07 Dec How Does In-Home Detox for Opioid Addiction Work?
An opioid addiction happens when a person becomes dependent on this class of drugs. Whether an addiction is mild or severe, rehabilitation is possible, and at-home opioid addiction treatment can help.
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How In-Home Opioid Addiction Rehab Can Help You
Whether a prescription was too high or used for too long, or a person started using illicit opioids, there are many ways a person can develop an addiction to this type of drug. In addition to these factors, social environment and genetics can contribute to opioid abuse. All of these factors need to be addressed during opioid addiction rehab for recovery that lasts.
Because everyone’s needs and circumstances are so different, and because opioid addiction treatment can be challenging, medical management is essential for successfully treating opioid addiction. A specialized addiction recovery professional will assess the individual’s medical history, medications, and lifestyle to build an adaptive plan tailored to the patient’s unique needs.
What to Expect From At-Home Opioid Addiction Rehabilitation
Here’s what patients can expect from our opioid addiction rehab program:
- Initial evaluation of the patient’s current health, medical history, and other prescriptions the patient may have.
- A full examination of the patient as well as lab tests. This information enables us to assess the patient’s health in order to develop a customized treatment plan. Additionally, this examination provides a baseline to help us gauge a patient’s progress through opioid detox.
- We build the patient’s addiction rehabilitation plan after our medical director analyzes the results of the patient’s exam. Our medical director consults with every patient to develop a custom treatment plan designed around the patient’s health and addiction recovery goals.
- Opioid detox, the first and most important step in the addiction recovery process, removes all opioids from the body and weans the body off its dependency on this drug over a set period of time.
- Periodic tests and ongoing monitoring during opioid detox enable us to evaluate the patient’s progress. We may adjust the detox plan as necessary depending on the patient’s health and response to detox.
- Following detox, the patient may have additional services such as therapy, coaching, or counseling to address long-term behavioral habits and patterns. These therapies help patients avoid relapse for long-term results.
How To Recognize An Opioid Addiction
How do you know when a person has opioid addiction? Opioid addiction is not always easy to see, since prescription opioids are prescribed by doctors to treat pain. Even though opioid addiction doesn’t happen overnight, this drug is highly addictive and addiction can develop quickly. A change in a person’s normal habits following an opioid prescription is one of the first signs that a person may have an addiction.
The following signs may indicate that a person has an opioid addiction:
- A person may experience withdrawal symptoms and cravings when they stop using opioids, such as sweating, diarrhea, moodiness, anxiety, etc,.
- A person frequently goes ‘doctor shopping’ – i.e. making appointments with many different doctors and getting opioid prescriptions from each
- A person asks for unused portions of other peoples’ opioid prescriptions
- A person finds that they cannot stop using opioids despite trying to do so
- A person starts to use another addictive substance, such as an illicit opioid or other type of drug
- A person experiences disrupted sleep patterns and is excessively drowsy
- A person becomes preoccupied with using or obtaining opioids
- There is a noticeable change in a person’s attendance of work, school, or other personal obligations
- Withdrawal from or changes in interest in typical activities, hobbies, and interests
- A person continues to use opioids despite potential career, health, or relationship consequences.
- A person takes larger amounts of an opioid than intended or needed to treat a condition
- A person uses prescription opioids for a longer amount of time than recommended by their doctor
If you suspect that you or someone you know has an opioid addiction, it’s important to make an appointment with an addiction rehab specialist. The sooner opioid addiction is treated, the less likely it is that a person will develop a tolerance to this class of drug and potentially overdose.
An opioid use disorder is diagnosed by a medical professional using criteria from the DSM-5. According to the DSM-5, a diagnosis applies to a person who uses opioid drugs and demonstrates two or more of the following symptoms within a 12 month period:
- Using more opioid drugs than intended
- Wanting to or attempting to control opioid drug use without success
- Spending a lot of time obtaining, taking, or recovering from the effects of opioids
- Craving opioids
- Not carrying out roles at home, work, or school due to opioid use
- Continued opioid use despite the drug causing relationship or social problems
- Continuing to take the drug despite knowing that opioid use is causing a physical or psychological problem
- Reducing or giving up other activities because of opioid use
- Using opioids even when doing so is physically unsafe
- Having developed a tolerance for opioids
- Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when stopping opioid use
Whether a person has recently developed opioid addiction or has had an addiction to prescription or illicit opioids for years, recovery is possible. Professional medical management can help a patient successfully and safely recover from opioid addiction.
Opioid Abuse and Addiction Facts
Opioids are a class of drugs commonly used to relieve and manage pain. They can be used to treat acute (short-term) pain, such as pain following a surgery or during accident recovery, or chronic (long-term) pain, such as cancer.
There are many types of opioids. Some are legal, such as prescription opioids, while others are illegal, such as heroin. The term “opioids” refers to drugs naturally derived from the active narcotic components of the opium poppy plant. The term “opioids”, on the other hand, refers to synthetic and semi-synthetic drugs that produce opioid-like effects.
Prescription opioids are one of the most common ways that opioids are currently abused, with 36% of all related deaths involving a prescription opioid.
There are several factors that have led to the current opioid crisis, such as significant increases in the number of prescriptions. In 2015, the average patient was prescribed three times more opioids as the same patient would have been prescribed in 1999.
An addiction to opioids, just like an addiction to any other drug, is a chronic disease. Some people are more susceptible to addiction than others due to genetic factors, but anyone can develop an opioid addiction. In addition to genetics, family history and social factors can also contribute to opioid addiction. Whether addiction is a recent development or a long-standing issue, a full recovery is possible.
According to the CDC, 70,000 people died from opioid overdose in 2017 alone. That’s why seeking treatment as soon as possible is invaluable for the patient’s health and wellbeing.
Short and Long-Term Side Effects Of Opioid Addiction
Although it may seem that opioid addiction is self-contained, a person who has an opioid addiction cannot function normally. Addiction can impact personal relationships, career, and short and long-term health.
Opioids are not only very addictive, they are very difficult to quit. This is because opioids affect the central nervous system and produce an intense feeling of pleasure in the brain. Even if a person wants to stop, they may continue to use opioids despite the personal, social, and career consequences that come with continued use.
Side effects of opioids include:
- Increased sensitivity to pain
- Constipation
- Nausea/vomiting
- Dry mouth
- Sleepiness and/or dizziness
- Confusion
- Depression
- Low testosterone levels
- Itching
- Sweating
- Eye irritation/ tearing
- Anxiety
- Muscle /bone aches
- High body temperature
- Digestive problems
In addition to these symptoms, the body develops a tolerance to the effects of opioids over time. This can lead a person to seek out increasingly higher doses of the drug to achieve the same effect. At a high enough dose, opioids can cause overdose and death. Seeking treatment as soon as possible can help prevent overdose.
Related:
- How Does Opioid Withdrawal Look And What To Expect
- Can You Overdose From Opioids And How To Handle It?
- How To Recognize Opioid Addiction And What Are Your Treatment Options?
- How To Detox From Demerol
- How Does In-Home Detox for Cocaine Addiction Work?
- How Does In-Home Detox for Benzodiazepine Addiction Work?
- How Does In-Home Detox for Heroin Addiction Work?
- How To Detox From Fentanyl
- What To Expect From Medically Assisted Detox
In-Home Opioid Addiction Recovery with Elite Home Detox
Prescription opioids are safe when used as prescribed. Addiction can happen when these medications are used in greater quantities or for longer than intended. When an opioid addiction happens, a person becomes physically and psychologically dependent on this drug.
In-home opioid addiction recovery is a modern solution for busy individuals in all walks of life, offering…
Personalized attention
Elite Home Detox brings the services of a traditional rehab clinic into a patient’s home, offering dedicated, one-on-one attention for every patient. Since every patient’s circumstances and needs are different, we tailor a comprehensive treatment plan to every individual.
Elite Home Detox provides an onsite team member 24/7 to monitor the patient, adjust the treatment plan as necessary, and answer any questions that the patient, their friends, or their family may have about detox or our rehabilitation program. We stay with our patients every step of the way to ensure a safe recovery with results that last.
Convenient and private
Whether elsewhere in-town or out of town, inpatient and outpatient clinics require patients to travel to get the treatment they need. Not only is this travel costly, but it also takes away valuable time from the patient’s busy life. Elite Home Detox brings appointments to the comfort of the patient’s home and eliminates the need for the patient to travel. We work with the patient’s schedule to minimize disruptions and maximize results.
Although some people may find group therapy beneficial, other people prefer privacy while they recover from addiction. Elite Home Detox brings comprehensive addiction rehabilitation services directly to our patients for unmatched privacy.
Comprehensive, quality care
Genetics and social environment are just two of the many factors that can contribute to a person developing an opioid addiction. These same factors need to be addressed during rehab for successful recovery that lasts. Elite Home Detox offers the same services and quality of care as traditional rehab clinics to ensure our patients get the care and support they need every step of the addiction recovery journey.
Our medical team is trained and experienced in all aspects of addiction recovery, and every program is overseen by our medical director to ensure top quality care.