Anyone Can Become Addiction to Opioids, Learn How it Starts
One of the confounding aspects of addiction involves how innocently it can begin and how anyone can fall victim to it. Many people have the common misconception that only people who come from terrible family backgrounds or don’t have the right support system can fall prey to an addiction. The reality, however, is quite different.
An addiction to opioids can take place in the blink of an eye. A person who has a thriving business could have an addiction take hold of them due to an injury they sustained on a job. Unless consumption is actively monitored, there is a strong possibility the medication that you once legitimately needed can turn into something you are now dependent on.
What Are Opioids?
By definition, opioids are painkillers. Originally derived from opium, opioids are a prescription that may be given to a patient for various reasons. Opioids usually fall into particular forms. Some examples include:
- Darvon
- Codeine
- Fentanyl
- Dilaudid
- Methadone
- Hydrocodone
- Oxycodone
Your doctor will collaborate with you to determine the best type of opioid that would help to address and treat your pain.
What Is Opioid Addiction and How Does it Start?
A common question that we receive from both patients that suffer from addiction and their loved ones revolve around how opioid addiction begins. One of the scary aspects of opioid addiction is that it can develop extremely quickly.
Opioids are highly addictive, and it’s not uncommon for a person to develop an addiction within a matter of weeks, if not a matter of days, depending on the person. When a person develops an addiction, they become physically and psychologically dependent on an opioid.
Risk Factors for Developing Opioid Addiction
There are both long-term and short-term risk factors for developing an addiction to opioids. In the short term, you will come to notice that certain relationships that you valued are no longer essential to you.
Additionally, your friends and loved ones may begin to distance themselves from you due to your addiction. Your professional life may also falter when your boss or co-workers begin to see something that is negatively impacting your work product.
Long term, there are serious physical consequences of opioid addiction. You may suffer from brain and heart damage, you may develop depression, or if you currently have depression, that diagnosis may be exacerbated. Of course, there is also always the possibility of an overdose.
Preventing Opioid Addiction
There is a two-fold way of preventing the development of opioid addiction. First and foremost, you must be upfront and honest with the doctor that prescribed you the opioids in terms of your pain level and how you are feeling. If you are no longer in pain, then you simply do not need the opioids any longer.
It’s also vital that you remain conscious of your psychological and physical state of mind. Suppose you notice you are waking up in the morning, and the first thing you are thinking about is when you can take an opioid or find yourself beginning to shake because you haven’t consumed the drug recently. In that case, there is a strong possibility that you are developing an addiction. Keep in mind that if you can address your growing dependency early enough, it’s possible that you can avoid developing an addiction.
Treatment for Opioid Addiction
At Muse Treatment, we take a personalized approach to helping you overcome your addiction to opioids. We work with you to help you develop a better understanding of how opioid addiction begins and identify the events in your life that may have led to your opioid addiction in the first place. Please reach out to us today at (800) 426-1818.
