Morphine Treatment and Rehab

Morphine Info

• Morphine Addiction and Abuse
• Morphine Symptoms and Warning Signs
• Morphine Treatment and Rehab
• Morphine Withdrawal and Detox

Morphine and heroin-related deaths have risen by almost two-thirds in recent years. Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that there were 952 deaths in 2014 alone, compared to 579 in 2001. Heroin statistics are often linked to morphine, because the substance breaks down in your body as morphine.

According to the European Drug Report, the UK and Germany account for half the number of drug overdose deaths in Europe. Heroin or morphine topped the list with 1,200 registered deaths. In 2016, someone died every five hours from a morphine-related death. The government blamed the statistics on an ageing generation of opioid users who’ve been using since the 1980s and 90s, but critics posit the rise in morphine abuse is due to budget cuts to effective treatment services.

Morphine is a powerful painkiller used for treating severe pain from heart attack, surgery, serious accidents or palliative care from cancer. It is also prescribed to patients for whom other opioids and painkillers no longer work to relieve pain. Morphine was first isolated by Friedrich Serturner in 1805. It acts as an anaesthetic without making you lose consciousness and is one of the most powerful opioid analgesics.

In the US, there are an estimated two million morphine addicts and the number is rising daily. People with morphine use disorder live in a state of denial. If you’re addicted to morphine, you’re not alone on the journey of recovery.

The first step to treatment is acknowledging your addiction and the need for help. Treatment options for morphine addiction include support groups, therapy, detox and rehab to cleanse your body of drugs, help you identify negative drug habits and teach you to deal with drug triggers and temptations. For minor drug usage under three months, outpatient detox and rehab work well. If the addiction has lasted three monthsor more, inpatient rehab treatment is the best option.

Morphine Addiction Treatment: What is it?

Drug rehabilitation or addiction treatment encompasses all the processes and techniques used to help an individual quit a compulsive habit – in this case, morphine addiction. There are different settings, forms and lengths of treatment, depending on your addiction needs and preferences.

Most rehab centres employ the basic recovery principles in various addiction treatment plans, but for best results and efficacy of treatment, choose a rehab facility that specialises in the addiction you’re dealing with.

Getting a loved one into treatment is not an easy feat. Addiction specialists advise you to help them realise that they need help, without antagonising, rebuking, judging or pushing them. The different stages of treatment are broken down according to the levels of addiction. These include mild to moderate addiction, as well as long-term addiction. The goal of every addiction treatment is to rid your body of addictive chemicals, help you understand behavioural patterns that encourage drug use and guide you on the path to sober living.

Treatment for Morphine Addiction is a Necessity

Addiction is a complex problem. There’s no definitive reason that completely explains why people abuse drugs and alcohol. A large number of people who need treatment never get help. They wallow in the throes of addiction for years, until their illness costs them their home, job and finances. They can easily find themselves living on the street.

You don’t need to see physical signs of morphine addiction before seeking help. If the drug is taking a toll on your life, it’s time to undergo addiction treatment. If you’ve harmed yourself or others under the influence of opioids, tried to quit but failed, noticed you only feel normal when you take heroin or morphine, these are telltale signs of someone who needs help.

Effective Treatment for Morphine Addiction

For addiction treatment to be considered effective, it must be specifically designed for the individual and employ a range of treatment technique and detox to achieve long-term sobriety for the patient, which is the goal of every rehab treatment.

Like other opioids, morphine binds to opioid receptors in the brain and disrupts natural brain function. Medication used in treatment mimics the way in which morphine works to reduce cravings for the drug.

The first step of treatment is detox – a seven to ten day process that rids your body of morphine and other addictive substances. During detox and rehab, you’ll be placed on methadone maintenance therapy (MMT) that mirrors the effects of morphine and makes the brain think it’s still receiving the same chemicals. According to the California Society of Addiction, methadone has been very successful in treating addiction, with a success rate of 60-90%. However, the drug has to be administered under the care of a medical professional to prevent abuse.

Therapy and Specialised Treatment Options

The premise of treatment is based on the fact that no two individuals have the same experience with addiction and treatment should be specialised to treat your unique addiction needs. However, there are specific groups that require even more specialised care, because of the risk of treatment or the prevalence of drug abuse within the group. They include individuals with polydrug use disorder, dual diagnosis disorder, LGBT communities, pregnant women, teenagers and older people. Therapy options include:

Methadone assisted therapy: As a long-acting opioid, methadone mimics the effect of morphine without the associated ‘high’. It does this by targeting the same opioid receptors and satisfying the body’s craving for opioids.

12 step programmes: Community-based support groups are the foundation for recovery. SAMSHA states that the best group for Morphine treatment is Narcotics Anonymous (NA),as they accept all drug abusers, with a goal to helping you make positive changes for sober living.

Other therapy options include family therapy, individual therapy, motivational interviewing and group counselling.

Residential treatment for morphine addiction : If you’ve mixed morphine or heroin with alcohol, ecstasy, DMT, stimulants, psychedelics or other synthetic substances, you need inpatient care. It’s also recommended for special groups and long-term users who’ve used opioid for more than three months. Most residential facilities offer detox and aftercare programmes, so you’ll get all the addiction treatment you need.

You can choose either short-term or long-term rehab stay. Short term rehab is for mild to moderate users, with a low risk of experiencing complications during treatment. Your stay ranges from a seven to 30-day period, where you’ll undergo detox and attend therapy programmes for addiction treatment.

A long-term rehab stay is ideal for result-oriented treatment. You’ll have access to 24/7 care in a non-hospital therapeutic community. The programmes are structured to eliminate distractions, so you can fully dedicate yourself to recovery. Your time is planned to include doctor’s appointments, yoga, meditation, group counselling and individual sessions. Rehab stay is between three to six months for most drug users and up to year for those who require comprehensive treatment.

Outpatient rehab for morphine addiction : Outpatient care is only recommended for users who’ve abused drugs for a period of less than 90 days. Such individuals don’t have any mental health issues, nor are they polydrug users. The treatment you receive is the same with inpatient, with one major difference; there is no 24/7 care and you’ll be exposed to stressors, temptations and distractions.

Finding an Exclusive Morphine Rehab

Contrary to popular belief, exclusive morphine rehab uses evidence-based treatment techniques to treat addiction in people with opioid use disorder. There are two types of exclusive rehab; executive and luxury rehabs. They are both more expensive than standard rehab treatment, but the amenities on offer make up for the cost.

What to Know about Morphine Clinics

Over 20 million people dealing with addictions never seek help. Morphine clinics design individualised treatment plans based on data they collect from you during initial assessment. They’ll determine the amount of morphine and other addictive substances present via blood and urine tests, as well as ask questions about your history with drugs, any existing mental health problems or physical conditions that might affect treatment. A psychologist will also try to determine if there’s any undiagnosed co-occurring disorder left untreated.

All medications administered at morphine clinics are approved by SAMSHA to reduce withdrawal and manage drug cravings. You can attend morphine treatment as an inpatient or outpatient, but the benefits are the same. They include:

Private Morphine Rehabs and Confidentiality

A guiding principle of rehab is confidentiality of the patient and their personal information. You make yourself vulnerable when you seek addiction treatment and that vulnerability shouldn’t be exposed. Knowing that you control how your information is shared gives you the peace of mind and assurance to open up about your struggles with addiction.

There are guidelines and laws that prevent morphine rehab facilities from sharing your information, except with approved, licensed professionals, who’ll help you recover from drug addiction. Don’t let fear of exposure prevent you from seeking addiction treatment.

Individual and Group Therapy

Individual therapy helps you work through all your mental issues that led to drug abuse. With each session, you’ll understand the actions you took to fuel drug habits and negative thought patterns, which you’ll need to change. You’ll set short-term recovery goals and long-term post-rehab goals that guide your recovery journey. You’ll also learn how to deal with triggers and maintain long-term sober living.

Group therapy brings together various recovering addicts dealing with similar addiction. It’s a safe space to share your story, listen to others and feel inspired that you’re not alone. Sometimes, family members are invited. This is an integral part of therapy that teaches you to re-establish communication with others.

A synopsis of treatment programmes and their duration

Detox programme: detox is the first step in addiction treatment. Morphine detox takes five to ten days, depending on the severity of addiction. You’ll be given medication such as buprenorphine, naltrexone and methadone to manage withdrawal and reduce drug cravings.

Rehab: detox prepares you for rehab, where you’ll identify past behaviour and thoughts that enabled drug use and learn to counter negative thoughts with positive ones. The best rehab for addiction lasts three to six months.

Aftercare: aftercare encompasses everything you do to maintain sobriety post-rehab. The process lasts the rest of your life.

Detoxing from Morphine: All you need to know

Morphine is very addictive. It doesn’t matter if you’re taking it via a doctor’s prescription or abusing it for the euphoric ‘high’ effect. It triggers opioid receptors in the brain and stimulates dopamine release, which leads to tolerance and drug dependence. Once you’ve developed morphine dependence, you’ll need to keep taking the drug to feel like yourself or even to perform basic functions.

When you stop taking morphine, your brain functions – which have been altered by morphine chemicals – react to the change through withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms are unpleasant, uncomfortable and painful. However, they are a necessary step if you’re serious about getting clean from morphine. Withdrawal symptoms are also the primary reason why most recovering addicts end rehab treatment prematurely or fail to seek help for addiction.

The best way to prevent a relapse, minimise painful withdrawal and manage cravings effectively is to detox in a medically-supervised detox facility. The primary goal of detox treatment is to rid your body of morphine, stabilise you physically and treat psychological addiction. The detox process takes about seven to ten days comprising three stages; early symptoms, severe physical symptoms and late withdrawal symptoms.

Psychological Therapy

Science has taught us that integrating pharmacology and behavioural treatment is the most effective way to treat morphine addiction. Among the therapy options available, contingency management and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) show promise as the ultimate psychotherapy techniques for treating morphine addiction.

Contingency management: This is a voucher-based system that replaces the physical ‘reward’achieved when abusing drugs with real, tangible rewards for attaining sober goals. The underlying goal of contingency management is reinforcing positive behaviour for abstinence and punishment for using drugs. When you reach milestones such as passing a urine test, you earn vouchers. The vouchers can be exchanged for movie passes, gift items or food. You’ll also be rewarded for taking medication, attending individual/group counselling and completing other rehabilitation goals.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): The mind is a powerful tool and your heart beats in union with your brain. If you can control your thoughts and make the conscious decision not to use drugs and look for healthy alternatives to dealing with life’s problems, you can make yourself better. CBT is perhaps the most popular therapy technique for addiction treatment and helps you understand past behaviour, emotions and patterns that fuelled drug usage. It also teachesyou to modify your behaviour, expectation, as well as how to cope with stressors and triggers in a positive way.

Addiction Recovery Types

Inpatient and outpatient private rehab: these are standard rehab centres that treat physical and psychological addiction. The goal is to help you detox in a safe environment and show you techniques that help maintain drug abstinence.

Free rehabs: mostly funded by the state or local councils, these rehab centres offer free addiction treatment to morphine addicts. There’s always a long waiting list, so it’s not advised if you need immediate treatment.

Paying for Morphine Addiction Treatment

A major reason why many people with opiate use disorder never seek treatment is because they fear the cost. Resources at a free rehab – while standard – won’t be tailored for your addiction needs. If you have premium health insurance, your insurance company should cover the full or partial cost of treatment. If you don’t have insurance, you can take out a bank loan, ask for help from your loved ones or pay with a credit card for same day entry.

Morphine: duration of treatment

There are three stages in morphine treatment; detoxification, rehab and aftercare.

Duration of detox: the length of detox is different for every individual. You’ll experience withdrawal symptoms within the first six to 14 hours after your last dose and they manifest in signs like mood swings, anxiety and drug cravings. During the first two days, symptoms peak with muscle aches, sweating, fever, chills and runny nose. Long-term users experience insomnia, confusion, nausea, vomiting, irritation and rapid heartbeat. The symptoms start fading from the third day, while after the sixth day, most of the physical signs have abated.

Drug rehab: the goal of detox is to physically stabilise and prepare you for rehab, where you’ll receive treatment for psychological dependence. You can enter rehab as a resident or outpatient, depending on the severity of your symptoms. For effective treatment, plan to stay at least three months at an addiction treatment centre. The longer your rehab stay, the better your chances of maintaining sobriety post-rehab.

Aftercare: this part of addiction treatment comprises everything you do to maintain and live a sober life. Create an aftercare plan, attend meetings, keep scheduled appointments with your counsellor, therapist ordoctor and build a network of sober friends who encourage recovery.

Ending Your Morphine Treatment

A common occurrence in rehab clinics is patients choosing to leave rehab early. Some were forced into treatment and feel overwhelmed with everything that’s’ happening, but mostly, it’s the withdrawal symptoms and cravings that breaks them.

Detox clinics and rehab is the best way to get clean and maintain sobriety. You can’t be addiction-free if you continue using drugs. Rehab teaches you to identify triggers, train your mind for positive thinking, learn healthy habits and effective communication with drug counsellors and other individuals.

What to Expect from Treatment

Morphine treatment targets both physical and psychological aspects of addiction. The physical symptoms are treated with detox and medication-assisted treatment. Psychological addiction is treated with therapy, drug counselling and alternative therapy models.

Expect to get tested regularly and randomly. Your entire time at a rehab facility is planned and structured to keep you busy. The first few weeks are harder, because you’ll be detoxing and your body is re-learning how to function without morphine flooding your brain with dopamine.

Most rehabs start the day with yoga or mindful meditation to centre you and relieve stress. Next, you’ll have breakfast, attend a doctor’s appointment and individual / family therapy, as well as group counselling sessions, with lunch in between and recess to rest.

It’s a treatment model that sees past your addiction and views you as an individual. It treats you, not just your physical addiction. Holistic treatment encompasses all elements that led to abuse and taps into spiritual techniques neglected by traditional treatment.

Holistic treatment empowers you for change. Your best chance at completing rehab is by entering of your own volition. People can try to help you, but the desire to change must be your own decision. Holistic rehab teaches you to take charge of your life and live your dreams, irrespective of past mistakes.

Specialised treatment plan; every individual receives customised treatment for addiction. Holistic treatment recognises that every individual is unique in the way they deal with addiction and subsequently creates a plan best suited for you.

Post-Rehabilitation Support

Treatment doesn’t end with rehab. You’ll need support after rehab to manage cravings, maintain sobriety and prevent relapse. You’ll continue to attend doctor’s appointments to receive medication for addiction and attend scheduled sessions with your therapist and counsellor, this time as an outpatient.

Addiction experts advise recovering addicts to create an aftercare plan. This plan serves as a guide and should include community-based programmes, attending group counselling, exercising, healthy eating, making (new) sober friends and steps to prevent relapse.

The Risk of Relapse for Morphine Addicts

Morphine is a powerful opiate and like other addictions is extremely susceptible to relapse. Risk factors for morphine relapse include:

Cravings: this is the major reason why most people relapse whilst in recovery. The pain and discomfort is intense and drugs are used to relieve the symptoms. If you’re a long-term user, you’ll experience cravings long after detox and months into rehab.

Poor choices: When you make a conscious decision to self-medicate your mental health issues or suppress pain from loss or trauma with morphine, it is a poor choice. Rehab teaches you to identify thought patterns and alter them with positive thinking for making better choices in the future.

Sober Living Support

Halfway houses or sober living homes are places for recovering addicts who want to transition slowly back into society. The houses are drug-free zones. You’ll be randomly tested for drugs and required to live according to house rules. During the day, you can go out, but are expected to keep to curfew. Think of it as a home you’re sharing with people who have the same goals as you. You pay rent, clean, cook your own meals and build a network of sober friends.

Peer Counseling

Relationships are important on the recovery journey and working with a peer counsellor is living proof that addiction treatment works. A peer counsellor has endured and survived similar addiction. According to SAMSHA, peer workers are ex-addicts who are successful in their recovery. Their goal is to help you overcome addiction and teach you practical skills for maintaining sobriety. The following are types of peer support.

Informational peer support:  provides skills training and shares knowledge about morphine addiction and relapse risk with others.

Emotional peer support: a person you can talk to when you’re having a bad day. They’ll listen and show empathy with you.

Instrumental peer support:  This is an important peer worker, because they provide resources that help recovering addicts get back on their feet. They offer childcare, money, food, transportation, clothing and healthcare.

Family Therapy

Family therapy is delicate. When one person uses drugs, everyone feels the impact. Family therapy provides an outlet for everyone to speak about how your drug usage affected them. It helps the family heal and recover as a unit, sharing the burden of addiction.

A therapist helps parents identify habits that encouraged you to use drugs and teaches everyone to live together in a way that reduces stress, triggers and enables sobriety. The goal of family therapy is to prevent other family members from taking up drugs in the future, as well as reinforce parental authority and rebuild relationships within the family.

Seek Help

Addition is a lonely disease that isolates you from everyone who loves you. It strips you of your love, passion, family, home, finances, work and everything you previously cared about. Seek help today, there are a number of advice services available to offer advice on the best UK rehab centres that provide the best level of care, expertise and environment required to treat your addiction.

FAQs

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