Peter Nolette
The term opioid is used to describe any substance, that can be both natural or synthetic and can bind to the opioid receptors in our brain to control pain, pleasure, and addictive behaviors. If used in prescribed amounts, this can be a very good pain killer. However, if not, then can create serious addiction problems. An opioid treatment program is there to help the addicted person return to a happy and healthy life.
The first step in understanding the opioid treatment program is understanding the addiction itself. Different elements make up this disorder or addiction. It includes physical, psychological, and emotional components. Thus, it is nearly impossible for an addicted person to recover without someone’s help. The different signs of addiction that are listed below will help you understand why an opioid treatment program is so important.
Signs of addictions –
- Psychological
- A defensive attitude, when confronted about the addiction, is a very common attribute of an addict. A person with an addiction will try their best to hide that they are addicted. Not only hide, but it is also hard for them to accept the fact that they have lost control. So they try their best to avoid any conversion about their addiction.
- Never acknowledging their mistake. In most cases, the addict will blame everything and everyone for their addiction. But they will never accept what they did wrong. This makes it equally hard for their acquaintances to help or understand them.
- Missing appointments. Addiction demands a lot of time and effort. It is very hard to get high if you maintain your day-to-day lifestyle. So to accommodate the time for addiction a person would have to let go of and miss other appointments. And the more the addiction metastasizes, the more they start to isolate themselves from the outer world and stop doing anything else.
- Physical
- Constipation is a common side effect.
- Drowsiness is also seen very often. Whenever they are not high, they are tired.
- Slowed breathing happens due to the drugs
- Mood swings happen whenever they don’t get their daily dose. And sometimes even when they are intoxicated, they act very differently from their normal nature.
- Losing consciousness is also seen. This is a very common symptom.
All these signs are not the only ones. Drugs have a different effect on different individuals. For some, it can also cause extreme depression and anxiety. This shows that a person who is addicted does not get to enjoy the high only, they have to go through all these horrible emotions which makes them even more isolated.
Hence the help they will get from an opioid treatment program is not only important but their only chance to get their lives back. It is very sad how a single decision can ruin someone’s life. The worst part is that even if they try to get over their addiction by themselves, the withdrawal symptoms would make it impossible for them to hold on. So let us be aware of this problem and help the people in need.
