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Opiates are one of the most addictive substances in the world, especially in the United States. A lot of prescriptions are administered every year, with patients getting addicted to these drugs. Alcoholism, also known as alcohol use disorder is also one thing people get addicted to. The excessive consumption of alcohol leads to a distortion of the mind and physical health. Asides this, alcoholism is closely linked to depression. Getting off alcohol might be difficult for chronic drinkers. This is why it’s imperative to seek the help of trained therapists and counselors. Before going into details, it’s important to know about opiates and alcoholism.

What Are Opiates?

 

Opiates are drugs that are derived from opium. This is a chemical that can be obtained from poppy plants. Opiates are used mainly for the treatment of pain. They can be used for the treatment of the various kinds of pain, ranging from mild, moderate and severe pain. However, people tend to get addicted to opiates because of the “extraordinary soothing and calming effects.”

How Bad Is Opiate Abuse?

 

Addiction usually starts when an individual has been given a prescription for painkillers. In most cases, these patients become used to the way the drug makes them feel, therefore developing an addiction for them. Patients might start feeling that the drug isn’t as effective as when they started using them. This can be attributed to a condition, known as tolerance.  This occurs when the substance has built up in the body. Patients then tend to consume more dosages of the drug, to achieve a favorable effect. This might eventually lead to physical dependence. Which would make the patient completely dependent on the drug, regardless of the side effects. This is how addiction starts. Addiction is not just the desire to take drugs, but it’s a neurological disease that patients feel they can’t escape from.

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What Are The Types Of Opiates?

 

Opiates are administered to different needs. However, the most common use of the class of drug is for the treatment of pain. There are two main types of opiates. These are antagonists and agonist.

Antagonists, examples of which include clonidine, do not have any addictive effect, neither does it get people high. They are rather used in the treatment of opiate addiction. It’s usually part of the initial treatment of addiction. On the other hand, opiate agonists, examples include fentanyl and morphine, are the most used, and are very addictive. They are strong opiates and are also has the most potential to be abused, in the class of opiates. Other examples of opiates include oxycodone and codeine.

  1. Codeine: The drug was manufactured for the relieving of cough and pain. It’s present in a lot of cough syrup. However, codeine abuse has almost become an epidemic in some parts of the world. While it can only be gotten by prescription in some countries, it can be bought over-the-counter in some other countries. It mostly abused by young people.
  2. Percocet: This is also a heavily abused drug, that was manufactured for the relieve of pain. This drug has been responsible for a lot of emergency cases, and deaths due to overdose. Although these drugs are no longer prescribed, there is still a black market for it.
  3. Fentanyl: This drug is about a hundred times more potent than morphine. This opiate is only prescribed in cases of severe pain. However, it can easily be overdosed on, especially when used with other drugs such as heroin.
  4. Methadone: This is an opioid, that is used for the treatment of moderate to severe pain. This is the drug administered to people who’re trying to get off an addiction to other drugs such as heroin. However, despite its use for the treatment for addiction, people still find a way to get high off these drugs and become addicted to them.
  5. Morphine: Morphine is used for the treatment of severe and chronic pain. However, it’s very addictive, and also the cause of a lot of addiction cases. This drug has been responsible for a lot of substance abuse-related deaths.

alcohol and drug rehabilitation center

Alcohol And Drug Rehabilitation

 

Alcohol rehabilitation usually takes from a month and above. The severe cases could take many months before the patient recovers. Longer duration of treatment is usually recommended for those with bad conditions. The longer the period of stay, the more the effective the treatment. Below are the steps involved in rehabilitation;

  • Evaluation: This is the first step, and it involves the psychological and medical evaluation of the patient. Patients must open up to the doctor and counselor about their habits, and how much alcohol they consume. The provided information will be used to create a plan for the patient.
  • Detoxification: This is the process whereby the patient’s body is forced to be used to not drinking. Patients are fed, given medications that would help with any form of withdrawal.
  • Therapy: Patients are placed in support groups, where they can share information, on how they’ve been coping. Patients do feel comfortable, and they open up about their struggles. Some rehab centers also offer personal therapy.

The same routine also applies to drug rehabilitation.

Alcohol Treatment

 

The treatment of alcohol abuse has been explained above. However, there are some medications that can be used in the management of this condition. For example, disulfiram is an alcohol anti-abuse drug. This drug makes alcohol taste bad, and alcoholics on this drug will feel sick or throw up if they drink. Other drugs used include acamprosate. This drug helps to reduce the cravings for alcohol. Lastly, Naltrexone is used to block the “high” people get from drinking.

Opiate Use Disorder

 

Most cases of opiate use disorder occur when people get addicted to using their prescription opiate drugs.

Opiate Detox Centers Near Me

 

It’s essential to visit an opiate detox center if you notice that you’re addicted to alcohol or a drug. The earlier you report for rehabilitation, the better.

NEED HELP WITH OPIOID or ALCOHOL DEPENDENCY?

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References

Maskey, R. (2011). Alcohol consuming habits and its effect on adherence and blood glucose level in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Health Renaissance, 9(3).

Molloy, E. (2015). This Ad is for You: Targeting and the Effect of Alcohol Advertising on Youth Drinking. Health Economics, 25(2), pp.148-164.

Ormond, G. and Murphy, R. (2016). The effect of alcohol consumption on household income in Ireland. Alcohol, 56, pp.39-49.

Sharma, A., Etilé, F. and Sinha, K. (2016). The Effect of Introducing a Minimum Price on the Distribution of Alcohol Purchase: A Counterfactual Analysis. Health Economics, 25(9), pp.1182-1200