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Having exceptional health both physically and mentally is not an easy task. We have multiple life stress factors that contribute to our poor lifestyle choices. And in some cases, these choices can lead to some type of addiction. Often this is not intentional, we get sick, injured or suffer an illness that requires us to take medication, and before we know it we’re hooked on prescription medication such as opiates.
The reality though is you may need to look at changing your ways and finding a safer route to recovery. Sure, it is not an easy process but the opiate withdrawal timeline for example is one that is worth looking at. Nothing happens overnight. You must first implement these changes gradually.
Let’s look at how you can get started on your road to recovering.
Step#1 The desire and acceptance for change
Your desire to get rid of your dependence on the medication is the key to your success, as you may experience withdrawal and the many difficulties that come with it. Many practitioners say that when a patient is determined to be “clean” of medication – they will do everything in their power to succeed at the task. To do this, a patient is required to have faith in the detoxification process and its importance and to be consistent in performing the required tasks during it.
Patients who begin such a detoxification process should be aware of the consequences of discontinuing the medication, along with the consequences of taking it. During the detoxification process, there are sometimes periods when the patient finds it too difficult to bear the side effects involved in the detoxification process, and then it will be necessary to delay the continuation and postpone it to a later date (several weeks or months). Every case is different and while the road to recovery is bumpy it is also an important one. Your health is important, after all.
“The addiction crisis is terrifying, and many people don’t comprehend appropriate opioid use. When I first started taking pain medication, I remember a family member saying, “Dianne, you’re going to become an addict!”
We need to help people understand that taking pain medicine to maximize one’s ability to be productive and to sustain enriching relationships is very different than the disease of addiction, which limits one’s ability to contribute to society and maintain healthy habits.”
DIANNE BOURQUE
Step#2 Prescription drug withdrawal – the symptoms
“Silent addiction” occurs when a person taking the medication is unaware that their body is developing tolerance to the medication and this causes them to consume high doses in shorter periods of time, which leads to addiction. To know if you’re suffering from this form of addiction look for signs such as:
- Extreme mood swings can indicate a person’s dependence on the drug and entering a “crisis” condition in which the person switches between different moods in a short time.
- A person who is constantly looking for where they can get more and more prescriptions for the drug they need. They may even ask for assistance.
- Lack of appetite or over-appetite can also lead to extreme weight changes.
- Apathy and excuses are some of the symptoms of an addicted person. Most of the time the person will deny the addiction and try to use excuses to evade the inevitable answer.
Overall, it’s vital that if you or someone you know has an opiate addiction, on prescribed medication, then you need to get help. As failing to do so can be fatal.
The need for an immediate solution to mental, cognitive problems and pain is often convenient in the Western World. Where instead of seeking out the source and finding a way to resolve this, both patients and doctors look for the quick-fix which comes in the form of medication. And yet, many doctors who are authorized to prescribe patients prescription drugs do not know how it is really affecting their patient, especially when it comes to one taking several drugs at the same time.
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