Do you know someone
who is struggling with an opioid addiction? Chances are you do. Just ask Van
Ingram, who is currently working as the Executive Director of the Kentucky
Office of Drug Control Policy and has held that position since 2004. He spent
two decades as a police officer before taking that position, and so there is no
question he has a lot of experience regarding dealing with individuals dealing
with drug addictions. He knows full well that the opioid crisis is every bit as
bad as cocaine, heroin, or many other types of drugs. Of course, on its surface
it would appear that addiction to prescription drugs is something that wouldn’t
be that big of a deal, but Van Ingram knows better. During an interview with
the BBC, his voice cracked as he noted that 1,400 people in Kentucky lost their
lives due to the horrible toll of opioids on their lives. He knows these people
were daughters, sons, husbands, wives, fathers and mothers. He knows these
people will never come back, and he knows that this crisis needs to be
addressed. Luckily, there are now rehabilitation clinics throughout the U.S.A.
that are now taking this problem seriously and responding to the challenge.
 |
| Opioid Addiction Treatment |
Recognize the Signs of an Opioid Addiction
Opioid addiction rehab is not something that most people would
want to go through, but the signs are there and they do present themselves. If
you know someone who is exhibiting signs of being addicted to opioids, you need
to get them treatment right away. Some red flags to look out for would include
such things as an individual taking numerous visits to doctors for
prescriptions; impaired and slowed-down thoughts; drowsiness; impaired memory
and continual cravings for more pills. If someone you know and love is
exhibiting these symptoms and you live in the West Virginia area, then by all
means do whatever you have to do to get them to a leading addiction treatment
center in the area such as Harmony Ridge Recovery as soon as possible..
Just
What is Considered to be an Opioid
In understanding the opioid crisis one of the first
steps would be to simply determine just what is and is not considered to be an
opioid. First of all, yes, the heroin drug is considered to be an opioid, and
this is wholly present on the streets. However, many opioids are in the form of
prescription painkillers, and these drugs are fully legal and readily available
at any hospital or doctor’s clinic. Unfortunately, these legal drugs are often
prescribed far too often from doctors and this can lead to dependency and
overdoses.
Types
of Painkiller Opioids
Considering that more
often than not these opioids can come in the form of painkillers, it is
beneficial to understand what some of the different types of opioids are
called. Knowledge is power, and the more you know about these opioids and how
they might be affecting your loved one the better equipped a clinic will be to
treat the addiction. First of all, there is Methadone, which is normally used
to crowd out addiction and withdrawal. Unfortunately, you have to walk a
tightrope regarding Methadone otherwise your patient can get hooked on it as
well. Suboxone is another drug that can be utilized to treat addiction to
heroin, morphine or hydrocodone. Abuse of Suboxone can cause nausea,
depression, insomnia or a dramatic increase in blood pressure. Dilaudid is
prescribed as a painkiller and is noted for being up to nine times more potent
than morphine. Fentanyl will give the user feelings of euphoria, but it is also
known as being the most potent opioid there is. Indeed, just trying this opioid
even once can lead to intense dependency and some serious withdrawal problems.
That’s right. Users have been known to become addicted even after the first
dose is taken..
These
and many other prescription opioids are extremely dangerous. If an individual
attempts to kick dependence of these drugs on their own, serious consequences
could result, even possible ending in death. Fortunately there are
professionals who are highly experienced in helping opioid users be able to
fully end their habit in a healthy manner.
Tags
Health