Pain Killers Treatment and Rehab

Pain Killers Info

• Pain Killers Addiction and Abuse
• Pain Killers Symptoms and Warning Signs
• Pain Killers Treatment and Rehab
• Pain Killers Withdrawal and Detox

According to an article by the BBC, the use of painkillers has more than doubled in the last 15 years, with research showing that 1 in 20 Brits has a prescription for addictive opioid painkillers such as Tramadol and Codeine. This research also found that GPs were guilty of prescribing painkillers for periods longer than necessary, leading to thousands of patients accidentally becoming addicted to painkillers.

A substance abuser who shared her addiction story explained that she was prescribed codeine for stress-related headaches. The medicine worked so well, she felt like she could handle life only when she was on codeine. According to addiction expert Daniel Gerrard, government attitude and the prescribing habits of GPs have to change to conquer the problem.

A drug counsellor informed the BBC that painkiller abuse was fueled by the NHS. A former addicted stated that it was easy to get a prescription for tramadol because GPs didn’t ask too many questions, resulting in drug addicts being created by the NHS. Data from NHS Digital shows that 23.8 million opioid prescriptions was written for Brits in 2017. Poor communities or areas populated by elderly citizens have the highest prescribing rates.

Painkiller Treatment and Rehab

Life expectancy in the US has dropped by for two consecutive years. The result of years of over-prescription and addiction to painkillers. According to a representative of the National Centre for Health Statistics, the major factor is the increase in fatalities from drug overdoses.

Long-term use of prescription painkillers increased the risk of abuse whilst diminishing any benefits the patient could derive from the medicine. Data from a wide NHS study of patients in England found that opioid painkillers were the most prescribed drugs. A balance needs to be established between ensuring proper access to medicines to treat disorders, relieve pain, and avoid prescriptions that lead to substance dependence.

If you’re addicted to painkillers such as fentanyl or percocet, you’ll require addiction treatment to help you live a normal life again. Rehab centres are equipped with doctors, nurses and clinicians who specialise in addiction, and can help you quit substance abuse using some of the most innovative techniques in addiction treatment. Drug rehab options include inpatient treatment programmes and outpatient treatment.

Painkiller Addiction Treatment – What is it?

Addiction is characterised by a lack of control over substance abuse and compulsive use when you know the negative consequences. Opiate painkillers and other powerful medications that impactthe central nervous system have a high potential for abuse. Most of these drugs are intended for short-term use and when patients take them for longer than was originally prescribed, they build up a tolerance and, over time, become dependent on painkillers.

Painkillers work by binding themselves to pain receptors in the spinal cord and brain to relieve pain. They are mostly prescribed to patients who experience chronic pain, cancer patients, postoperative surgery pain and severe muscle or bone injury. Popular medications include Percocet, Oxycodone, Morphine, Fentanyl, Vicodin, Codeine and Tramadol.

Painkiller addiction treatment is required to remove harmful toxins from your body, help you understand your addiction, and teach you coping skills that improve your chances of living a substance-free life. Treatment consists of detoxification, inpatient treatment, outpatient treatment,behavioural therapies, relapse prevention planning, and aftercare.

Treatment for Painkiller Addiction is a Necessity

Narcotic painkillers carry a high risk for abuse and addiction. They are dangerous and harmful when abused and can lead to accidental harm and other medical hazards. Crushing and injecting painkillers increases the risk of heart attack and infectious diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis. Painkillers prevent the reuptake of GABA chemicals in the brain, such as dopamine, that control feelings of pleasure, relaxation and euphoria.

Professional treatment is your best chance at getting better. Some withdrawal side effects can be dangerous if you try to detox at home. Medical personnel are experienced and capable of treating painkiller addiction. They reduce the risk of treatment by conducting detox in a safe and secure environment where they can supervise the detox process.

When you try to detox at home, you’re not equipped with the vital skills to prevent a relapse or handle triggers. Psychotherapists prevent relapse by helping you identify your triggers and learning coping skills to handle them in a positive way.

Therapy and Specialized Treatment Options

Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT): When combined with psychotherapy, medication-assisted treatment is effective in addressing both physical and psychological aspects of addiction. Medications include:

• Methadone to reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms.
• Buprenorphine to partially activate the brain’s opioid receptors and prevent overdose or the feeling of euphoria associated with substance abuse.

12-step Programmes and SMART Recovery: Community-based support groups such as Narcotic Anonymous and SMART Recovery are great places to discuss your addiction and learn practical coping techniques from the shared experiences of other recovering addicts. The major difference is that NA ascribes healing to a superior being while SMART Recovery doesn’t.

Inpatient Rehab and Outpatient Rehab for Painkiller Addiction

Finding an Exclusive Painkiller Rehab

As a business executive, it’s hard to find the time to attend rehab fulltime because of your responsibilities. Executive rehab programmes combine high-quality addiction treatment with luxury facilities. You’ll have access to a well-furnished private room, swimming pool, computer with internet access, mobile phone, animal therapy, gym, fine dining, nutrition therapy, massage therapy and other amenities.

The facilities at luxury rehab are on par with a 5-star holiday resort, complete with idyllic locations to provide a serene environment and alternative therapy models that enhance healing and recovery.

Private Painkiller Rehabs and Confidentiality

Painkiller rehabilitation centres are confidential. Treatment only works if you fully participate in sessions and if you’re completely honest about your history of substance abuse. Trust is an essential element of treatment because you’ll have to be vulnerable and open up about the events that led to your substance abuse.

Administrators protect the details and privacy of all patients by ensuring that only approved personnel, who are directly involved in your treatment, can view your details. You’ll be provided with a copy of the confidentiality agreement after the intake process to ensure you understand your rights as a patient.

Individual and Group Therapy

Both individual and group therapy are geared towards improving treatment outcome. Individualised therapy is a one-on-one talk therapy where you’re involved in sessions alone with your therapist. During these sessions, you’ll learn to understand your addiction, identify triggers and learn coping skills. In group therapy, sessions are led by a certified drug counsellor and involve several recovering addicts.

Group therapy is a great place to make new sober friends, and receive support and feedback whilst in recovery. The information you learn in the sessions will help you avoid triggers and prevent relapse.

A synopsis of treatment programmes and their lengths

Detox: The detoxification process encompasses both pharmacology and psychotherapy. Withdrawal symptoms are uncomfortable, but not deadly, when you receive treatment at a medically supervised facility. There is no predetermined timeline for the detox process, but it usually lasts five to seven days in most individuals. Protracted withdrawal symptoms, such as depression and insomnia, might linger for up to a month and require behavioural therapies to treat.

Inpatient treatment:A short-term inpatient stay lasts 28-30 days. This program is recommended if you have a mild addiction to painkillers or you’ve recently developed a tolerance for opioids. Long-term rehab stays range from two months, three months and up to six months. These are recommended if you have co-occurring disorders, a history of substance abuse, and/or a medical condition that should be addressed in treatment.

Outpatient rehab: This rehab lasts 10-16 weeks and is recommended for high functioning addicts whose addiction hasn’t impacted too negatively on their work or personal life. Those who have a mild addiction, can’t afford inpatient treatment, or have responsibilities that prevent them from staying in rehab fulltime can receive treatment as outpatients.

Detoxing from Painkillers- All you Need to Know

When you’re prescribed painkillers, your doctor will advise you on the importance of following their instructions. The danger of self-medicating or abusing painkillers is that you quickly build up a tolerance to your medication. At this stage, the original dose is not effective and you need higher doses to feel the same effect. Within a few weeks, you’ve developed a dependence on opioids and you will experience withdrawal symptoms when you try to quit.

Withdrawal symptoms and detox can be effectively managed at a medically-supervised detox facility where doctors and care professionals supervise the detox process to prevent the onset of painful withdrawal symptoms and ensure you remain safe throughout the detox process.

Common symptoms of painkiller withdrawal include:

Early withdrawal symptoms: Early symptoms manifest within six to twelve hours after your last dose, and may last two days for longer-acting medicines. Symptoms include muscle pain, teary eyes, a runny nose, racing heart, hypertension, fever, sleeping difficulty, and anxiety.

Acute withdrawal symptoms: This is the stage where most of the intense withdrawal symptoms occur. It peaks on the third day after your last dose and lasts up to a week in most individuals. Symptoms include diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting, cravings, gastrointestinal pain, depression and insomnia.

Late withdrawal symptoms: While most symptoms diminish after a week, some psychological symptoms such as cravings, depression, mood swings, and anxiety might persist for a few months. You’ll need psychotherapy to treat these symptoms.

Psychological Therapy

Paying for Painkiller Addiction Treatment

take out a bank loan or work out a payment plan with the financier of the rehab centre. The cost of treatment varies depending on the location, size, speciality, number of therapy techniques, staff to patient ratio, and type of rehab.

Standard rehab programmes in the UK start from £1,000 a week and £5,000 a month. Luxury and executive rehab programmes usually cost around £10,000 a week and up to £50,000 a month.

Ending Your Painkiller Treatment – When and Why

The most important reason why you attend a rehab program is that you want to improve your chances of never abusing drugs again. Leaving treatment early means that you’ve not been discharged by your medical team and you’re not ready to re-enter society.

You might feel like you’ve learned everything you need within two weeks or you’ve gained the required skills to navigate life in your local community. Sadly, you’re most likely to relapse when faced with triggers. When you relapse, your brain, which was just starting to learn how to function without drugs, is back on the hook and this time it’ll be harder to complete treatment or reverse the effects of addiction.

Completing addiction treatment provides the tools to maintain abstinence from illicit substances, and, if a relapse occurs, you know how to regain your abstinence without sliding further into the hole.

Post-Rehabilitation Support

Treatment doesn’t end with rehab. Aftercare for painkiller addicts is the most important part of treatment because it helps you maintain lifelong abstinence from painkillers. Aftercare encompasses all the follow-up care you can receive after treatment. This includes medications to cope with cravings, therapy sessions, support group meetings, sober living facilities, peer support, and relapse prevention strategy.

According to research, 80% of recovering addicts relapse within 30 days of receiving addiction treatment because they are still learning to cope with triggers and cravings. The cause of relapse is based on the potency of the substance you abuse, environmental factors, competency of treatment, and the availability of aftercare upon discharge from a rehab facility.

A few tips to guide you in your relapse prevention planning include:

• Eating nutritious meals and exercising
• Identifying all triggers that might cause a relapse
• Using what you learned in rehab to cope with triggers when they come up
• Joining a support group and attending meetings religiously
• Deleting the phone numbers of all your old contacts that encouraged you to use drugs, including your dealer
• Improving communication skills by making new friends in rehab.
• Working on building a healthy relationship with your family and friends
• Considering a sober living facility if you or your therapist feel you’re not ready to transition fully into society

Family Therapy

In some cases, your family might have contributed to your addiction. Successful treatment incorporates the family unit. Family therapy targets the group as a unit, not just the individual. It is based on the belief that the family shares a unique bond, and by tweaking one aspect of the system, other components that impact on the outcome of treatment will be affected. Benefits of family therapy include:

• Helping family members to gain self-care interventions that improve their physical and mental wellbeing
• Teaching younger members of the family that substance abuse is not an acceptable behaviour
• Helping family members identify and learn to avoid enabling behaviours that might lead to a relapse
• Improving communication among family members

Seek Help

Addiction treatment is the best option to fully address all areas of addiction and improve treatment outcome.Call an addiction helpline in the UK and a drug counsellor will help you find a treatment centre that caters to your unique addiction needs.

FAQs

External Links List

• https://news.sky.com/story/prescription-drug-addiction-is-a-public-health-crisis-says-drugwise-charity-10997227
• https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-43304375
• https://www.bbc.com/news/health-41201397
• https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-42452733
• https://brsrehab.com/blog/addiction/common-relapse-rates-drugs-harder-quit/
• https://drugabuse.com/library/how-to-help-a-painkillers-addict/
• https://www.rehabs.com/about/residential-inpatient-programs/
• https://americanaddictioncenters.org/withdrawal-timelines-treatments/opiate/
• https://drugabuse.com/library/how-to-help-a-painkillers-addict/
• https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/painkiller-addiction/treatment-rehab/#gref