Find Support for Opiate/Opioid Addiction

Doctors prescribe opiates or opioids to treat severe pain in hospitals or after surgery. However, opioids are highly addictive and require close monitoring of patients to prevent addiction. Opiate addiction causes a person to develop strong and uncontrollable urges to use the drug – even if the original pain has disappeared or was never there.

Here, we explore some of the signs and symptoms of opiate addiction and explain what you can do if you think you might have an addiction.

What are Opioids?

Opiates are strong prescription drugs which are prescribed to relieve pain and are often used in cancer treatment. They work by relaxing the nervous system and reducing pain signals in your body and brain.

Opioids change how your body reacts to pain and produces feelings of pleasure and euphoria which can become addictive. When they’re used in a medical setting, under close supervision, opioids can be safe. However, when they are misused, and because of their highly addictive nature, people can soon build up a tolerance and dependence on them.

Some common types of addictive opioids include codeine, fentanyl, heroin, morphine, methadone and tramadol.

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How is an Opioid Addiction Formed?

While every drug addiction is different, it’s usually because individuals take a drug that releases artificial endorphins. These temporary feelings often make someone feel good, so they seek to replicate the experience again. With repeated use, the individual will build up a an opioid tolerance, meaning they require a higher dose each time which leads to dependence.

This means the individual can’t function without the drug and will experience opioid withdrawal symptoms. The cycle of addiction continues and can affect your physical and mental health and other areas of your life.

Often people struggle to admit that they might have an opiate addiction or might not even realise they have a problem. However, the first step toward recovery is asking for help and acknowledging that you need it.

Signs and Symptoms of Opiate Addiction

There are many signs of substance abuse, which can be behavioural, physical, or psychological. You don’t need to have all the signs of opioid addiction; if anything has made you question your behaviour and opiate use, or someone else’s, you might benefit from speaking to an addiction recovery specialist.

Some of the most common signs of opiate abuse include:

  • Not being able to stop using prescription drugs
  • Using more than is prescribed to you
  • Abandoning responsibilities for opioid use
  • Cravings or withdrawal symptoms without the drug
  • Continuing to use the drug even those it’s having a negative impact on your health, finances, career and family life

As with any drug addiction, it can have serious risks to your health. These include long-term organ damage, stomach concerns, mood swings, and overdose. Addiction can have rippling effects in every part of your life, which is why getting the right help and opioid addiction treatment in rehab is important.

While it might seem like a never-ending road right now, getting your life back on the right track is possible. We’ve helped so many people to do exactly that at our opioid rehab treatment centre.

Withdrawal from Opioids

If you’ve been using opiates for a long time, your body will have built up a dependence on the drug. You’ll likely experience side effects and withdrawal symptoms when you try to stop using. The severity of these can vary, as can the withdrawal timeline, but it usually lasts around 10 days or more.

If you’ve been prescribed opiates in the hospital, your dosage will be slowly reduced until your pain has gone. This is the safest way to withdraw from opiates and is something we can also help with at our opioid addiction treatment rehab.

For those addicted to opiates, it can be very dangerous to stop using opiates quickly. Instead, medical professionals need to monitor you; you may even be prescribed other medications and drugs to help ease the effects. This is called a medically assisted drug detox and is the safest way to undergo an opioid detox and achieve long-term addiction recovery.

Get the Help You Deserve

If you’re addicted to opiates, there’s nothing to be ashamed or scared of. At Asana Lodge, we have your best interests at heart, and we’re proud to have created a safe space for you to heal your body and mind. Private drug and alcohol rehab can help you to live life again with the right mindset, confidence and resilience to stay clean and long-term.

Using a combination of opioid addiction treatment and therapies, including behavioural, psychological, and talking therapy and counselling sessions, we get to your addiction’s root triggers and help you create alternative coping strategies. With the physical addiction treated, you’ll have access to well-being and holistic experts who will help you to piece together a new lifestyle – one that’s good for your body and mind.

We ensure that you’re at the centre of your opioid addiction recovery – every person who suffers with addiction is different, which is why our addiction treatment rehab programmes are designed to help the individual.

Whether you want to get your career off the ground, build up a relationship with your family again or something else entirely, opioid rehab can help you achieve your goals and give you that all-important support.

For friends and family members struggling to watch a loved one go through an opiate addiction, we’re here for you too. Our advisors are always on the other side of the phone and can take some stress and worry off your shoulders. We even have an intervention and referral service so that you know you’re never alone.

You’re closer to your recovery journey than you think. Why not take the next step and start planning for the life that you want? Contact us today for more information.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does rehab cost?

A one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t really work in the field of addiction recovery. Treatment programmes are tailored to the individual and the duration can also vary. This means that the costs will vary but our team can guide you through the costs and there will be no hidden extras or nasty surprises.

What happens after inpatient rehab?

After inpatient rehab, you will be taken care of by the aftercare team. You will likely continue with some therapies and will be encouraged to attend support groups. These are designed to prevent relapse and help you stay sober.

What are the treatment options for alcohol addiction?

There are many treatment options for alcohol use disorders, including the following:    • Support groups such as alcoholics anonymous  • Cognitive behavioural therapy  • Group therapies  • One-to-one therapies  • Family therapy


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John Gillen - Author - Last Updated: 20 June 2023

John has travelled extensively around the world, culminating in 19 years’ experience looking at different models. He is the European pioneer of Nad+ (Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide) treatment to Europe in 2010; and recently back from the USA bringing state of the art Virtual Reality Relapse Prevention and stress reduction therapy. his passion extends to other metabolic disturbances and neurodegenerative diseases.

The journey continues, in recent times john has travelled to Russia to study and research into a new therapy photobiomudulation or systemic laser therapy working with Nad+ scientists and the very best of the medical profession in the UK and the USA, together with Nadcell, Bionad Clinics own select Doctors, nurses, dieticians and therapists, Johns’ passion continues to endeavour to bring to the UK and Europe new developments with Nad+ therapy in preventive and restorative medicine and Wellness. In 2017 John Gillen was made a visiting Professor at the John Naisbitt university in Belgrade Serbia.