The Blanchard Institute
Opioid Addiction Treatment
Why Choose Our Opioid Addiction Treatment Programs?
The human brain is an amazing thing. It’s capable of doing so much—it can literally conjure up memories, dreams, and even hallucinations.
But what happens when your brain starts to go haywire? What if you can’t trust it anymore? What if you find yourself in situations that seem impossible and fantastical?
Opioid addiction is a scary thing for anyone to face—and it’s something that can happen to anyone. Even people who seem perfectly healthy and happy can suddenly find themselves addicted to opioids.
But there’s hope! With the right treatment plan, you can fight back against opioid addiction and get your life back on track. The Blanchard Institute is here to help you on your journey to sustained recovery from addiction and substance abuse.
What is Opioid Addiction?
Opioids are a class of drugs that work to relieve pain. They are usually prescribed by doctors, but they can also be found in illegal forms such as heroin. People who take opioids for a long time may develop a dependence on them and need more and more to get the same effect. This can cause them to start taking higher doses than prescribed or taking them outside of what the doctor told them was safe.
When someone is addicted to opioids, it means that their body has come to depend on them to function normally. The body becomes accustomed to having the drug in it’s system, and not having it causes withdrawal symptoms such as nausea and vomiting, muscle aches and pains, sweating, fever and chills, diarrhea, runny nose, difficulty sleeping or concentrating on things (like reading), irritability and restlessness—even depression or suicidal thoughts.
To avoid these symptoms, most people will continue using opioids even though they know they shouldn’t—even when it’s causing problems in their lives! If you suspect, you have an opioid addiction problem you should consider receiving opioid addiction treatment immediately.
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Opioid Addiction Treatment
Though opioid addiction is a serious and potentially deadly medical condition, it can be treated. Enlisted are a few of the most common methods for treating opioid addiction:
1) Physical Dependence and Detox:
Opioid addiction is a complex condition that requires a multifaceted approach to treatment. Opiate drugs produce a number of effects in the body, and different people experience these effects differently. Some individuals will develop physical dependence on opioids, while others do not. Those who do can get help with withdrawal through medically supervised detoxification.
Physical dependence develops when a person’s body adapts to the presence of opioids in the bloodstream. This process is called upregulation, which means that your brain and body are learning how to function with opioids in the system. In order to feel normal and maintain homeostasis, they need to keep producing more receptors and enzymes that can interact with the drug. When you stop taking opioids abruptly, your body will not have enough of these adaptations yet—and this causes withdrawal symptoms that include:
-Nausea
-Vomiting
-Diarrhea
-Muscle aches
-Sweating
If you go through withdrawal symptoms without medical supervision, it could be very dangerous for your health. You could end up in an emergency room or hospital due to dehydration or other complications related to nausea and vomiting.
2) Medications for Opioid Addiction Treatment:
Medications for opioid addiction treatment can be used alone or in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies. Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) is sometimes used to help people who are addicted to opioids taper off of the drugs and remain drug-free.
Methadone is an opioid medication that has been used for more than 40 years to treat addiction to heroin and other opioids. It’s usually taken as a pill or liquid, but it can also be injected under the skin or delivered by a pump attached to a vein (intravenously). Methadone blocks cravings, reduces withdrawal symptoms, and prevents overdoses. It also helps patients stay in treatment longer because they don’t have cravings and withdrawal symptoms as often as they would without it.
Buprenorphine is another opioid medication that can be used to aid in opioid addiction treatment—specifically, an addiction to heroin or other prescription painkillers like Vicodin (hydrocodone), OxyContin (oxycodone), Percocet (oxycodone), codeine, morphine, fentanyl, methadone and hydromorphone. Buprenorphine is called a partial agonist because it attaches to receptors in the brain but only binds to them partially, which reduces the patient’s cravings for opioids. Buprenorphine also reduces withdrawal symptoms, making it easier for patients to stay in treatment longer.
3) Counseling and Behavioral Therapies:
Counseling and behavioral therapies are used to treat opioid addiction. These types of therapies help people learn how to manage their emotions, their thoughts, and their behaviors in a healthy way. Counseling and behavioral therapies can be done on an individual basis or in a group setting. Group therapy is often used to help people with common issues, such as substance abuse.
The goal of counseling is to teach patients about how their drug use has affected their lives and what they need to do in order to get sober. Counseling can also help patients develop skills so that they will be able to deal with situations that might normally cause them stress without turning to drugs for relief.
Behavioral therapies focus on changing negative behaviors into positive ones in order to achieve sobriety. This type of therapy can include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which helps patients identify harmful thought patterns that lead them back towards drug use; motivational interviewing (MI), which helps them make changes by increasing their motivation through small steps; or dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), which teaches patients how to regulate their emotions while still maintaining healthy relationships with others.
4) Residential Treatment:
Residential treatment is the most intensive form of addiction treatment, but it’s also the most effective. In this treatment model, you spend at least 30 days living in a sober living house or residential treatment center and working through your recovery with a professional team of addiction specialists. Residential programs are best suited for people who have tried other forms of treatment, or who have been unable to sustain sobriety outside of an inpatient setting.
Residential programs are often quite expensive, and they require a commitment from the client that can be difficult to make. But they also offer many benefits:
– A safe place to live while you go through recovery
– An environment where no one will pressure you into using drugs or alcohol again
– A chance to truly focus solely on your recovery without any outside distractions
– A supportive community of people who understand what you’re going through
– One-on-one therapy to help you work through any underlying issues that may have contributed to your addiction – A structured schedule that will make it easier for you to stay sober once you leave
Get Started on The Road to Opioid Addiction Recovery With The Blanchard Institute
With our personalized opioid addiction treatment options, we will help you take control of your life again. We’ll work with you one-on-one to create a customized plan that will address all of the underlying issues that may have contributed to your addiction, as well as provide you with the tools and resources necessary for long-term sobriety. Please don’t hesitate to contact us today for more information or to schedule a visit.
Do Treatment Facilities Take Insurance And How Costly Is Treatment?
Treatment costs and insurance coverage vary. Consult with your insurance provider for specifics.
How Successful Is Opioid Addiction Treatment?
The success of therapy for substance use disorder varies by patient and by severity of the disorder, and also can be influenced by complications of comorbidities, such as alcohol use or mental illness. Research has shown that there is a higher rate of substance use in patients with diagnoses such as depression and those who use other substances such as alcohol.
Integrated treatment for both mental health and substance use disorders are needed in cases where these occur together. The environment and family or friend relationships can also play an important role. Some patients will repeat therapy and relapse many times before having success.
Can Prescribed Medicine Lead To Opioid Addiction?
The short answer is yes. Prescription medication is highly addictive if not taken appropriately. People often get ahold of prescription opioids by taking them out of other people’s medicine cabinets. It’s important to get rid of unused medicine to stop it from getting into the wrong hands.
Unused or expired medicine can be taken to drug take-back and drop-off locations.
