction education
- Supervised detox
- Administration of medications if needed
- Group and individual therapy
While outpatient treatment has the benefits of staying at home during treatment, it often does offer the level of care associated with inpatient care. At Willow springs, your treatment is customized around you, meaning that while you’ll be away from home, your experience will be one of comfort and enjoyment.
Opioid vs. Opiate
Opioids and opiates are often considered to be the same thing, but that is a common and dangerous misconception. These two drugs vary greatly from one another. An opioid is often a synthetic drug that binds to opioid receptors in the brain, while an opiate is a drug that is derived from opium, a substance extracted from poppy plants.
Both of these drugs originate from the same substance and act in a similar fashion on the body and mind, but opioids have quickly become much more dangerous.
There are four classes of opioids that are used for treatment:
- Endogenous opioid: These are naturally produced in the body, such as endorphins.
- Opium alkaloid: These opioids are often medical in nature, like morphine and codeine.
- Semi-synthetic opioids: This category is for drugs that are often man made, like heroin, oxycodone, and buprenorphine.
- Fully synthetic opioids: This category includes drugs like fentanyl, which are incredibly dangerous.
Opioids attach themselves to the receptors of the brain that block pain, while also releasing endorphins which cause the pleasurable high associated with them. These two effects combined lead to a calming and anti-depressive state of mind.
The Opioid Epidemic
Today’s opioid epidemic can be traced back to 1999. Affordable and low-risk pain management was in high demand, and opioids appeared to fill that role. At the time, studies on opioids were limited, and not much was known about the dangers we now associate with them. Since opioids were exceptional at relieving pain, opioid prescriptions sky rocketed.
Over the course of a decade (1997-2007) the milligram dosage of opioid prescriptions went from 74mg to 364mg – a 402% percent increase.
While the prescription painkillers often did the trick of relieving pain in the short term, they were also incredibly easy to abuse. Once an individual’s prescription ran out, many began seeking another opioid like heroin to fill the void left by their prescription. In time, it became cheaper and easier to find hard drugs like fentanyl and heroin, meaning that anyone abusing their prescription could easily find an alternative.