What are Opioids?
Opioids are substances extracted from poppy plants that cause varying effects when taken. People use opioids as pills, patch on the skin, lollipops, or through IV or injection via their veins. Some opioids are illegal for any use, while others are legal for medical use. Doctors can prescribe hydrocodone and fentanyl, while heroin is illicit for use for any purpose.
Opioids attach to your opioid receptors located in your nerve cells in the gut, brain, spinal cord, and other parts of your body. This attachment changes how your body reacts to pain. The opioids block the pain signals that move across your system. Physicians prescribe mild opiates to various patients to help them cope with agony. While you can use opioids to manage pain, they are highly addictive. Prolonged usage leads to increased tolerance and dependence on them for proper functioning. Addicts need the best treatment for opioids addiction to overcome their reliance.
Statistics show that about 450 people died of accidental opioid-related causes per year from 2011-2017 in Los Angeles. Emergency department and hospital visits because of opioid diagnoses increased by 51% and 31% from 2006 – 2017. These results have led to high treatment expenses, premature deaths, and other effects of opioid addiction.
What is Opioid Treatment?
Opioid addiction has several severe consequences on the user and those around them. Dependence on opiates leads to deteriorating health, poor financial management, damaged relationships, and lagging in school or at work. Addicts may also overdose or experience severe withdrawal symptoms. Opioid addiction treatment is often necessary to deal with these effects.
Opioid treatment is the process of dealing with opiate dependence without significant complications. It is an extensive process that involves detoxing, rehab, and aftercare program. The opioid treatment uses proven techniques to help patients overcome their reliance on opiates. Best practices for opioid treatment include medications to alleviate withdrawal symptoms and cravings, therapies, aftercare programs, and lifestyle changes to sustain sobriety.
Addiction facilities are the best places to seek opioid treatment. Opioids are highly addictive, and they need proper planning and management to quit without complications. Stopping to take them without adequate preparation and monitoring often leads to uncomfortable withdrawal signs or relapse. Addiction centers provide holistic treatment that ensures you become sober without obstacles. Their experts offer the best treatment for opioid withdrawal, and they develop an aftercare plan that gives you the best chance of living a drug-free life.
Signs of Opioid Addiction
If you suspect someone you care about is an addict, these opioid addiction symptoms should help you make a rational decision. Once you identify opiate dependence, you should seek help from licensed addiction facilities. Seeking guidance from these centers gives the addict the best chance of overcoming their reliance without difficulties.
Opioid addicts have the following symptoms:
- High tolerance level for opioids which results in using the drug without a prescription or more than the recommended dosage
- Prioritizing taking opioids over relationships, freedom, responsibilities, sound financial management, and hobbies
- Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when you quit using opioids
- Continuing to use opioids despite the harm that the addiction causes
- Track marks on your neck, feet, or arms
- Crushing pills to inject, snort, or swallow them
Length of Opioid Treatment Process
The opioid treatment takes different durations with each case. The period depends on these factors:
- Level of opioid addiction
- The treatment approach you use
- The overall wellbeing of the addict
- Presence of co-occurring disorders (such as mental issues or other substance use disorders)
- The length of the addiction
- Age and genetics
- Type of opioid that the addict is reliant on
- Having sought treatment before relapsing
Your doctor can give you the exact timeline of your treatment. Some addicts get through treatment in weeks while others take months or years. The timetable that your physician gives you should not scare you. Remember that the objective of seeking treatment is to get better without severe complications.
Opioid Treatment Process
Opioid treatment is not a one-time occurrence. It comprises of many techniques and steps meant to help you overcome your dependence. The process typically begins with detox and continues through to an aftercare program.
1. Detox and Withdrawal Management
Detoxing from opioids is the initial phase of the treatment process. It involves stopping your intake of opioids and getting rid of their effects on your body. You may quit ‘cold turkey’ (at once) or by tapering off the opioid. Tapering involves reducing the amount you use over a specific period, and it gives you an excellent chance of avoiding many withdrawal symptoms and relapse.
Many addicts struggle to quit using opioids. Their challenge comes primarily from uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms that they experience while detoxing. They may have tremors, anxiety, drug cravings, insomnia, vomiting, and diarrhea. Many of these recovering addicts return to drugs to stop their suffering from these withdrawal symptoms. The Detox Center of Los Angeles provides the best treatment for opioid withdrawal to help you manage these symptoms.
2. Inpatient Opioid Rehab
Inpatient opioid rehab provides addicts with necessary psychological treatment. It enables you to accept your addiction, its causes, its effects, and plan for life after treatment. Getting treatment and staying sober are demanding. Developing a strong mentality gives you the best chance of achieving both of them. This part of the process enables professionals to monitor and prepare you for your sober life outside their facility.
3. Intensive Outpatient Rehab
This approach allows patients with a mild addiction to those through with treatment in a facility to receive treatment periodically. They continue with most aspects of their lives while visiting the center for therapy or examination regularly. The familiar environment helps patients feel comfortable during recovery.
4. Aftercare
Lifestyle changes are often necessary for addicts to sustain their sobriety. Looking after yourself once you are through with treatment is crucial for avoiding relapse. In this program, you avoid triggers, eat a balanced diet, exercise, and continue with therapy. Consult your doctor to come up with a viable plan for you.
The Stages of Opioid Rehab Treatment
1. Detox
This phase involves getting rid of opioids from your system. It is a challenging step, and you will experience withdrawal symptoms as you deny your body the opioid it has become accustomed to getting. It would be best if you detox in a licensed addiction facility to avoid relapsing or suffering from severe withdrawal symptoms. Physicians prescribe medications to alleviate your suffering and leverage their expertise to advise you on alternative ways of managing these signs.
2. Rehab
This phase prepares you for your life of sobriety. It involves therapy aimed at improving your mentality and increasing your awareness of triggers and how to avoid them. These sessions can be an individual, group, or family meetings. Your family will be a crucial support system for your next chapter. Ensuring they are not bitter about your actions while intoxicated and they know how to help you stay sober is vital.
3. Aftercare
Avoiding triggers and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is essential to remaining sober. In this phase, you make the necessary changes to support your new life. You mind your diet, exercise, continue with therapy, and group meetings. Overlooking this stage often leads to relapse, which can lead to an overdose or other consequences of addiction you are trying to overcome.
Finding an Effective Treatment for Opioid Dependence
Opioids are highly addictive. You need to find an effective treatment if you want to overcome their dependence without significant complications. The Detox Center of Los Angeles is a licensed addiction center that offers drug detox, PHP, and rehab treatment in Los Angeles. We tailor our treatment plans to suit the unique needs of each patient. About 99% of our previous patients have successfully overcome their opioid addiction. You can trust us to guide your quest for a better life away from opioids.
We provide the best treatment for opioids dependence via our inpatient, PHP, and outpatient programs. Our counselors also give various types of therapy to our patients. We offer cognitive behavioral therapy, family counseling, breathwork therapy, and trauma-informed counseling, among others.
Treatment Options Available for Opioid Dependence
Several treatment alternatives are available to help you get better.
1. Medication-Assisted Therapy (MAT) – involves using medicines and counseling during treatment. Medications help reduce the severity of withdrawal symptoms. Therapy prepares you psychologically for treatment and sobriety.
2. Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) – allows patients to get the benefits of the residential and outpatient approaches. With PHP, you visit our facility during the day for treatment and go back home in the evening. Our doctors administer intensive procedures while you are in our center and monitor your progress. In the evening, you return to the familiar surroundings of your home.
3. Behavioral Therapies – seek to help addicts come to terms with their addiction, recognize harmful patterns, and find ways to deal with them. They are essential in building a resilient mentality to get you through the treatment and stay sober.
Residential Treatment Programs in Culver City
Stopping opioid abuse is a challenging process. Once your body becomes reliant on them, you will experience uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms if you try to stop taking them. Our inpatient program allows us to monitor you as you go through this challenging part of recovery. We will prescribe medications to reduce your suffering, and we will guide you through alternative coping mechanisms. This approach is advisable for addicts with severe dependence. The Detox Center of Los Angeles offers the best inpatient opioid treatment to help you get better.
Outpatient Treatment Program in Culver City
If you have a clinically established mild addiction, this approach can be suitable for you. It allows you to visit our facility periodically for treatment. You will return to your familiar surroundings and be able to continue with most aspects of your life while getting better. We provide outpatient care via our intensive outpatient and partial hospitalization programs.
Conclusion
Opioid addiction affects many residents of Los Angeles. A considerable number of these individuals suffer indirectly due to the discomfort associated with not knowing the harm that will come to their loved one or what they may do to them to satisfy their urge to use opioids. Look out for specific signs that may indicate opioid addiction and seek treatment for an addict before the situation escalates.
The Detox Center of Los Angeles offers the holistic and reliable treatment you need to overcome opioid dependence. We tailor our treatments to suit the unique needs of each patient. Several bodies approve of our techniques and practices. The Detox Center of Los Angeles uses several techniques to help patients via our PHP, residential, and outpatient programs. Recovering from addiction is a continuous process. We understand this concept and provide treatment through detox, rehab, and guide patients in developing an aftercare plan that is appropriate for them. Reach out today and let us help you overcome your opioid addiction.
