Opiate Addiction Treatment

Treatment for opiate addiction such as an addiction to heroin, methadone, Oxycontin or Roxycodone can be difficult to endure but with time, effort, and a lot of enthusiasm even those who are suffering from severe opiate addictions can get the help, support and care that they need to recover. Significant lifestyle changes must be made in order to ensure lasting recovery from opiate addiction and for many addicts, the mere idea of making so many changes in life can seem like an impossible feat. Fortunately, opiate addiction treatment centers provide these patients with the foundation for a successful recovery by helping them to understand the lifestyle changes that must be made and showing them how to make small changes at first that can make a big difference over time.

Medications in Opiate Addiction Treatment

Often times, opiate addiction treatment will include the use of medications such as Suboxone or Methadone to assist the patient in managing their cravings and withdrawal symptoms. Buprenorphine is commonly used and is prescribed by a physician on staff to control the major cravings that the patient could have during the first days and weeks of treatment. In time, any medications that are used during opiate addiction treatment are typically tapered off to allow the patient to ultimately cope with their cravings and feelings without the use of meds.

While some addicts think that using methadone or Suboxone is not going to be an effective method of addiction treatment simply because of the paradox that surrounds replacing one drug with another, there are some benefits to the medications that are commonly prescribed during opiate addiction treatment. For instance, statistics show that a very high percentage of addicts who attend treatment and use a methadone or Suboxone maintenance program to manage their cravings and withdrawal symptoms are less likely to use intravenous drugs while in the program. While this may not seem like a huge deal, for the intravenous drug user to actually stop using the drugs this way it can make the difference between life and death.

Therapy and Counseling in Opiate Addiction Treatment

Every opiate addiction treatment program will include therapy and counseling to assist their patients in increasing their motivation towards recovery and to other factors of life, help them to change poor behaviors and recognize potentially harmful situations before it’s too late, and learn how to say no to opiates. Therapy can take the form of individual or group sessions that typically focus on a set skill for the session. It may be as simple as helping the patient learn to relax or as in depth as bringing a family together for a healing phase that can help them to overcome the dysfunctions that occurred as a result of the opiate addiction in their lives. Regardless of the topics, opiate addiction treatment is backed by the counseling and therapy that is provided to ensure a patient’s lasting recovery.