Comprehensive Opiate Addiction Rehabilitation Program in Orange County

Opiate Addiction Treatment at Orange County Recovery

Many people who become addicted to opiate drugs (including heroin) say they first were introduced to them through a  prescription from a physician. Opioids and opiates are both prescribed for both acute and long-term pain. For example, you may suffer a nasty broken bone and be given pain initially as you begin healing. Or, you may suffer from a serious illness that requires ongoing pain treatment.

Opiates and heroin have the same active ‘pain killing’ ingredients. Both drugs work the same, causing euphoria and helping to quell physical and emotional pain. Opiates are derived from the poppy plant, which is the same plant that was used to create heroin and morphine. Opioids are a newer type of prescription drug, meant to mimic the affects of opiates but made from synthetic materials. Both types of drugs are highly addictive and have reached epidemic proportions since the 1990’s.

Most users take prescription drugs for health problems or illnesses at some point in life. When somebody takes opioids and begins abusing them (i.e. outside of the directions given by their physician) then they may have a substance abuse disorder.
Opiates and opioids are highly addictive drugs. They often come under different brand names and drug names. Here are a few of the names you might hear:

• Oxycontin
• Percocet 
• oxycodone
• Vicodin
• Hycodan 
• hydrocodone
• Duragesic
• fentanyl
• Codeine
• morphine
• Dilaudid
• hydromorphone

Why Do People Abuse Opiates/Opioids?

When an individual first abuses opioids, they’re usually just experimenting with the drug. You don’t become addicted to a drug overnight, but some people are especially predisposed to addiction.

Some of the people who abuse opioids obtained their drug outside of the medical industry, from a friend or on the street. These people are abusing a drug because they don’t have a medical need for it. An individual who abuses opioids like this is highly susceptible to addiction and more likely to try even more dangerous opiates, such as heroin.

Other people who abuse prescription opioids may notice they like the effects of the drug, such as euphoria, but that the effects have reached a plateau. They then need to take more of the same drug to get the same effect. This is when their body starts to become dependent on the drug, which leads to addiction.

How Do People Who Abuse Opiates/Opioids Drugs Behave?

People who are addicted to opiates or opioids didn’t become that way overnight. Science shows that some people are more susceptible to a substance abuse disorder than others, but there typically isn’t any way to predict who will become addicted, and who won’t.

An individual who has become addicted or begun abusing opioids will act differently than they used to as the drugs take over more of their time and lives. They may stop spending time with people they once did, or give up some of their passions and hobbies. An individual who is addicted to drugs tends to isolate themselves from non-drug users, and spend more time in pursuit of their drug than other activities they once loved.

Addiction can destroy lives. People who are addicted to a substance will often lose control of their finances, alienate loved ones, and have trouble with the law. They may manipulate, cheat or steal to get the money they need for their “fix”. Often, as they spiral into addiction, they lose jobs and possessions as well as relationships that were once important to them.

Substance Use Disorders and Drug-Seeking Behavior

An individual who has a substance use disorder or opioid use disorder will often exhibit classic drug-seeking behavior. This means that they will spend more of their time trying to seek the drug, despite negative consequences.

Much of the behavior that is considered drug-seeking involved manipulation or dishonesty. An addicted person may repeatedly come up with reasons they need to borrow money, and never bother to pay it back. If they are addicted to prescription opioids, they may try to doctor shop so they can get multiple prescriptions at one time. They may hoard pills and cut them in half in order to save more for later.

An individual with a substance use disorder may skip important events so that they can get the opportunity to get high, instead. Their behavior may not make sense to others, but for them, getting high is the ultimate goal and it’s hard to think about anything else when they’re experiencing withdrawal. In fact, many addicted people try multiple times to stop using so they can get their lives back in order, but find that the withdrawal symptoms are too strong and painful to bear on their own.

Addiction can change an individual’s thought processes and make it harder for them to resume normal activities. Seeking and using their drug of choice ends up being the most important thing in their life, regardless of who it hurts or other consequences.

How Can You Tell if Somebody is High on Opiates/Opioids?

When an individual is on an opioid such as Morphine or oxycodone, they may seem sleepy. The drug can make users feel euphoric and act like they’ve been sedated. They may “nod out” while they’re talking or doing another take, coming in and out of consciousness. They may feel abnormally relaxed or carefree, and even may seem dizzy or nauseous.

An individual who uses opioids/opiates regularly may develop muscle weakness when they can’t have the drug. As people develop a tolerance their drug of choice, they will start using more of it to feel “normal” – and experience shakes, chills, sweats or ever when they can’t get ahold of it.