Opiate addiction is a real epidemic that lives worldwide, affecting every aspect of a person’s life. Finances are depleted, personal relationships are lost, and family suffers. In 2020, approximately 75% of deaths related to drug overdose were due to opioids. Opiate addiction, like any addiction, weighs heavily on the mind and body. Seeking treatment is essential to a long-lasting recovery and can help to prevent relapse.
Avalon Malibu is a superb choice for the treatment of any addiction. Four board-certified physicians are onsite who specialize in psychiatry, internal medicine, addictionology, and neurology. We also work with certified specialists in Chinese medicine, acupuncture, neurofeedback, and other holistic methods. If you or someone you know is facing addiction of any kind, don’t wait. Take action now.
What Is Addiction?
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) defines addiction as “a chronic, relapsing disorder characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use despite adverse consequences.” While addiction is a mental health condition, it is also considered a brain disorder due to the chemical changes the brain undergoes during substance exposure. These changes can last anywhere from months to years after recovery.
Regardless of the substance, exposing your brain to drugs creates a reaction within the brain. It does this by pumping excessive quantities of dopamine, thus resulting in a heightened sense of pleasure. Over time, the body will become immune to lower amounts perpetuating the need for more drugs in higher amounts to achieve the same effect.
Understanding Opiate Addiction
Opioids get their name due to the way they provide a morphine-like effect when acting on opioid receptors. This class of drugs is predominantly used to relieve pain and includes the illicit drug heroin, synthetic opioids like fentanyl, as well as legal prescription drugs like oxycodone (OxyContin), hydrocodone (Vicodin), codeine, and morphine, among others.
Because of the nature of these drugs, opioid addiction can happen to anyone, and the use of these medications should be done with caution. Prescription pain medication is widely administered across the US, making it easy to acquire, thus perpetuating higher rates of opioid addiction. Among the most commonly prescribed are hydrocodone and morphine.
What Is Hydrocodone (Vicodin)?
Hydrocodone, a schedule II semi-synthetic opioid medication, is regularly prescribed for pain. Whether it be post-surgery, tooth extraction, or other pains, the availability of this drug perpetuates higher addiction risks. Hydrocodone is very effective for pain control, and often people who fear pain may take more than necessary to prevent it.
Due to the addictive qualities of any opioid, the more regularly a person takes the substance, the higher the risk of addiction. Since 2009, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), “[H]ydrocodone has been the second most frequently encountered opioid pharmaceutical in drug evidence submitted to federal, state, and local forensic laboratories.”
Seeking Treatment
Substances of any kind, whether alcohol, opiates, or other drugs, are highly addictive and can take over quickly. The good news is that treatment is available, and recovery is an option. Avalon Malibu specializes in the treatment of opiate addiction as well as many other substance use disorders (SUDs). We use a fully rounded approach to treating not just the addiction but the health of the mind, body, and spirit.
The Detoxification Process
By focusing on every aspect of what makes you you, we help to pave the way to a brighter, happier, and above all, healthier future for yourself and your loved ones. Treatment begins with a fully supervised detoxification to help manage withdrawal symptoms for maximum comfort and care. These symptoms can be very difficult to deal with alone and typically start within 12 hours of stopping opioids. Participants typically spend about a week in this stage of recovery.
Residential Care
Following detoxification, participants generally spend a few months in residential treatment that takes place in a comforting home-like environment. Avalon Malibu offers many holistic treatment methods ranging from cognitive-behavioral therapies, massage therapy, physical activity, and much more. The options are endless for residents of our Cottage House that are geared to make you feel happy and at home with top-quality care to ensure the best recovery journey possible.
Reclaiming Your Life
Opiate addiction is a serious condition that can quickly take hold of your life with a seemingly iron grip. However, this hold it has over you is only temporary. You are stronger than your addiction, and you can overcome it. It may seem like there’s no hope, but there is. Avalon Malibu has all the tools needed to help you achieve the best life possible. You deserve the best, and we can help you get it. Your future is important to us, so let us guide you down the road to recovery the way you deserve.
Opiate addiction can take hold of every part of your life. It can steal your joy, telling you there’s no hope to be had. But guess what. Addiction is a liar, and you deserve so much more than this. Your life has only just begun, and you can break free of the chains of opiates. Starting today, break this cycle. At Avalon Malibu, we know the challenges you are facing. We are equipped with everything you need to overcome your addiction and reclaim your life. Let us shoulder your recovery worries so that you can focus on the bright future ahead of you. Call us today at (844) 857-5992, and let Avalon Malibu be the beginning of your forever story.
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