The Turning Point Opiates Treatment Program consists of:
Opioid Dependence has the following characteristics:
- Tolerance. You need more of the drug to get the kind of high you want.
- Physical withdrawal. Withdrawal symptoms include nausea, vomiting, sweating, shaking, chills when you’re not using the drug.
- Psychological withdrawal. You feel anxious, unfocused, or depressed when you can’t use heroin.
- Failure to quit. Even if you’re aware of the way heroin is harming your body, mind, relationships, and work-life, you can’t quit, in spite of repeated attempts to get clean.
We will help – call 1-800-734-5400 and start the recovery process today.
The US is in the midst of a prescription opioid overdose epidemic. In 2014, more than 28,000 people died from an opioid overdose, and at least half of those deaths involved a prescription opioid.
Prescription opiates abuse is one of the largest problems facing our society today, with an estimated 1.9 million people in the US struggling with opiates addiction. Opiate addiction is also extremely dangerous, and recent rises in overdoses are alarming: since 1999, accidental opiate overdoses have quadrupled and now surpass the number of overdoses from cocaine and heroin combined. For those struggling with opiate addiction, opiate treatment can be the answer to living a life free from addiction.
What are opiates?
Opiates are drugs derived from the opium poppy plant. Common opiates include legal drugs, like oxycodone or morphine, as well as illegal drugs, like heroin.
Prescription opiates and heroin produce nearly identical effects, and users often abuse both simultaneously. The recent rise in the availability of prescription drugs is widely considered to have been a contributing factor in the rise of heroin use in the US.
What effect do opiates have on users?
Opiates attach to receptors in the brain called opioid receptors, that are responsible for both pain relief and emotional well-being. When abused, opiates flood the brain with endorphins like serotonin and dopamine, which produce intense feelings of euphoria.
What are the symptoms of someone under the influence of opiates?
Opiate users experience a surge of euphoria followed by a slowing of various systems in the body, including the respiratory system. Due to the drugs’ effect on the limbic system, which regulates emotions, users may also experience a sense of well-being and emotional safety.
Due to the slowing down effect of opiates on multiple systems without the body, the user’s breathing, speech, and reaction time are slowed while under the influence of opiates. Users often have trouble maintaining consciousness and may abruptly fall asleep, also known as “nodding out”.
When opiate use is stopped, users experience severe withdrawal symptoms, including sweating, severe muscle and bone cramps, intense cravings, and feelings of anxiety and depression. The longer a user has been abusing the drugs as well as the dosage has a direct effect on the intensity of withdrawal symptoms they experience.
What are the potential dangers of opiates?
Opiates cause physical dependency extremely quickly, which leads to a high risk of abuse and addiction. Side effects of prescription opiate abuse can be extremely dangerous. Common side effects include:
- Lowered immune system
- Brain damage
- Constipation
- Liver disease
- Slowed respiratory systems
- Kidney disease
- Coma
- Death
IV use of opiates may also lead to complications including abscesses, collapsed veins, and hepatitis or HIV transmission (if users share needles)
Opiates Treatment
For those struggling with opiate addiction, opiate treatment can be life changing. At Turning Point Treatment Center, we offer medicine assisted therapy ( MAT ) to give our clients the tools they need to successfully recover from opiate addiction.
Upon admission, clients will meet with their treatment team to develop a highly individualized opiate treatment plan, that leverages the best evidence-based therapies for their individual needs.
If you or a loved one is struggling with opiate abuse, opiates treatment might be the answer. At Turning Point Treatment Center, our individualized treatment plans, highly qualified staff and personalized approach to recovery have a proven track record of success. For more information on opiate treatment at Turning Point Treatment Center, please contact us.
