(Newswire.net — February 3, 2017) — Opiates can be very useful and also very dangerous. They are very useful for the suppression of cough and subduing pain, while on the dark side, can cause dangerous effects such as addiction – which leads to brain damage, high blood pressure, restlessness, muscle aches, excessive sweating, and lots more.
Opiates are generally a class of drugs used to kill pain. They include substances such as Morphine, Thebaine, and Methadone. Some illegal drugs such as heroin can also be classified as opioids. As useful as they are, they turn out to be the worst nightmare of lots of people as they turn from using it as painkillers, to totally depending on it for some kind of high.
Because of the intense high feeling it gives to the users, it causes them to be extremely addicted without even realizing it.
On stopping the usual intake of the opiates, you may start experiencing some physical symptoms of withdrawal. These effects occur because your body has gotten so used to it that adjusting to the absence is very difficult. Opiate withdrawal could be mild or severe.
Successfully overcoming opiate addiction might be challenging, but it’s not impossible, and below are the 5 tips to help you overcome opiate addiction:
1. Change Your Daily Routine
Addiction to opiate usually happens due to a kind of lifestyle or routine you have created. To overcome opiate addiction, you have to change the usual routine of using opiate to get some sleep or give you some sort of extra energy, and get it replaced by some healthier alternatives.
2. Try Psychotherapy
The opiate withdrawal timeline includes series of symptoms that can cause both physical and mental damages to the body. And that’s why psychotherapy should be applied.
This method deals with the combination of the psychological and physical component of addiction and then treating them both. It helps the user solve the challenges by focusing on the mental aspect and looking into the reason the user feels the need to use opiates.
3. Join Support Groups
Support groups help the process of overcoming opiate addiction easier to go through. They provide their honest support and guidance, give encouragement, give space to discuss openly about how the journey has been and how you’re overcoming the situation, and they also help you gain a sense of empowerment and control over yourself.
4. Taper Technique
This process involves a gradual reduction in the dosage amount of opiate you take in. It helps to reduce the withdrawal effects because this time, the body only has to adjust to small reductions instead of having to deal with the total absence of the drug. All you have to do is stick to the plan and not revert to the old drug use practices.
5. Buprenorphine
According to the National institute on Drug Abuse, Buprenorphine can be used as an opiate-replacement therapy. This is because it mimics the effects of the opiates on the user but does not pose a high risk for addiction. It should only be administered by authorized physicians.
Overcoming your opiate addiction can be very challenging and you shouldn’t go through it alone. Follow the above tips religiously and also reach out to medical specialists. Your addiction to opiates will soon become a thing of the past.