Opiate addiction is an insidious problem that has plagued society for centuries, but perhaps never more so than today. A two-edged sword, opiates can heal or destroy.
An opiate is any drug derived from the opium poppy plant. The main opiates are morphine, heroin, and codeine. Thebaine and papaverine are also opiates. More commonly we see opiates in their synthetic forms: oxycodone (OxyContin, Percodan), hydrocodone (Vicodin), and hydromorphone (Dilaudid). Darvon, Demerol, and Methadone are other synthetic opiates. The majority of these drugs are used medically for pain management.
Opiates are particularly effective in suppressing pain and reducing anxiety. In sufficiently high doses, they can produce a euphoric state. For this reason, they are often used as recreational drugs. Psychological and physical dependence leading to addiction is common in frequent opiate users. The body quickly adjusts to the use of opiates such that increasingly larger doses are needed to produce the same euphoric effect. Overdosing, sometimes resulting in fatal respiratory failure, occurs when addicts take more than their body can handle.
Most opiates can be swallowed, snorted, smoked, or injected. Intravenous injection is the preferred method of longtime addicts as this method produces the quickest, most intense high. It is also a method accompanied by increased risk of infectious disease.
Physically, the effects of opiates include dry mouth; muscle spasticity; slow, shallow or labored breathing; pupil dilation; stomach and intestinal spasms; constipation; low blood pressure; and diminished mental capacity, drowsiness, and disorientation. A common behavior of the opiate addict is the nodding in and out of consciousness.
Opiate addicts are emotionally detached. Thus, dependents of addicts are often neglected and sometimes abused. Addicts have a difficult time reporting regularly to jobs and even keeping them. Since they cannot function without the drug, looking for it, paying for it, using it, and enjoying its effects become first and foremost in their priority. Other needs are a poor second. Since funds are usually not commensurate to the need and desire, stealing and other criminal behavior are often parts of the addict's lifestyle.
Withdrawal from addiction to opiates can include hot and cold flashes, goose bumps, extreme restlessness, anxiety, muscle spasms, tremors, muscle and bone ache, insomnia, diarrhea, and vomiting.
Fortunately, there are many opiate dependency treatment programs available. Before anything else, detoxification is needed. In the opiate addiction detox center, a longtime user can begin the process of eliminating the toxins from one's body in a regulated environment where medical practitioners are available to monitor any adverse effects of withdrawal.
Some opiate addiction rehab centers administer medications such as methadone or buprenorphine to ease the pain of withdrawal. After the physical cleansing, the tough work of self-transformation begins. Opiate addiction rehabs offer counseling and behavior modification strategies and techniques to enable the recovering patient to sustain a drug-free lifestyle long after he's left the opiate addiction rehab center. Through counseling sessions, the patient discovers the emotional and environmental factors that trigger his cravings, and he learns how to avoid these or control them. Realizing that the treatment for opiate dependency is far from over, even when the rehabilitated opiate addict returns to society, opiate addiction treatment centers connect him to support groups and family outreach programs to assist him and his family in rebuilding their lives.
Opiate Addiction Symptoms and Signs
Detox Or Detoxification - Whatever You Call It , You May Benefit
Detox or detoxification includes two things:
1) Withdrawing poisonous substance from the body.
2) Withdrawing one's mind and soul from the darkness of abused substances.
The term Rapid detox was first used ten years ago and was specially related to opiate addictions. But today, it is mostly used to advertise and describe various methods of detox. Rapid detox can be used to describe the methods of alcohol detoxification, drug detox and other substances.
Drug detox
It is a process to withdraw one from drug addiction. Detoxification assists the overcoming of uncomfortable symptoms at the time of drug withdrawal. The ultimate goal of drug detox is to get the body rid of toxins formed due to drug use. It is carried out in various ways depending on where you decide to receive the treatment. Most drug detox clinics provide treatment only for physical withdrawal of drugs and alcohol.
Alcohol detoxification
Alcohol detoxification is the process to withdraw one from alcohol addiction.
There are various aspects of alcohol detoxification:
1) The first aspect of alcohol detoxification is the medical aspect. There should be a medical specialist and a qualified nursing staff in order to help the patient during the procedure. It is an established fact that if a medical practitioner can set the patient's mind calm then the entire procedure goes smoothly.
2) The second aspect of alcohol detoxification is physical. During this process there should be a nutritionist in the medical center to put the patient on a perfect meal plan. If the patient takes balanced diet then the rest of the alcohol detoxification process will go more smoothly.
3) The third and the most important aspect of alcohol detoxification is the emotional aspect. The medical center should have a trained team of psychologists and counselors to help the patient psychologically. The process can be extremely emotional at times. Specialists should be there to assist the patient move forward through emotions.
4) Alcohol detoxification always combines a therapy with medication and that of psychological counseling. These programs are often long lasting; they mostly take two to four months and needs staying at medical institutions. Therapy techniques and personal counseling assist the patients to recover from alcohol completely and more comfortably. The drugs are given to avoid withdrawal symptoms that the patients may experience. Complete recovery from alcoholism is most preferable and the ideal situation.
5) Alcohol detoxification therapies use drugs like Disulfiram, which cause a severe and immediate hangover after consuming alcohol. Drugs like Naltrexone, helps in complete and comfortable recovery.
6) Nutritional therapy has also proved helpful in alcohol detoxification. During this stage, some patients feel 'insulin resistance syndrome' which results in the failure of processing sugar in body. "Insulin resistance syndrome" causes behavioral upsets and mood swings. These mood swings and behavioral upsets can be controlled with specific dietary regimen. Due to these types of psychological problems one should include a dietary regimen during alcohol detoxification.
7) There are some specific programs that help heavy drinkers who are not yet alcoholics but on the same way yet to become alcoholics. Moderation management also helps such people.
Detox or Detoxification - Whatever You Call it, You May Benefit
Detox or detoxification includes two things:
1) Withdrawing poisonous substance from the body. 2) Withdrawing one's mind and soul from the darkness of abused substances.
The term Rapid detox was first used ten years ago and was specially related to opiate addictions. But today, it is mostly used to advertise and describe various methods of detox. Rapid detox can be used to describe the methods of alcohol detoxification, drug detox and other substances. Drug detox
It is a process to withdraw one from drug addiction. Detoxification assists the overcoming of uncomfortable symptoms at the time of drug withdrawal. The ultimate goal of drug detox is to get the body rid of toxins formed due to drug use. It is carried out in various ways depending on where you decide to receive the treatment. Most drug detox clinics provide treatment only for physical withdrawal of drugs and alcohol.
Alcohol detoxification
Alcohol detoxification is the process to withdraw one from alcohol addiction.
There are various aspects of alcohol detoxification: 1) The first aspect of alcohol detoxification is the medical aspect. There should be a medical specialist and a qualified nursing staff in order to help the patient during the procedure. It is an established fact that if a medical practitioner can set the patient's mind calm then the entire procedure goes smoothly.
2) The second aspect of alcohol detoxification is physical. During this process there should be a nutritionist in the medical center to put the patient on a perfect meal plan. If the patient takes balanced diet then the rest of the alcohol detoxification process will go more smoothly.
3) The third and the most important aspect of alcohol detoxification is the emotional aspect. The medical center should have a trained team of psychologists and counselors to help the patient psychologically. The process can be extremely emotional at times. Specialists should be there to assist the patient move forward through emotions.
4) Alcohol detoxification always combines a therapy with medication and that of psychological counseling. These programs are often long lasting; they mostly take two to four months and needs staying at medical institutions. Therapy techniques and personal counseling assist the patients to recover from alcohol completely and more comfortably. The drugs are given to avoid withdrawal symptoms that the patients may experience. Complete recovery from alcoholism is most preferable and the ideal situation.
5) Alcohol detoxification therapies use drugs like Disulfiram, which cause a severe and immediate hangover after consuming alcohol. Drugs like Naltrexone, helps in complete and comfortable recovery.
6) Nutritional therapy has also proved helpful in alcohol detoxification. During this stage, some patients feel 'insulin resistance syndrome' which results in the failure of processing sugar in body. "Insulin resistance syndrome" causes behavioral upsets and mood swings. These mood swings and behavioral upsets can be controlled with specific dietary regimen. Due to these types of psychological problems one should include a dietary regimen during alcohol detoxification.
7) There are some specific programs that help heavy drinkers who are not yet alcoholics but on the same way yet to become alcoholics. Moderation management also helps such people.
Things You Should Know About The Detox Treatment In Oklahoma
The detox treatment in Oklahoma is definitely one of the most important parts of the entire addiction treatment program in the state. Most programs for addiction treatment in the state include the detox treatment as the primary process of the treatment and the rest of the program follows suit. Let us understand the detox treatment in Oklahoma a little better.
What is the Detox Treatment Program?
The detox treatment program is a program wherein the person's body is cleansed from the substances that accumulate in it due to the addiction. When a person has been using a particular addictive substance for a period of time, there are high chances that the substance would not be metabolized properly and this could create a toxic buildup in the body of the person. Over time, this toxicity would hamper with the normal working of the body and create health complications. The main intention of the detox treatment in Oklahoma and elsewhere is to free up this toxic accumulation in the body.
How is Detox Treatment in Oklahoma conducted?
There is a definite process for conducting the detox treatment program in Oklahoma. When a person is put into this program, the first thing that is done is to make the person abstain completely from the substance. This is done in an inpatient treatment center so that the person can be constantly monitored for the abstinence and for the progress of the treatment.
Once the abstinence begins, the person will develop the withdrawal pangs within one or two days depending on how intense the addiction has been with the patient and the nature of the addiction. This can take on a very intense form in a very short while. That is the reason constant medical supervision is provided.
There are two aims that detox medication tries to achieve. The first intention of this medication is to stop or reduce the craving the person has for the substance. This is done through special medication that can target the same areas of the person's brain as the addictive substance does. Due to this, as long as that medication is kept on, the person won't feel the craving for that substance. One example here is methadone which is used in the heroin detox treatment in Oklahoma. Methadone is an opiate just like heroin is and it has almost the same influence on the person's brain as heroin. Hence, when a person takes methadone, the urge for heroin is allayed.
The second purpose of the medication that is provided during the detox treatment is to reduce the pain and the effects of the withdrawal. Depending on the nature and the intensity of the addiction, the patient will face several problems such as pains and aches, muscle cramps, giddiness and dizziness, hunger pangs, etc. Antidepressants and painkillers may be provided to mitigate these effects.
The detox treatment in Oklahoma will continue till the time all the withdrawal effects are removed from the patient. This can take anywhere from three days to three weeks, depending on how intense the person's addiction is. In normal cases, the patient will be out of the detox in three to seven days, but if the addiction has been for a very long time, or if there are some other bodily or psychiatric complications coming in the way, or if the addiction is of a very strong substance such as methamphetamine or heroin, then there is a possibility that the detox will go on for a long period of time.
What are the Benefits of the Detox Treatment in Oklahoma?
The primary benefit of the detox treatment is to purge all the toxic materials from the body of the person. This is very important if the person is looking at complete recovery. Without removing these substances, health complications can occur at any time in life, even years after the person has worked his or her own way out of the addiction. A good example of this is the possible occurrence of the fatal cirrhosis of the liver in people who have given up an alcohol addiction years ago.
But there is another very important reason why the detox treatment is considered to be a vital element of the addiction treatment program in Oklahoma. When the substance is completely removed from the body of the person, there is a definite chance that the person will lose the craving for the substance. This is not possible even if the faintest trace of the substance remains in the person's body. That is the reason detox has to be conducted, whether the person is physically and mentally able for it or not.
Some Necessary Information On The Detox Treatment In Georgia
Most counselors for substance abuse treatment will recommend the detox treatment in Georgia quite emphatically if you visit them about options on addiction treatment programs in the state. The detox treatment in Georgia has always been regarded highly and it is certainly one of the surest ways to get a person back from an addiction. Here are some details on the detox treatment as it is conducted in Georgia.
What is Detox Treatment actually?
The detox treatment is a mode of treatment in which the person's body is cleansed from the substances that are accumulated in it completely. These substances are those that are collected in the body due to the addiction. They could be residues of the substance itself, such as in the case of alcohol, or they could be metabolic products that are produced within the body. Usually they are stored within the organs such as the liver and the kidneys and in the bloodstream. When the person is detoxified, the main intention is to remove all traces of the substance from these areas of the body.
How is Detox Treatment conducted in Georgia?
Georgia usually has an inpatient format for the detox treatment, though thee is outpatient treatment in many cases too. When the person is given an inpatient treatment, the first thing that is done is to isolate the patient from familiar surroundings. Then the patient is made to completely abstain from the substance. The abstinence will be quite alright in the beginning, but soon the patient will develop some withdrawal effects for staying away from the substance of addiction. Different people begin their withdrawals after different lengths of time. Normally, the detox should occur anywhere after one or two days of the beginning of the abstinence.
Once the withdrawal has begun, it is the job of the detox treatment providers to take care of the symptoms that go with it. This takes time too; the treatment providers will have to provide a proper medicinal therapy to take the patient out of the cravings for the substance. This is done by providing some kind of maintenance medication that will allay the urges for the substance as long as it is provided. For example, a patient who is entering for heroin addiction treatment in Georgia is provided a methadone treatment. Methadone is an opiate like heroin itself and as long as methadone is provided to the person, the craving for heroin is significantly reduced.
Also, since the patient will usually suffer from pains and aches and a lot of mental issues during the detox treatment, they are also provided a medication of antidepressants and painkillers. Together, purpose of all these forms of medication is to help the patient overcome the addiction as well as do it without undergoing the nasty withdrawal effects that are bound to occur.
How long does a Detox Treatment in Georgia last?
Most people want to know the duration of the detox treatment in Georgia before they begin. However, there is no such fixed duration. The length of the detox treatment will depend on how long the patient takes to come out of the withdrawal, which can depend on so many factors. The kind of substance the patient is addicted to, the length of time for which the patient has been using the substance and the frequency of use, all influence how long the detox treatment will be. Also, the patient's own condition and state of mind will be important deciding factors for the length of the detox treatment in Georgia.
What happens after the Detox Treatment in Georgia
Contrary to popular opinion, the detox treatment in Georgia is not the end of the addiction treatment program, but you might very well say that it is the start of the treatment program. This is because when a person is detoxified, it is the body of the person that is treated from the addiction; however, the addiction is still present within the mind of the person. It is the mind of the person that creates the repeated craving for the substance. For that reason, it is important that the temptation of the substance be removed from the person's mind.
That is why the patient is led into an aftercare program immediately after the detox treatment is over. This aftercare could be in an outpatient treatment format or in a residential treatment format; that would actually depend on the kind of addiction the patient is in. The length of this aftercare would also depend drastically on the length of the patient's addiction.
Drug Detox: A Life Changing Experience
First of all, detox is a term used to define the process of detoxification, which is used to describe the process of removing any toxic waste from the body. Many people today use detox as a way of cleansing their colons of unwanted waste, but for many, detox is more than ridding yourself of a few extra pounds. For many, ridding the body of alcohol and drug remnants and also withdrawing from the use of such is called drug detox. Never, under any circumstances, should a person attempt to perform a drug detox without proper medical supervision.
Drug detox is the first step in a method that will involve the body's own process of ridding itself of drug chemicals that it has grown to rely on. What most people don't realize, is that the remnants of drugs or alcohol in a body system of an addict will produce cravings for more unless every one of those remnants is expelled from the body. It is the first and most difficult step for most recovering addicts, who won't begin the actual recovery process until they complete the drug detox program. Hundreds of drug detox centers are scattered throughout the United States and other countries and can deal with mild to severe addictions to drugs like heroin to addictions caused by anti-depressants and pain killers such as Xanax, Darvocet and Codeine, among a wealth of others.
New medications used in many drug detox facilities enables those withdrawing from drugs of any sort to take prescribed medications to make the process easier and less uncomfortable. Some such drug detox facilities offer closely monitored withdrawal from opiate addictions with a high rate of success. Individual and group counseling is also available at a drug detox center. Staff members encourage patients to talk about their addictions, a main step in the healing process. After the drug detox process has been completed, many drug detox centers also offer drug rehabilitation counseling services as well.
The key to a successful drug detox program is to admit that there is a problem and then to make a decision to so something about it. A drug detox center can help you do just that, and is equipped to help people get off such drugs and abused medications slowly and safely. A drug detox center in hospitals or community settings includes medical and psychiatric support for patients. A good drug detox center will offer more than a room and a bed, but will offer both emotional and caring support for patients and their families. A drug detox center can help not only the person undergoing the detox process, but friends and family when it comes time to offer ongoing support after discharge. Many people are ashamed or embarrassed to admit they have a problem and refuse to go to a drug detox center. But trying to withdraw from drugs on your own is a dangerous and painful process without correct and trained medical supervision. A drug detox center can provide everything someone needs, from medications to counselors for patients. No one should go through the drug detox process alone, and a drug detox center is the best place to undergo this life changing experience.
Comparing Suboxone With Methadone In The Context Of Heroin Detox Treatment
Both methadone and buprenorphine have been recommended qualified treatment programs for heroin detox since a long time. Methadone has run for a really long innings, because it has been used for about thirty years now, while the use of buprenorphine is just about ten years old in most states of America. However, the popularity of buprenorphine as a medication for heroin detox treatment has increased by leaps and bounds in the last few years, especially because the FDA approved Suboxone, a formulation containing buprenorphine for heroin detox treatment in the US.
Suboxone contains mainly buprenorphine in combination with another substance known as naloxone. Both of these have a very specific action on the person's body. Buprenorphine is known to remove the temptation of heroin from the body and mind of the person quite effectively. This is because buprenorphine itself is an opiate like heroin and it has almost the same effect on the person's brain as heroin has.
But what is an advantage for buprenorphine here is that it is not as addictive as heroin. Hence, when the treatment provider sees that the administering of buprenorphine is slowly reducing the dependency of heroin from the person's mind, they will lower the dosage of buprenorphine. However, there is still a remote possibility that the person might get addiction to buprenorphine and might experience a withdrawal when the amount prescribed might be reduced.
This is where Suboxone proves to be better than pure buprenorphine (used in medications such as Subutex). Suboxone has naloxone in it. This helps by causing a strong withdrawal if taken in excess. Fearing the strong withdrawal, the person will not consume an excess amount of Suboxone. That is the result the chances of a person abusing Suboxone are quite less.
Now, the same cannot be said about methadone. Methadone is very addictive. It acts on the same principle as buprenorphine does, but the fact that it is quite habit-forming makes it difficult to administer it in an outpatient format. Even if an outpatient methadone treatment is provided, the center needs to be federally approved and the patient will need to check in everyday so that the treatment providers can monitor their condition and alter doses if the need arises.
It is therefore not unjustified that more and more people are turning towards Suboxone treatment. This substance has a very low possibility of being abused due to the presence of the deterring substance naloxone in it.
Heroin detox treatment with Suboxone is actually so simple that patients can just carry this substance home from the physician's office, under their prescription. They will not need a constant monitoring of their condition too. Though not advisable, there are people who self-administer Suboxone and even alter doses as they deem fit. This should not be done, but it indicates that Suboxone is a simpler form of treatment than methadone is.
Suboxone is considered to be a maintenance medication. What this means is, as long as the person is kept on Suboxone treatment, there are very less chances that they will revert to their opiate addiction. But the moment the Suboxone treatment is stopped or stalled, there is a possibility of relapse. Because Suboxone is a form of maintenance medication, it becomes important to use the right kind of dosage. However, this is where the big benefit with Suboxone lies. Due to the special formulation present in it, it is possible to keep the dosages flexible and still the drug will have its effect.
Suboxone is a substance meant for oral consumption. The drug is meant to be just kept under the tongue from where it is automatically dissolved and mixed into the body. The amount of naloxone is adjusted to such a degree that it does not cause withdrawal in the person. If the person were to take more of Suboxone, there would be a great possibility that the person might get addicted to it. However, if the person oversteps the prescribed amount of Suboxone, the amount of naloxone entering their body will increase too and they might experience a withdrawal process.
Thus, you can say that there is a mechanism in Suboxone that actually prevents any recreational use of the substance. This can definitely not be said about methadone treatment. There is actually a very high chance that a person will get addicted to methadone, while the chances of a person getting addicted to Suboxone are almost nil.
You must make sure you understand the effects of both Suboxone and methadone in heroin detox treatment before you plan on either one. The Internet can be a big help for you in this.
Is Suboxone the Answer to the Crisis of Opiate Addiction?
In the past few months 100s of fatalities spread across the nation from heroin overdose. The states most affected by those tragedies included Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, Missouri, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland. This surge in fatalities was due to
Fentanyl Laced heroin! A new tactic adopted by drug dealers to drag people into their webs. Fentanyl is a highly potent synthetic opiate that dealers mixed with heroin to increase its efficacy and appeal to their customers. Both federal and state governments felt the impact of this phenomenon on the society and acted swiftly to combat it.
In the course of my work with patients addicted to heroin, I have frequently heard from them that drug dealers are giving away free heroin bags in order to get the customers hooked. An estimated 140,000 new patients fall into the traps of those dealers each year. Most new comers into this underground world are our youth who hold that the future of the nation and world. 75% of these patients are men.
Painkillers addiction is also invading this section of the population. The 2004 National Institute on Drug Abuses (NIDAs) Monitoring the Future survey of 8th, 10th, and 12th-graders found that 9.3 percent of 12th-graders reported using Vicodin without a prescription in the past year, and 5.0 percent reported using OxyContin-making these medications among the most commonly abused prescription drugs by adolescents.
Does that seem compelling enough for us to consider it as a national crisis. In my eyes it definetly qualifies as such. Traditional drug rehabs for this particular condition have proven to be of minimal value and that prompted our government to research alternative approaches resulting in the approval of Suboxone for out patient treatment of opiate addiction.
Suboxone was approved by the FDA in late 2002 and became available on the market by early 2003. It does not cause significant sedation like methadone does, rather it results in a feeling of normalcy, which is one of the reasons why patients really embraced this treatment modality. Another benefit is that it does not result in the same level of dependency as methadone does hence it is easier to detox patients off this medication.
Patients often tell me that Suboxone has changed their life and for the first time they feel that they are back to the way it was prior to using opiates. Could Suboxone be part of the answer to the crisis of addiction to opiates? We will just have to wait and see.
Drug and Alcohol Detox at Clearview Los Angeles
Medically facilitated detoxification services are available through our Primary Residential/Inpatient Program.
Detoxification (detox) can be defined as a period of treatment where an individual is helped to overcome their physical dependence on a substance. Detox is intended to relieve the physical symptoms of withdrawal and helps prepare the patient for entry into a treatment program or rehab center. The ultimate goal of detox is to prepare the patient for long term sobriety and recovery.
Alcohol detox can cause a variety of physical symptoms and psychological ramifications. The process of alcohol detox can be traumatic and can trigger any number of side effects including tremors (the shakes), headaches, vomiting, perspiration, restlessness, loss of appetite and insomnia. More serious effects of alcohol detox can be Delirium Tremors (DT's), autonomic hyperactivity and seizures (convulsions).
The time necessary for alcohol detox treatment can be anywhere from 3 to 10 days. A variety of medications and procedures are used to detox a patient from alcohol.
Withdrawal from drugs is caused by stopping or dramatically reducing drug use after heavy and prolonged use. The reaction frequently includes sweating, shaking, headache, drug craving, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramping, diarrhea, inability to sleep, confusion, agitation, depression, anxiety, and other behavioral changes.
Often, there is a significant, self induced, psychological dependence associated with these substances and therefore, a period of initial stabilization followed by residential treatment is advisable. Treatment of withdrawal (detox) includes closely monitoring the person's vital signs, supportive care and medications. The time period for drug detox is generally 3 to 7 days.
Detox at Clearview
Clearview provides detoxification services in a safe, comfortable, home-like environment. Clients work with a medical doctor who specializes in detoxification methods.
Proper detoxification and minimization of acute and post acute withdrawal symptoms are essential to the treatment process and can greatly increase the likelihood of a client successfully completing treatment.
Clearview utilizes the latest detoxification techniques and medications depending on the patient's pattern of abuse. When appropriate, Subutex and Suboxone are utilized for opiate detoxification. Our goal is to make the patient as comfortable as possible during the detoxification process.
Clients are rigorously monitored and receive support and guidance from our trained staff while they are detoxed. Gradually, they begin to participate in therapeutic services.
Common substances that clients are detoxed from include:
• Alcohol
• Cocaine
• Heroin and other opiates such as Vicodin and Oxycotin
• Benzodiazapines such as Xanax and Valium
• Stimulants pills such as Aderal and Ritalin
• Methamphetamine and speed
• Marijuana
• Club drugs such as Ecstasy and GHB
• Muscle relaxers
Clearview offers everything that traditional treatment programs for Alcoholism provide, and more. While standard education, counseling, relapse prevention, and introduction to 12-Step Programs make up the entire curriculum at most other programs, at Clearview it's just a beginning.
Drug Detox: is it for You?
Well, I hate to be the one to bring you the bad news, but drug detox is only your stepping stone to recovery from your drug addiction. Drug detox is the first step in becoming a recovered addict. An alcohol or drug detox is required when a person's body becomes physically dependent on alcohol, drugs or certain types of prescription medications. Although drug or alcohol detox may not be necessary for you or your loved one, for many, drug detox is an important step in their treatment program.
Drug Detox Is Equally Important For "Accidental" Prescription Painkillers Addicts. Drug detox is usually a short program and will normally last between 3 and 10 days. The basic feeling of an individual that enters a center for Drug Detox is desolation. Drug detox is performed in many different environments with a variety of philosophies. The goal of drug detox is the removal of poisonous toxins in the body that are accumulated from drug use. Medically supervised prescription drug detox is highly recommended for methadone dependency or addiction. Rapid opiate / narcotic drug detox is safe, effective, painless and fast. Drug detox is often necessary, especially when opiates such as heroin or prescription pills like OxyContin are involved.
Drug detox is sometimes ordered by the court as the result of a conviction related to charges stemming from possession or use of an illegal substance. Non medicated drug detox is the process of cleansing and getting rid of all the drugs and toxins in your system without the use of any medication. While it is not physically painful like drug detox is for most substances, it is very difficult emotionally to stop using. After drug detox is complete, comprehensive addiction therapy is crucial.
What you Have to Know About Opiate Addiction
Drug addiction is an enormous worldwide catastrophe. Opium-based drugs became some of the most common addictive drugs nowadays. Opium-derived drugs are widely accessible and tremendously circulated all over the world. Before discussing opium-based addiction, its nature, and its treatment procedures, it is necessary to learn more about the opium-derived substance first.
Basically, an opiate is a substance that is derived from the sleep-bringing poppy plant. The major variants of opium-derived compounds include codeine, papaverine, heroin, morphine, and thebaine. Amusingly, two of the most popular kinds of opium-derived compounds, morphine and heroine, have identical chemical structures. Due to this feature, heroin can be discovered through urine screening when morphine is being administered to the body. According to medical science, heroin has the potential to be a central nervous system tranquilizer and it has the capability to enter the brain faster when compared to morphine. As a matter of fact, both substances are even used as analgesics and narcotics that provide relaxing effects.
(1) Morphine: Morphine or opiate analgesic drug is the most popular and the most obtainable opium-derived compound in the world today. Morphine is a variant of alkaloid. Morphine is very essential in the field of medicine since it is utilized in the treatment of disorders such as the swelling of the lungs. An oversupply of morphine can produce plenty of troubles to the physical condition of the drug dependent person. The health complications triggered by an oversupply morphine include respiratory depression, pulmonary edema, congestive cardiac failure, respiratory system failure, coma, as well as death.
(2) Codeine: Codeine is slightly similar to morphine, content-wise. Codeine is also considered to be a medication for treating cough, severe and acute pain, bowel syndrome, and diarrhea. Codeine overdose can create several complications such as itching, nausea, euphoria, miosis, dry mouth, vomiting, urinary retention, constipation, hypotension, respiratory complications, and drowsiness.
(3) Papaverine and Thebaine: The structural make-up of thebaine is slightly akin to those of morphine and codeine. Thebaine also goes by the name of paramorphine. This sort of drug is not used alone. Some of the substances that are used with thebaine include naltrexone, naloxone, oxymorphone, oxycodone, nalbuphine, etorphine, and buprenorphine. An oversupply of thebaine is absolutely similar to the side-effects of morphine and codeine.
(4) Heroin: Heroin is referred to as a semi-synthetic sedative. Because the demand for this opiate is very high, heroin enterprise is also one of the fastest growing illegal industries. The most popular means of abusing heroin is the utilization of the substance to the body by means of an injection. Heroin is also known by the trademark name Diamorphine. Dependence to heroin may result to AIDS and other sexually-transmitted diseases. An oversupply of heroin may initiate acute difficulties like chronic constipation, renal failure, respiratory depression, profound unconsciousness, as well as death.
The lone source of opium-based compounds is the poppy plant. The quality of opium-based compounds is dependent on the moisture content of the poppy plant.
The liquid form of opium-based compounds is called methadone, a substance that is utilized in the removal of toxins from the body of drug dependent people. An oversupply of methadone may cause addiction.
Opium-based drugs have a few beneficial side-effects on the body in situations where they are prescribed by medical experts as pain relievers. When overdosed, opium-based compounds may initiate a few severe troubles. Addiction to opiates may progress to physical and psychiatric dependence. Muscle spasm is a common side-effect that resulted from the constant use of opium-based compounds. Respiratory complications are considered to be some of the side-effects of opiate drugs. The other side-effects of opium-based addiction include cracked lips, skin rashes, hypotension, and constipation. Addiction to opium-derived compounds may damage the central nervous system and it may initiate lethargy and coma. Eventually, a continuous usage of opium-based compounds can cause the death of the person who has drug addiction problems.
The treatment procedures for opium-based addiction may be performed in a residential or a non-residential basis. The full treatment method in both cases is classified into two components: the detox and the advising. Detox includes the riddance of toxic substances from addictive patient's body. In advising, the drug dependent person is motivated to live a better life.
While the patient is experiencing the different treatment procedures, support from his relatives, his loved ones, and the society are extremely necessary.
The Pain Of Opiate Addiction And Withdrawal
In the United States, opiate addiction has increased dramatically over the last decade mainly due to the rising level of pain killer addiction. Many people are ignorant to the fact that these pain killers are just like heroin.
They contain opioid compounds that can lead to opiate addiction. Of course, you will have to go through all the stages of addiction, which are dependence, tolerance and withdrawal.
Opiate addiction and withdrawal are not something that you would want to experience in your life. The opiate addiction alone will wreak havoc to your life. You will find yourself frantic most of the time especially when you develop dependence and then tolerance and need to increase your dosage.
You will start to use the pain killers for different reasons ranging from simple headaches to stress, and eventually just to avoid the horrible withdrawal symptoms. You will also ruin the trust of everybody around you as you try to deny and hide your opiate addiction.
You might even hit rock bottom when you try to steal your husband's or wife's pain medication (or money and things to pawn for money), or lie to get prescriptions from any doctor you know (write fake prescriptions, a federal offense).
Withdrawal is even worse. You will experience runny nose, suicidal thoughts, stomach pain, depression, shaking, horrible cramps, aching bones, restlessness, insomnia (the inability to sleep for days and sometimes weeks), vomiting, loss of appetite and sweating .
The only logical thing to do is seek treatment for your opiate addiction and face your fears.
Treatment by Professionals:
Because opiate addiction and withdrawal can be pretty difficult, checking into a rehab or detox facility is a good idea, and your best chance at a successful recovery. These facilities are fully-equipped to treat people with different addictions.
Standard treatment for opiate addiction and withdrawal may involve medication and behavioral counseling. In any case, this treatment option is best for individuals who have tried quitting on their own or with the help of their friends repeatedly, but have still relapsed.
Because these facilities are private, some people prefer opiate addiction and withdrawal treatment in these places. Without professional treatment, it is very highly unlikely that you will quit on your own.
I know hundreds and hundreds of opiate addicts, and I only know one who quit on his own (with the the help of the drug suboxone).
Treatment by Friends/Family:
For people whose opiate addiction has been detected early on, you can ask assistance from your friend or another family member. They can monitor you as you detox in a room at your own home.
You must explain to your friends what they can expect while you are ridding yourself of these substances. They might hear you cry, shout and beg and they must ignore this. They will only have to make sure that you are fed and given water.
It would also be best that a licensed doctor prescribe you medication that will help you manage your opiate withdrawal treatment. Your friend can give you these medications and report your progress to your doctor.
I don't recommend this method, but it has been successful for some people, very few though.
Seeking treatment for your opiate addiction and withdrawal is not as easy as it may seem since there is always the issue of control. After treatment you will have to make sure that you curb your urges and stay sober.
A support group can help you accomplish this and you can even provide others with inspiration. As always, you must be strong-willed and committed to getting better in order to beat this opiate addiction.
For those of you who don't know, it is much much harder to to successfully rid this disease than you expect.
Some FAQs About Heroin Detox Treatment In Connecticut
Here are the answers to some of the frequently asked questions about the heroin detox treatment in Connecticut. These are the questions that most people who are looking for this kind of treatment have, and their answers.
Q1. What is the main intention of a heroin detox treatment in Connecticut?
The primary purpose of the heroin detox treatment in Connecticut is to cleanse the body from the various toxins that the addiction might have accumulated in it. This is done by making the person abstain from the substance. Within a short time, the abstinence will bring about withdrawal effects. This is where a secondary intention of the heroin detox treatment comes in. The treatment providers will try to provide a medicinal therapy in order to completely remove the withdrawal in the patient. The detox treatment is only said to be over when the patient has been completely pulled out of the withdrawal that has been caused due to the abstinence from the heroin they are addicted to. For the long term, the purpose of the detox treatment is to keep the person abstinent from the substance and ensure that there are no cravings produced for it again, which ensures that the patient doesn't fall into a relapse.
Q2. How does methadone act for heroin detox treatment?
Methadone is an opiate like heroin itself. It is used to reduce the temptation that the person has for heroin. Strange though this may sound, this is the method in which the program works. Heroin, being an opiate, can be weaned away only when another opiate is introduced into the body and methadone fits the bill quite nicely. As long as the patient is kept on a maintenance medication with methadone, they will feel a reduction in their craving for heroin, and as this craving diminishes, the amount of methadone provided to the patient can be gradually reduced. This is not done all at once; rather it is done quite slowly, because methadone can produce withdrawal effects of its own.
That is the reason why methadone treatment always needs to be provided under strict medical supervision. Methadone is a habit forming drug and reducing its amount drastically can cause withdrawal. Also, methadone can react with some other substances that the person is consuming. Hence, medical care in an inpatient treatment setting becomes very important.
Q3. Are there any alternatives to the methadone treatment that is provided for heroin detox treatment in Connecticut?
Quite recently, the FDA has approved another substance for heroin addiction treatment in Connecticut. This substance is buprenorphine. Buprenorphine is also an opiate like heroin and like the methadone that is used for heroin treatment, but it is becoming more popular than methadone nowadays. The main reason is that buprenorphine is not as habit-forming as methadone is. While methadone needs to be provided in a carefully planned out medical routine with constant supervision, buprenorphine is not that drastic a form of treatment. Buprenorphine treatment can be provided on an outpatient basis also. This treatment can be altered in a more flexible way than methadone can be. For these reasons, buprenorphine is becoming quite widely accepted in the heroin detox treatment in Connecticut.
However, most treatment centers do not have the buprenorphine treatment yet. You will need to check out in advance whether the treatment is present or not. Asking a counselor for heroin addiction treatment in Connecticut will help, and you can also find out which centers provide buprenorphine treatment by visiting the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website.
Q4. How long does a heroin detox treatment in Connecticut last?
This actually depends on the condition of the patient who is undergoing the treatment. In most cases, the patient will be out of the heroin detox within seven to ten days. That is, this is the period within which the patient will be able to overcome most of the withdrawal pangs provided a maintenance medication has been kept up. However, for people whose addictions have been long running and for complicated cases such as people who are dually diagnosed with a mental condition also, the detox treatment can go on quite long. There have been some detox treatments for heroin addiction in Connecticut that have gone on for a whole month even.
Basically, the length of the detox treatment is quite unpredictable. People who seem to be relatively less addicted to heroin could have longer periods in detox and vice-versa. This is because the length of the treatment also depends on the physical condition of the patient and their determination to get out of the addiction.
Suboxone is No Miracle
Touted by Congress as a miracle drug for heroine addiction treatment – buprenorphine – most commonly prescribed as Suboxone, was introduced to the American public in 2003. The idea seemed a good one: extend treatment options for opiate addiction (heroine or prescription pain killers) beyond specialized clinics to include private physicians' offices. And the drug held promise: it would be a replacement medication, like methadone, to relieve cravings and the painful effects of withdrawal as the patient comes down from the addiction, with only a "limited" euphoric effect. Such were the hopes at least behind Suboxone in 2003. But few today are quite so eager about it, and no one's calling it a miracle drug.
Unlike methadone, which is distributed in daily doses within federally controlled facilities, Suboxone is a prescription medication. And as physicians nationwide have been strongly and steadily encouraged to prescribe the drug, it's found its way into a great many medicine cabinets. This wide availability has, for 5 years now, been creating its own set of problems, most of them unforeseen by the lawmakers who first approved the sale of buprenorphine in 2000.
One of the first problems was in its formulation. Suboxone is a small, orange pill in the shape of a stop sign, designed to be dissolved under the tongue. US officials, to prevent it from being snorted or injected, required the producer of Suboxone, Reckitt Benckiser Pharmaceuticals, to add naloxone, a compound that makes users who inject the drug become sick. But "street" chemists very quickly found simple ways of filtering out the naloxone from the crushed pills so they could be injected or snorted, and a new street drug was born, paid for by US taxpayers and as addictive as any other opiate-derivative.
Another problem is common to all prescription opiates—the street market. Some patients sell all or part of their Suboxone prescriptions to buy other drugs, often the very drug for which they purported to need addiction treatment in the first place. And in some cases, taxpayers are subsidizing such schemes because Medicaid is picking up the prescription costs. Well-meaning doctors can try to curb this activity by randomly calling in patients for pill counts. And it works for a while, until users begin renting their pills to each other. The street market is a sophisticated economy, and "bupe" at street level is on the rise.
But for all the hype, promise, political currency, and millions of federal dollars behind it, Suboxone has an even bigger problem in that it fails to do the very thing it was created for—to free the addict from opiate addiction. Today, what some call the "bupe method" of drug-addiction treatment is doing for addicts what methadone clinics have been doing since 1973—taking one addiction in trade for another. Suboxone, whether it's used legally or illicitly, is a highly addictive opiate. And addiction to Suboxone requires the same attention as would addiction to heroine or prescription pain-killers. But replacement therapy is not—and has never been—the answer.
If you or some one you care about is struggling with an addiction to Suboxone, or to any opiate drug, please help them now.
Ingredients of a Good Drug Detox Program
You may have reached a point in your life where you are ready to make a change, and free yourself from an abusive drug habit. You may have even considered some different detox options. However, the stunning variety of programs available may have confused you, as it does many individuals looking to get into a program. This short guide will provide you with a few insights on what to look for in a good drug detox program as well as what preparations you need to take to give yourself the best chance of success.
Building Treatment Perspective
The first step towards a successful drug detox program is to push your mind to arrive at a point where you are ready and serious about the course. When people suffering from serious drug addiction enroll in a detox program, they are asked to prepare themselves first to keep away from the temptation of drugs, a mighty task for those with a history of abuse.
So the first key is to focus on the credentials of the physician running the program. There are various examinations undertaken in detox or drug rehab, so make sure that your doctor is a specialist vis-à-vis drug detoxification.
The next step is to get an assessment to identify where the body stands. This helps medical practitioners arrive at a decision around the program scheduling. Every patient reacts differently and therefore treatment could vary after the diagnosis, where it goes according to body needs. This process should take into account biological, physical, and social factors.
The Detox Period
While undergoing such a program, proper medicinal practices are imperative as they help to reduce problems that patients feel due to discontinuation of drug intake, which could be insomnia, uneasiness, body aches, etc. Treatment period is usually said to stretch between two and three months but that may not be applicable for all cases.
Nowadays, there are many rehabilitation centers that work on programs focusing on withdrawal phase to help patients stop use of drugs with least inconvenience. Detoxification programs eliminate drug residues from the body by using elements like exercise and low-heat sauna treatment.
Positives Outcomes
One can draw a lot of positives from the detox program that is followed. According to recent studies, the good news is that that rehabilitation doesn't have to be carried in captivity. Hence, people undergoing such programs can lead their normal routine life, contrary to the misconception that prevails. The long term thought on drug addiction has been restrictive in nature, leading to program failures that resulted in the perception that drug addiction is incurable and is a life term illness. But if you do a bit of research on more modern and well-researched programs, you can almost certainly find one that allows you to lead a relatively normal life during the course and that gives hope for long term success in beating addiction.
At Home Versus Drug Rehabs for Detox from PainKillers Addiction
Patients who face the disease of addiction to painkillers have a few options to choose from. I will briefly touch on most of them but will focus on the 2 modalities that are mentioned above.
In my view the treatment options are divided into 3 main categories: 1-medically monitered withdrawal (i.e. detox), 2-maintenance therapy, 3-non-medicated recovery.
The latter approach utilizes spiritual recovery through NA meeting and other psychosocial rehabilitation options without the use of medications. This is usually associated with sever withdrawal symptoms and we feel that this can be avoided by the use of Suboxone (see below).
Maintenance therapy, where the patients are maintained on a long acting opiate medication for months or years, can be carried out using Methadone or the newer medication called Buprenorphine (generic for Suboxone and Sututex). The former is a stronger opiate medication that has been utilized for decades to treat opiate addiction. It is very effective in treating sever cases of heroin addiction but carries the porential for overdose that can lead to death. we can talk about methadone for hours but this is beyound the scope of this article.
Buprenorphine is a safer medication which lead the FDA to approve it for outpatient treatment of opiate addiction. After recieving a waiver from the DEA Physicians can prescribe or dispense it out of their regular offices without the need for a methadone clinic.
Many patients however choose to detx completely off opiates using the shortest but least painfull methods. Detox can vary in duration from few days, which I think is to fast and can be painful with more chance of relapse, up to few weeks. Traditionally has been done in hospitals and drug rehabs untill Suboxone became available in the US few years ago. Detox is the first step of a long recovery journey and need to be followed by long term spychosocial rehabilitation.
Now lets talk about the main topic; detox in a drug rehab or outpatient.
Drug rehab facilities have a great role in the treatment of Substance abuse and alcoholism but in the case of dependence on prescription pain killers, at-home detox can be as effective.
The difference: When patients are admitted to a drug rehabilitation facility they are secluded from all the surrounding triggers and hence can stay clean with no effort. When they are discharged they start to face the same circumstances that led them to develop the drug dependence in the first place. Without adherence to the after-care plan designed for them many patients relapse within 90 days of their discharge date. Outpatient/at-home program help patients to recover in face of those triggers and coach them through those urges to minimize the chance of relapse.
Privacy: At-home recovery provides a much more private environment than any other form of treatment. This helps patients avoid stigmatization which can have a tremendous hindrance on recovery. Clinicians help patients regain their self esteem and encourage reentry into the society.
A great value of in home recovery is that clinicians get to examine first hand the surrounding triggers and initiate a plan to reduce and eliminate those.
Functioning: With Outpatient/at-home programs there is no or minimal interruption of your life cycle with the ability to become productive and independent while you are recovering. An advantage that cannot be accomplished in a drug rehab.
Cost:Outpatient/at-home programs cost a fraction of the prices of private drug rehabs which can reach up to $30,000.
Family support: families should be engaged at the onset and through out the treatment period. The convenience of having recovery at home makes this option easy to establish.
Addicted? How to Detox Off of Alcohol and Pain Pills Together
There are an estimated 20 million alcoholics in America, and about 6 million people dependent and using pain pills daily. Of course a significant number of these chemically dependent people are using the two together
An addiction to pain pills and alcohol concurrently presents with some significant problems, and as with any addiction, the earlier it's dealt with the better the prognosis and the easier the detox.
People may develop an addiction to alcohol with opiate type pain pills as they use alcohol to increase the analgesic or pain killing effect of the pills or more commonly, they use alcohol to increase the intoxicating effects of the pills.
Alcohol can increase the effects of pills substantially, and unfortunately, though concurrent use increases the pleasure of the high, it also intensifies the entrenchment of the addiction, and makes for a far more difficult period of detox.
The health risks of an addiction to alcohol and pills
The health risks of a combined addiction to alcohol and pills also exceed that of an addiction to either substance alone. Acutely, alcohol and pills can combine together to increase the respiratory slowing effects of the opiate type pill, and in overdose reactions, respiration stoppage and death is a scary possibility.
Pills also increase the risks of acute and chronic liver damage from drinking. Vicodin, the most commonly abused pain killer with its acetaminophen content is particularly problematic, and addicts abusing vicodin alone are at risk for liver damage, and when alcohol is also abused, the potential for damage increases greatly.
With the risks of overdose and death and long term health deficits, as well as all of the social and familial problems that a concurrent addiction can create, it's important to tackle any addiction to pills and alcohol without delay
How to detox off of alcohol and pills
The detox off of pills alone can be very arduous, and is much like heroin in duration and intensity. The detox off of alcohol, although not as uncomfortable, is actually more dangerous, and the symptoms of detox can be so severe as to be lethal. The combination when taken together presents with a detox of particular challenge, and risks to health.
Clinical research has shown that the detox off of alcohol and the influence of the hyperactive neurotransmitter GABA during this alcohol detox, actually has the effect of intensifying and prolonging the pains of opiate detox.
Because the dual detox can be dangerous, and is almost certainly very uncomfortable, most people are unable to detox on their own, and need medical supervision for safety, and for success.
Additionally because of the extreme discomfort of a concurrent detox, and the severe cravings typical of the days of withdrawal, very few people can maintain a resolve to stay off of drugs that they know will take all the pains away. A sequestered detox away from access to drugs and alcohol offers a far better likelihood of success.
It's going to be tough, and you should get some help
Although the detox off of alcohol and pills together is likely to be a very challenging few days, once concurrently addicted there is no advantage to delaying the inevitable, and especially as with every further day of abuse the addiction entrenches and the future pains and dangers of detox grow worse.
You very likely need professional and supervised detox for a safe and effective withdrawal, and detox is of course only the first step to sobriety, and most people will benefit enormously from a following period of drug treatment therapies.
It's going to be tough, but you can do it.
Opiate Addiction Is Overcome With Commitment And Support
Make no mistake. Opiates are some of the most difficult drugs in the world to detox successfully from. The powerful drug family is derived from the opium poppy and it creates such drugs as heroin and morphine. Detox from this particular class of drugs isn't like quitting coffee cold turkey either. There are some serious withdrawal symptoms that often require medical attention to help a person endure. The biggest step in coming clean, however, is the individual's decision to do so.
Overcoming an addiction, especially an opiate addiction, requires the full cooperation and dedication from the person with the addiction. The reasons for this are many, but one of the most compelling is how difficult detox can be.
Detox in and of itself is simply the removal of a drug from a person's body. Generally this is accomplished through the passing of time without a new introduction of the drug. In the case of opiate addiction, however, there's nothing simple about the detox process. But, if a person is successful in detox and dedicated to kicking the habit, the chances are increased.
Opiate addiction includes both a strong mental and physical component. Since the body becomes physically addicted on the drug, the body too must be cleaned of its effects before treatment can progress. Withdrawal from this drug can be very trying on the body and generally requires medical assistance to ease the patient through the process as much as possible.
A person going through opiate detox can experience a variety of symptoms. Many of these symptoms are very serious. Symptoms include seizures, insomnia, vomiting and severe sweats. Heart irregularities may also be present. Other symptoms such as muscle pain and involuntary movements may also show up. The entire process can be excruciating. Getting through detox can be particularly difficult for the heavy user. The withdrawal symptoms can be fatal. Medical help can ensure successful detox of even the most heavy of users though.
Getting off heroin and other opiates isn't easy, but detox is the first step. If this is successful, a person dedicated to a program to get clean and stay that way will have a better chance of doing just that. Support and much follow-through will be necessary to help an addict kick the habit.
The best place for a person with a heroin addiction to start the process of getting clean is with him or herself. If the decision is made and the will power is strong, chances for making it through with success are greatly increased. The detox step is often the hardest, however, and requires medical help.
On the upside, detox typically takes about 72 hours. Keep in mind this is a very difficult 72 hours and detox without assistance in the case of the severe addict can be fatal. Since the body's come to depend on the drug, it doesn't know how to function correctly without it any longer.
Opiate detox isn't an easy road, but it's certainly better than the alternative. This very powerful class of drugs can grab a hold of a person and take over their lives.
Rapid Detox Centers Can Be A Whole New Start In Life
Detoxification is a vital step in the road to recovery from addiction. It is often difficult to take but most drug and alcohol sufferers have no choice. Extended periods of addiction necessitate the help of medical professionals.
Many of the hardened addicts who attempt to quit on their own, are not successful in breaking free from their habits. Before any long-term addiction recovery can begin, it is essential for the body of the addict to be detoxified.
Detoxification should not be taken as a cure for addiction. It is simply one of the first and most significant steps in a complete rehabilitation program. Addicts can be dependent on any of several substances like heroin, opium, methadone, oxycontin, percocet and codeine.
The objective of a detoxification period is to moderate the withdrawal symptoms because most rehabilitation programs fail due to their demandingness. Sometimes anesthesia is used to conduct opiate detoxification.
The point is to go through detoxification and reduce the body's craving for the abused substance. This process is mostly physical, though psychotropic drugs can be given to tone down the whole experience.
A big problem with drug rehabilitation is the danger of regress after it has finished. Regress usually occurs when the individual's body demands another "fix" even when the mind or emotional state does not demand it.
This physiological dependence is more potent than determination and self-will in a majority of cases and that is why addicts are not able to quit easily. Their bodies will not allow them do so. Rapid Detox Centers can give help with the first important step in the recovery process by helping a patient through the detoxification phase.
Rapid Detox is a straightforward procedure developed in order to reduce and, if possible, altogether eradicate the symptoms common with withdrawal. The more effectively withdrawal symptoms are suppressed, the chances of relapse are fewer and the chances are greater for complete recovery from addiction.
Be aware that, Rapid Detox should not be used as a replacement for regularly available comprehensive treatment and recovery programs. The one and only use for Rapid Detox is to give help people to cope better with their withdrawal symptoms.
Anesthesia Assisted Opiate Detoxification is the one of the first steps taken in a Rapid Detox procedure. The total process can take a long time depending on the psychological dependence and toxicity level of the individual in question. Detoxification "cleans" the body of all drugs and their residues and makes the body starve for them.
The starvation is what manifests itself withdrawal symptoms and the patient will do anything to cure those ephemeral hunger pangs. This is the most vital stage as the chances of relapse are greatest. This is the reason it is normal that, after "detox", most people pass through counseling in some form before proceeding to the next step. Post-detox care is vital to final recovery.
There will be a number of of Rapid Detox centers in your vicinity. If not, then your family doctor can readily provide patients with alternative suggestions.
Rapid Detox Centers can also be called "ultra rapid opiate detox" because they are experts in opiate based substances like heroin, methadone, vicodin, or prescription painkillers.
Some common opiate narcotics that can be treated in Rapid Detox Centers are:
· Codeine
· Dilaudid
· Morphine
· Percocet and Percodan
· Lortab
· Oxycontin
Rapid Detox is carried out under general anesthesia in hospital-like surroundings. This is imperative because detoxification should only be carried out by qualified anesthesiologists and medical staff under the supervision of a competent doctor, all of whom have received specialized training in detoxification procedures.
Withdrawal symptoms can last for a long time after a patient stops taking the narcotic substance. While under anesthesia in Rapid Detox, the patient is given medications that hasten the reactions to withdrawal symptoms. This procedure can last up to six hours.
Anesthesia Assisted Rapid Opiate Detoxification (AAROD) is an effective treatment for oxycontin addiction. The treatment aims to free the patient from dependency on the opiate by managing the "receptor level" of the patient's brain. This procedure does not involve any painful or debilitating withdrawal symptoms.
The selection of a Rapid Detox Center is based on factors like the type and amount of drugs, alcohol or other drugs the patient has been using, for how long, age of the patient, and medical history.
People need not be addicts to street-drugs like heroin. Sometimes, opiate based drugs administered during operations, injuries, and chronic pain conditions can also result in the patient becoming addicted to the opiate.
Many Rapid Detox centers have been opened in order to provide centralized information to all people who need to find qualified and certified rapid detoxification treatments.
New ‘Executive Alcohol/Opiate Detox' attracts celebrities to Palm Beach
People from various walks of life such as business executives, professional athletes, celebrities, politicians, and even the armed forces and the religious world are flocking to Palm Beach from different parts of the globe, and not necessarily to enjoy the spectacular beaches, but rather to save their lives. They are coming to break harmful dependencies to a variety of addictive substances-- medical conditions which until recently were considered taboo to such people.
Recently substance abuse and its treatment have risen in the consciousness of society. With recent television shows such as A&E's Intervention, a general acceptance of substance abuse as a medical not moral issue is developing. Couple this with the recent liberal trends in dispensing opiate pain medications and anti-anxiety medications results in a trend of sorts. According to the most recent nationwide survey conducted in the United States by the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), an estimated 6.3 million persons, or 2.7 percent of the population age 12 and older had used prescription psychotherapeutic medications non-medically in the month prior to being surveyed. This includes 4.7 million using pain relievers, 1.8 million using tranquilizers, 1.2 million using stimulants, and 0.3 million using sedatives. The problem is on the rise. According to this survey carried out in 2003, the increase in rates of addiction to prescription medication is significant when compared to previous survey results.
Substance abuse providers are seeing a new profile of patients; that of apparently normal professionals often successful in all other aspects of their lives. Dr Mark G. Agresti, Vice Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia Hospital explains that most of today's addicts are hooked on prescription medication—pain relievers, tranquilizers, stimulants and sedatives—not illegal drugs purchased on a street corner somewhere.
James Bevell, Director of Admissions for Poinciana, at Palm Beach, a facility that treats patients presenting with this profile, explains that these programs are adapted specifically for high functioning, motivated people who need individual attention and guidance. "Patients can free themselves from chemical addictions and continue with their lives", he says.
Bevell states that 'Executive Detox' is an emerging service being provided to this new patient demographic.
"Many people who have been otherwise successful in their lives yet find themselves addicted had found their choices limited and unacceptable when seeking treatment. In years past the only alternatives were psychiatric hospitals or free standing substance abuse hospitals. They used to find themselves thrown into a system which was often overburdened and understaffed. Some found themselves misunderstood, misdiagnosed and mistreated. These patients could not tolerate the treatment and therefore went largely untreated," he says.
According to Bevell, the concept includes an important component of luxury and confidentiality.
"Even though Poinciana is a hospital-based program, patients are discretely separated from regular hospital patients and other clinical facilities. At this center, they are offered exclusive concierge services for patients and family members. Upon request, they are even provided a private escort to accompany the patient to the facility", he says.
The creators of the plan promise that this method allows patients, while under the supervision and care of a medical team of experts in addiction, to withdraw in comfort from substance dependency as they continue to work or study. They add that this method is different from other treatment programs because it is individually modified for each patient, taking into consideration not only their medical history, but also their personal issues as well. It is a holistic, bio-psychosocial approach.
"This is not cookie-cutter medicine. It is a program created to suit the needs of the individual—one patient at a time," Dr. Agresti clarifies.
Dr. David J. Stern, an internist who practices in West Palm Beach, explains the general procedure as follows: "Patient arrives for assessment and medical examination by a Board Certified physician and substance dependency specialist. Then he/she is diagnosed and treated according to his/her specific needs. Patient receives a regimen of safe and effective medications, such as Buprenorphine, that promptly eliminate symptoms of withdrawal, including anxiety, sleeplessness as well as debilitating aches and pains normally associated with detoxification."
Throughout course of treatment, patient's physical and psychological progress is monitored daily by a team of addiction specialists. Bevell adds, "This safe and carefully controlled program may allow patients to return to their daily schedules within 2 or 3 days, and is a much safer alternative to the Rapid Detox Programs being offered."
After detox, patient returns home, to work or to his or her studies. Although consideration of further treatment options is recommended, hospitalization or confinement to a rehab facility is not strictly necessary.
According to the initiators of this new curative method, recurrence rates are minimal, and that is important because recurrence is the greatest obstacle detoxification treatments have encountered so far.
The new methodology is even applied, with some variations, for conquering addiction to Methadone, a drug used in treating addictions.
Dr. Agresti explains: "Treatment for Methadone is different than our standard treatment for conventional opiate dependency. Methadone poses additional problems and the course of treatment is longer. But the good news is we can help. Here's how it works. Utilizing a medical protocol called Rapid Receptor TransitionTM (RRT), the doctor will safely and comfortably switch your medications, monitoring your progress daily. After 7 days, when Methadone is out of your system you will be switched over to Buprenorphine. You may return home. Where you can follow up with an outpatient provider who will wean you off the Buprenorphine over the next 4 to 6 weeks. You may go back to work, your studies, or daily chores immediately. You will have energy. You will no longer crave Methadone or opiates."
For further information, please call 561-881-5904, write to admissions@detoxpalmbeach.com; or visit Opiate Detox
Rapid Opiate Detox. Detox on Sunday, Back at Work on Monday…too Good to be True?
Relative newcomers to the field of addiction and recovery, clinics offering rapid opiate detox have sprung up across the nation and the world, and the claims and promises they make sound very attractive to any opiate addict seeking sobriety, but fearful of the pains of detox.
Advocates of rapid opiate detox claim that through the procedure, addicts can undergo an accelerated form of detox while under anesthesia, finish within a day, and experience no pain.
How it works
Patients are paced under anesthesia, and once sedated they are administered a cocktail of drugs that accelerate and intensify the detox period (primarily the opiate antagonist nalexone) the pains of this quickened detox would be unimaginable were the patient conscious, but since they proceed through the day of withdrawal sedated, they awake at the end of the detox with no memory of the procedure, and completely opiate free.
The process can vary in duration from a few hours to a day or more, but at the end of it detox is over, and patients will feel no additional intense sensations of withdrawal.
The drug naltrexone is prescribed most commonly for the months after detox, to help with cravings back to use, but no additional therapy or education is offered. Patients are considered to be cured of their addiction, and ready to resume their lives without the abuse of drugs after only a day or two of care.
The procedure is expensive, and ranges from between $15 000 and $ 20 000 and insurance providers do not cover any of these expenses.
Problems
There are a number of issues of controversy surrounding the use of this novel technique, and critics have argued that the high costs of the procedure as well as the absence of any therapy towards drug avoidance makes the procedure a very expensive detox, unlikely to offer a long term solution to the problem of addiction and drug seeking.
Perhaps the greatest point of contention surrounds the safety of the procedure, and a well known clinic was recently disbanded after a slew of deaths occurred within days of patients having undergone the procedure.
Doctors argue that the detox is tough on the body as is, and when the detox pains are accelerated and intensified, the strain on the body grows proportionally. Since many patients entering into detox from heroin or other opiate based pills are not in an ideal state of health, they are at serious risk from this acceleration of strain on the body and mind.
Recommendations?
Most independent and impartial addictions professionals do recognize the value in this new form of detox, but argue that as it's used now, and without any complimentary therapies for relapse avoidance, the risks, expenses and likelihood of relapse make it a poor choice, tempting as it may be.
Addicted? 3 Reasons to Think Twice About Rapid Opiate Detox
Although it sounds like an answer to your prayers, rapid opiate detox may not be all that it's cracked up to be.
Rapid opiate detox clinics promise an accelerated and painless form of detox off of opiates such as heroin or prescription narcotic type pain pills. Patients proceeding through rapid opiate detox are placed under anesthesia and administered certain drugs (primarily the opiate antagonist nalexone) that accelerate the process of detoxification. Although were the patient conscious for this period of accelerated detox the pains would be unbearable, since the procedure occurs under anesthesia, the patient awakes several hours later with no memory of the agony experienced, and completely free from physical addiction.
It sounds too good to be true, and a lot of critics say that it well might be.
Problems with rapid opiate detox
Health risks
There are some serious issues concerning the safety of the procedure, and one well known clinic was disbanded after a string of deaths occurring within days of patients undergoing the rapid detox.
Detox is hard on the body, and anything that accelerates and intensifies this detox also intensifies the trials on the body and mind. Since patients coming in with an addiction to heroin or other drugs are often not in the best of physical condition, many doctors argue that the health risks of the procedure far outweigh any possible benefits.
Long term sobriety
Rapid opiate detox clinics present the technique as a cure to addiction, a claim most addictions professionals dispute heavily. Although a successful period of opiate detox does end the physical addiction to opiates, detox is but the first step to recovery.
Raid opiate detox clinics offer no therapy or education as to future relapse avoidance, and since the cravings and temptations to use remain, without the tools to avoid these triggers to abuse, few people can maintain abstinence.
Without intensive therapy and a commitment to a life changing set of behaviors and habits, the odds of long term sobriety are very low.
Costs
Rapid opiate detox is expensive. Costs for the one day procedure run from $15 000 - $20 000 and this price is inclusive only of the procedure, and without any additional therapies offered.
If it worked and if it could offer you long term sobriety, the costs would be reasonable and comparable to the costs of a conventional residential rehab; but since without therapy or relapse avoidance training the long term prospects are so low, the money spent is not likely to influence a long term change over addiction and drug seeking behaviors.
Because of the controversial nature of the procedure, no insurance carrier will offset any of the costs of a rapid opiate detox.
Although anyone would choose to avoid the agony of opiate detox were they offered an effective and safe alternative, the heath risks, expenses and risks of relapse inherent in rapid opiate detox should raise serious cause for alarm.
Detox; Which is Better, Rapid Opiate Detox, or Detox in a Drug Rehab?
With ever increasing research and understanding over the mechanisms of the brain as they pertain to addiction, addicts are now blessed with more effective therapies and greater choice in a personal battle with dependency.
And although the science of mind and addiction remains poorly understood due to the incredible complexity of the subject and of the human brain in general, new therapies are emerging that show real promise.
Opiate addicts now have a number of choices for their recovery, and two of the most prominent of these choices are a conventional detox and stay in a drug rehab, or a process of rapid opiate detox.
What's the difference?
The detox period in a conventional rehab can be quite uncomfortable and takes many days. Although medical management and the prescription of symptoms easing drugs can reduce the intensity somewhat, the period remains quite grueling.
Rapid opiate detox by contrast offers a pain free period of detox, and promises a complete end of all symptoms of detox after one day. They can achieve this by placing patients under anesthesia and administering a cocktail of drugs that accelerate the intensity and pace of the detox. Were patients to endure this consciously the pains would be unbearable, but as addicts remain sedated throughout, they awake at the end opiate free and with no memory of the pains of the procedure.
Which is better?
Obviously, addicts fearful of the pains and duration of a conventional form of detox might find the promises of a rapid opiate detox quite tempting; but there are some drawbacks and risks associated with it.
Most addictions professionals have not as yet endorsed rapid opiate detox as a reasonable, safe or effective way to end an addiction to drugs.
Health risks
There are certain health risks associated with a rapid opiate detox. Addicts entering into detox are often in ill health, and since the accelerated period of sedated detox also accelerates the strain on the body, the procedure is risky, and there have been several deaths within days of people having undergone this quickened detox.
No therapy
Additionally, since the procedure is quite expensive and these clinics do not offer any form of therapy or education as to future drug avoidance, many critics claim that it's a very expensive way to detox and the odds are high that without accompanying therapy participants will likely find themselves abusing again.
The procedure is intriguing and promising, but as it's currently administered, unsafe and ineffective; and only those in a position to profit from it currently endorse rapid opiate detox.
Until the safety has improved, and until rapid opiate detox clinics start to incorporate detox with therapies deemed essential for long term drug avoidance, addicts are far better to endure the days of detox in a conventional drug rehab, and then benefit from the learning that has the best chance of keeping them sober over the long term.
Detox is only the beginning
Real recovery only begins with the end of detox, and detox alone cannot be considered sufficient. Until rapid opiate detox clinics can offer a safe and comprehensive experience, the risks and costs of the procedure outweigh the possible benefits.
Opiate Detox and Heroin Facts
Opiate detox and what to expect. Heroin facts, effects and dealing with opiate withdrawal symptoms. Drug addiction resources and information.
The process of opiate detox can be extremely unpleasant for someone who is not prepared. Proper eduction about such drugs as heroin and other opiates can help in dealing with a variety of opiate withdrawal symptoms. Knowing the heroin fact and the effects of opiate addiction can give insight and enable a smoother recovery. Below are heroin facts as well as other opiate detox facts that can provide someone with some comfort when dealing with the various opiate withdrawal symptoms.
1. Opiate Detox - The process of opiate detoxification varies from person to person. Generally, opiates stay in your system for just a couple of days. The hardest part of the opiate detox as far as opiate withdrawal symptoms are concerned are usually the worst during the first 3 days. For those attempting to detox at home, it is highly suggested that you clear your calendar for up to four or five days at the least. During this time, it is extremely important that one stay hydrated and sleep as much as possible, although sleep may be harder at times. The key to recovery is rest. what happens more often than not is that while a user in on an opiate, they tend to rely on that opiate more than they realize, pushing themselves further and further, getting less sleep, less calorie intake and letting the drugs take the place of good health habits. When an individual gets off of the drugs, they no longer can rely on that drug to push them further, thus can increase the negative opiate withdrawal symptoms beyond what would normally take place.
2. Heroin Facts - If you are a heroin addict, or even an opium addict for that matter. The manner in which you take the drugs is going to affect the longevity of opiate detox and the severity as well. Those who shoot the drugs are going to suffer probably the strongest withdrawal symptoms, smoking second strongest and ingestion third. It may be a good idea to switch the manner in which you currently use sometime before the detox to ensure a smoother heroin detox. Also before the detox, get plenty of sleep, eat well and stay hydrated. The better you take care of yourself now, the better you'll be during the withdrawal symptoms.
3. When going to a outpatient clinic, you may be required to pass positive on a drug test before you are prescribed any medication for recovery. Keep this in mind beforehand as it may be a useful resource to have rather than quiting cold-turkey. There are a few methods used to help those during a period of detox and most of them work quite well. Get a doctors opinion on which method is best for you.
4. Get a list of resources before hand. Visit websites, print information, get phone numbers and so on. If you are going through this alone, it is an excellent idea to have phone numbers, websites and a number of resources ready in case you need to contact them. At the bottom of this article is a link to an opiate addiction help website that may be able to give you such phone numbers and information as well as at-home programs that are guaranteed to help.
5. Get a book or home program to help you through your heroin detox or any other kind of opiate detox you may be going through. Programs or books such as these provide you with on-demand information and resources fro experts who can really help you make it through the rougher times. They may cost some money, but will save you thousands in the long run. Don't take a chance on doing it a worse way. Make the transition as easy for you as possible, you deserve it. Having a book or program might just give you the insight and inspiration you need to really make a change.
6. Stay positive. This may be harder at times, but having a positive attitude can really make a difference when dealing with addiction recovery, withdrawal symptoms and opiate detox. Try to be the best person you can and free yourself of those negative self-defeating thoughts that make life so hard.
These tips are just a few ideas to get you through the hardest of times during opiate detox and withdrawal symptoms. Knowing the heroin facts and heroin effects among various other opiates can make the change as less painful as possible and you will come out a better person.