Confronting Painkiller Addiction In Time
With so many people falling prey to the painkiller epidemic, it’s no surprise that so many people call Florida detox centers for painkiller addiction help. An addiction to painkillers can be a frightening one, and we’ve seen more and more people suffering in the last decade. Thankfully, a Painkiller detox in Florida can assist sufferers in putting an end to their addiction one day at a time.
Symptoms of painkiller addiction
When someone begins taking a painkiller like hydrocodone, oxycodone, or fentanyl, they might at first experience a very euphoric high. It’s this high that encourages people to continue using the medication in the first place. Over time, tolerance to the painkiller builds and someone has to begin taking more and more to get their high. If someone is unable to obtain a legal prescription, they can turn to illegal methods of obtaining painkillers, putting themselves at risk for legal consequences that might ascend to the level of a felony and years in prison. It never needs to get to this point.
The symptoms of early painkiller addiction are often difficult to perceive. A person might find themselves taking a few more here and there in the beginning, and they may go into a period of denial and tell themselves that they were just in more pain and needed more. They might get high on these medications and end up missing work or school, but they can usually justify that, too. Personality changes are subtle in the beginning, sometimes unrecognizable to the addict themselves but detected by their closest friends and family.
As the addiction progresses, the symptoms become more noticeable. The person might be arrested for illegally obtaining painkillers or they might lose close friends and family. They might begin to experience painful withdrawal symptoms when they try to stop taking the painkillers. When it reaches this point, it’s not too late. There’s help out there.
Getting help for painkiller addiction
Painkillers are one of the most highly addictive substances on the planet. They are difficult to stop using once the addiction progresses beyond a certain point. Withdrawal symptoms like sweating, nausea, and vomiting can be so unbearable that the person simply can’t stop all at once and find themselves afraid to stop at all. It’s at this point that a concerned friend or family member can intervene and recommend inpatient painkiller detox. This detox can save someone’s life.
During their time in inpatient detox, the painkiller addict will learn about their addiction, get much needed individual attention and therapy, participate in group meetings that help them learn more about how to cease using painkillers, and of course, formulate a plan to prevent relapse before being released from the facility. Group meetings and peer support are an enormously helpful form of extended support group that the recovering addict can use both in the inpatient facility and any outpatient sessions they might go to after they’re released.
The detox itself is helpful because it allows the person to withdrawal from painkillers in a safe, comfortable setting where they can get support from professionals who understand what they are going through. The comfort of detoxing alongside fellow addicts is also of great help to clients. They’re able to see that others have made it, and they too can make it if they stick with their treatment plan.
Anyone who suffers from a painkiller addiction faces a difficult road ahead if they don’t quit. That’s why it’s so important to intervene and make sure that the person gets help as soon as possible. Inpatient facilities are often the only place that a painkiller addict feels they can go to get off their medication. That’s because painkiller withdrawal is so very uncomfortable that few are brave enough to try it on their own, and many people who do try shouldn’t try on their own.
If a friend or family member is suffering from painkiller addiction, they’re never alone. This is a rampant problem in our society today, but the great news is that there is always help out there. Detoxes are able to help addicts in a way that they simply can’t help themselves. While recovery is a lifelong process, it all begins with a single phone call to a detox, asking for help. Often a friend or family member will ask on behalf of the addict, but ultimately it’s up to the addict themselves as to whether or not they are willing to accept help. Thankfully, there IS help for this problem today, as scientists and doctors have learned more about the dilemma of addiction and found many different ways to treat it in a medical and non-medical inpatient setting. There are always options. The first step, though, is always a simple phone call.