The use of opium has been regulated for centuries. Opiate drugs (drugs which are processed from opium, which is derived from the poppy plant) are some of the strongest and most habit-forming in the world. Because of the strong physical dependency the body forms to opiate drugs, the strong feeling of euphoria or relief it produces on the addict and because of the violent and overwhelmingly painful withdrawals, opiate addiction is one of the hardest chemical dependencies to overcome.
You can form an opiate addiction to more than just the obvious heroin, now the fear of prescription drugs is a reality for many parents. There are many legal opiate prescription drugs which are just as habit-forming and addictive to the body. Many of these prescriptions, like oxycodone and OxyContin, Percocet, and Roxicet are used in opiate addiction treatment as a “replacement drug” to make the opiate addiction more manageable. This is not an optimum opiate addition treatment method, as it truthfully leaves the client with a socially acceptable opiate addiction, but an opiate addiction nonetheless.
Long-term rehabilitation preceded by a health-based medical detox is the real solution to opiate addiction.
Because the withdrawal is dreaded by so many opiate addicts, there are many great programs which offer a pain-free medical detox program. Through proper nutrition, hydration and massage therapy, these programs work to restore the physical health of the individual. This kind of holistic philosophy aids recovery on the basis of getting one’s body to function properly and lend a hand in the healing process. Proper medical detox followed by long-term, inpatient opiate addiction rehab for drugs like Oxycontin abuse, which really addresses the underlying issues will eliminate the opiate dependency altogether.
Many families and loved ones of opiate addicts struggle with finding the right type of program for such a multi-faceted addiction. There are countless short-term programs which claim a “miracle cure” in under 30 days. The truth is common sense. Opiate addicts are normally abusing the drug(s) for more than a few weeks, and so it takes diligence and working at it to really and truly overcome such a dependency.