ByNick Jones

How the Abuse of Prescription Pain Medications Can Lead To Heroin Use [Infographic]

Prescription Pain Medications

Many individuals who struggle with an addiction to heroin originally began by abusing prescription pain medications. All too often, people mistakenly believe that prescription painkillers are less addictive, dangerous or problematic than drugs like heroin, but the two are inextricably linked. The use of prescription pain medications can and often does lead to heroin use and addiction.

Prescription Pain Medications and Heroin Can Have a Lot in Common

Many prescription pain medications are opiates, which means that they reduce pain by attaching themselves to specific molecules called opioid receptors. Heroin is also an opiate, and it works in virtually the same way. Opiate addiction, whether a result of prescription pain medicine or heroin, is responsible for more than 29,000 overdose deaths every year.

Heroin is Cheaper than Prescription Opiates

Without insurance, or on the black market, prescription pain medications can be incredibly expensive. Patients who originally legitimately needed the medication, but are now addicted, can expect to pay around $60 for a single 60-milligram pill of an opiate painkiller. The equivalent amount of heroin, however, may be as little as one-tenth of the price. This significant price difference between the two substances means that financially-strapped individuals dealing with an addiction may be forced to purchase heroin in order to afford their next dose.

Prescription Drug Crackdowns Can Lead to Heroin Use Instead

According to the Center for Disease Control, a staggering 12 million Americans use prescription pain medications non-medically. This essentially means that they’re abusing the medication and may have an addiction. Sometimes, medical groups or cities will crack down on illegal prescriptions or sales of prescription painkillers. While this has positive intentions, unavailability of prescription opiates may cause some individuals to turn to heroin instead.

America Has a Serious Prescription Pain Medication Epidemic

The United States is home to roughly 5% of the world’s population. However, the nation is responsible for consuming more than 80% of the world’s supply of prescription painkillers. This is indicative of a serious addiction and opiate abuse problem in the United States, and it shows the scale of people who develop opiate addictions that can sometimes only be sated through heroin consumption.

Many People Who Use Prescription Painkillers Go on to Use Heroin

The transition from prescription pain medications to heroin isn’t rare or statistically insignificant. In fact, 1 in 15 people who take non-medical prescription pain medication will go on to try heroin within the next decade. With more than 12 million people taking prescription pain medications non-medically, this is a major issue that needs to be addressed.

Just because prescription pain medications can have a legitimate purpose, it doesn’t make them any less addictive or dangerous. Whether you’re struggling with an addiction to prescription medications or heroin, Recovery in Motion can help. Call (866) 418-1070 today to get the support and resources necessary to take back control over your life.

ByNick Jones

Do Detox Treatment Centers Also Have Long-Term Treatment Options?

Addiction is a disorder that needs adequate care and efficient therapy to tackle it. Statistically, when getting help in a long-term rehabilitation program at detox treatment facilities, patients are more inclined to recover successfully. Several of these programs start with an initial period of detox in order to remove the drug’s impact on a persons’ physical dependence. Afterward, treatment helps individuals to learn about their addiction and constructive ways to control it.

Long-Term Care at Detox Treatment Centers

An estimated 23.2 million Americans required some type of addiction treatment in 2007. Out of those people, only 10.4% actually received the treatment that they needed. This complex disease requires in-depth treatment because it affects all aspects of the individual’s physical, mental and emotional health.

Detox treatment centers generally offer a range of treatment options. For addicted individuals with an intense, long-term addiction treatment options are often the best choice. At a residential treatment center, patients are constantly supervised so that it’s virtually impossible to relapse. They receive intense, focused care so that they know how to recognize triggers and manage cravings.

Detox Treatment Centers and the Detox Process

The first step at most treatment centers is detox. During this time, addicted individuals are continuously supervised by medical professionals. If withdrawal symptoms are severe, staff members are on hand to help reduce the severity of the symptoms. More importantly, medically supervised detox prevents addicted individuals from relapsing while they are at their weakest state. Instead of reaching out to drugs or alcohol, an individual’s chemical dependency is completely removed. Once this is done, he or she can effectively start the rehabilitation process.

Treatment Options Available

Depending on the patient, different treatment centers and treatment options may be needed. As a rule, longer treatment programs are more successful than shorter programs.

During the program, the individual gets help through cognitive behavioral therapy and dual diagnosis treatment. The evidence-based program offers art, music and yoga therapy to help patients recover.

Evidence-based treatment options are ideal for addicted individuals who begin recovery. At programs like the one you’ll find at Recovery in Motion, patients live, cook and clean in an apartment with two other patients. They relearn life skills that help with recovery. Meanwhile, family and cognitive behavioral therapy help patients rebuild their lives and uncover the root of their addiction.

An addiction may be a disease, but it’s a disease that can be treated. At cost-effective rehab programs, patients can get the long-term treatment and therapy that they need to recover. To get help now with an addiction, call Recovery in Motion at (866) 418-1070.

ByNick Jones

Blog
Detox

The First Step in Rehab for Heroin is the Willingness to Change Your Life

When you’re ready to get help through rehab for heroin, it’s time to consider what you want from your future and how the right rehab can help you get on track for the life you deserve.

Things to Consider When Seeking Rehab for Heroin

Your life will be very, very different after rehab for heroin. The decision to go into treatment for drug abuse or addiction means there will be changes of all kinds to virtually every area of your everyday existence. However, this is a very hopeful and exciting time that can be made much easier by knowing what it takes to succeed in and beyond rehab for heroin.

Consider the following:

Entering treatment is your decision to make for a chance of a better future, and to avoid becoming just another overdose statistic
Heroin rehab will mean you need to change many areas of your life and let go of self-destructive ways
Rehab isn’t a sure thing, active participation and work is required for lasting recovery
Recovery is never easy but is worth the trouble
Quitting rehab when it gets difficult is something you will need to fight against in order to gain a better future
Honesty and work are necessary to gain recovery
No longer will taking the easy road work for a positive life
There will be hard moments when you must face your inner demons
Rehab is a commitment to ending drug use once and for all
You will meet many people like yourself in rehab and many from other walks of life because addiction is an equal-opportunity problem

Prepare for Rehab for Heroin

When you’re ready to enter heroin treatment, you need to prepare yourself for what is ahead. To get ready, consider the following suggestions:

Research potential facilities to ensure a good fit for your personal needs
Rehab takes time, so be ready for a long-term stay if needed
Rehab needs to feel like home away from home for your personal comfort and focus
You may need someone to help with home and work responsibilities while you are away
Prepare yourself to “just go with it” and do what the program wants you to, in order to achieve success

Asking for help is difficult and sticking to a program can be even more difficult. However, getting into rehab is only the first step in recovery from heroin. You will need help from others along the way and to maintain an attitude of willingness to do what it takes to stop your addiction once and for all.

Recovery In Motion for Long-Term Recovery from Heroin

Recovery In Motion in Tucson, Arizona provides the evidence-based therapies you need to overcome heroin for good. An affordable, comfortable rehab environment, Recovery In Motion provides long-term patients with apartment-style residences with peers in recovery so focus can be entirely upon gaining the sobriety you need for a brighter future.

Stop heroin addiction from running your life. Call Recovery In Motion now at (866) 418-1070 to take the next step for rehab from heroin, the one that will count most.

ByNick Jones

How Do Addiction Treatment Facilities Help Ease Opiate Withdrawal?

Recently, SAMHSA has found that about 1 million Americans each year fit the criteria of prescription painkiller use disorder. Moreover, on average 3 million use prescription painkillers non-medically each month.

Individuals who misuse prescription painkillers or other opiates who make an effort to discontinue the use of these substances will often suffer from withdrawal. Like many other substances, opiates cause physical dependence that couples with the addiction, making withdrawal symptoms especially difficult. In fact, it’s at this point where too many addicts transition on to heroin. To make it worse, much of today’s heroin is laced with fentanyl. Fortunately, reputable addiction treatment facilities can help ease opiate withdrawal.

Treatment Facilities Help Ease Opiate Withdrawal With Constant Monitoring

Individuals in recovery from opiate abuse often find themselves situated in a residential treatment facility, meaning they’ll stay at the treatment center for 30, 60, or 90 days. In many cases, individuals with a national health insurance provider will have at least some of the cost of their inpatient treatment covered, thanks to provisions set in the Affordable Care Act.

Because of the physical dependence that often develops with opiate abuse, individuals entering opiate withdrawal need to be monitored through drug detox. Many times, it only takes a few hours before intense, drug-seeking behavior sets in. When that happens, many people are unable to get through it alone.

Treatment Facilities Help Ease Opiate Withdrawal With Family Participation

Many people benefit from having loved ones nearby during treatment, and many evidence-based treatment techniques call for therapy involving an individual’s family. Treatment centers offering family-integrated programs as treatment options may help ease opiate withdrawal for individuals who have relied on their family in the past for comfort. Addiction treatment can be scary for some, so having close family and friends nearby in a family participation program can often make treatment and withdrawal easier to handle.

Treatment Facilities Help Ease Opiate Withdrawal With Continued Treatment After Rehab

Successfully making it to the end of a 90-day treatment program without relapse is no small feat, but many people require ongoing treatment throughout the rest of their life to maintain their sobriety. Addiction is a disease that’s chronic in nature, which means it’s easy to relapse over the long-term. To fight back against these inevitable urges, many individuals suffering from opiate addiction benefit from enrolling in a 12-step program. These programs help promote healthy habits and routines that can drastically lower the chances of relapse in the future.

If you or someone you know is suffering from opiate addiction and you’re looking for a way to ease opiate withdrawal, call Recovery in Motion today at 866-849-0901. Rooms are currently available and come with a 90-day guarantee on treatment costs. Give us a call now to learn more about how we can help you or a loved one begin recovery from active opiate addiction.