Opioid addiction rates have risen since the late 1990s when reassurances that patients could not become addicted to prescription opioid painkillers turned out to be dangerously false. Today, there are over 100 deaths a day in the US due to opioid overdoses. The national crisis involves prescription drugs as well as illegal opioids like heroin.
Opioid misuse and addiction cost us in personal, heartbreaking ways. They also cost the United States nearly $80 billion a year in healthcare and addiction treatment, the legal and criminal justice system, and lost productivity.
At Pennsylvania Adult and Teen Challenge (PAATC), we have a staff of professionals ready to welcome anyone struggling with an addiction to prescription opioids, heroin, fentanyl, and more. Our inpatient and outpatient options, including medically supervised detox, are based on compassion, Christian faith, and best practices. Read on to learn more about opioid addiction and its treatment, or contact us today using the online form or by calling 844.442.8673.
What to Expect During Detox
When you stop using opioids, you should expect withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms can range from mildly uncomfortable to extremely painful, but medication can make the process less potent. They may also experience cravings to use opioids. These symptoms will continue for about 72 hours before they subside. After about a week, you should be fairly symptom-free. However, the length of time that the person used the substance and their overall physical health plays a role. It is best to do this with the help of a professional detox center to ensure that the person is able to stay sober and safe throughout the process.
What You Need to Know About Opioid Addiction
Addiction happens when the body first becomes tolerant of the drug, requiring higher doses to achieve effective results. If use continues, physical dependence develops. That means that not taking this medication causes physical withdrawal symptoms. Addiction is similar to dependence but also involves powerful, consuming cravings. It also means that drug use continues, regardless of how severe the consequences. The consequences of addiction can range from job and relationship loss to homelessness, and stealing to satisfy the addiction and more.
Common signs of addiction are not always apparent at first. Over time, however, they will be hard to miss. They include:
- Change in sleep, such as sleeping at odd hours, for very short periods, or excessively
- Mood swings, which can include energy swings, from exhausted to wired
- Lack of responsibility or decision-making abilities can mean even someone who was once quite responsible and functional will start getting in trouble or stumbling over life choices
- Loss of interest meaning that the person has no interest in things, even activities once enjoyed
- Agitation, which can include a short fuse and oversensitivity to seemingly minor setbacks or challenges
- Poor hygiene is often a very obvious red flag when a previously reasonably groomed and clean person appearing unbathed, unkempt, and wearing the same clothes every day
If left untreated, opioid addiction may have a devastating and life-threatening impact on a person’s life.
The Need for Opioid Addiction Treatment
The treatment of opioid addiction begins with the management of withdrawal symptoms and a medically assisted detox. Long term sobriety results are greatly improved when a person detoxes under professional care. Once the body is completely rid of the opioid, continued addiction treatment is necessary.
At PAATC, the treatment of addictions includes short- and long-term residential options. We also have outpatient programs that involve both medical help and talk therapy, as well as other therapeutic modalities, such as music therapy.
The first step is the hardest. But when a person decides that sobriety is the only possible option, choosing to enter detox becomes easier.
Contact Pennsylvania Adult and Teen Challenge Today
Pennsylvania Adult and Teen Challenge is here to shepherd you through this process and all the steps that follow. We offer a guiding and compassionate hand combined with evidence-based professional care and a philosophy deeply rooted in faith. We have four locations around Pennsylvania. Contact either our opiate or heroin detox center using the online form or call 844.442.8673 today. Your best outcome is our primary goal.
