The opioid crisis, sometimes referred to as the opioid epidemic, is taking the lives of people in every community annually. However, many people aren’t aware of the extent of the problem.

Prescription Narcotic Abuse

Opioids are narcotic painkillers available with a prescription. They act similarly to heroin and are almost as addictive.

Many people start using opioids for valid reasons. For example, doctors often prescribe them to manage severe injuries as well as the aftereffects of surgical procedures.

Medical professionals usually prescribe them because they interfere with your body’s ability to receive pain signals. When the pain is blocked, you feel better.

However, when you take opioids, your body thinks it can dial down the level of natural pain-killing chemicals it produces. Thus, you’ll stop being able to manage pain on your own. Instead, you start receiving pleasure solely from the drug.

Over time, you need to take more of the drug experience euphoric effects. If a doctor won’t prescribe a refill, you might turn to other, more dangerous methods if using.

Heroin is ultimately cheaper than prescription pills. Therefore, when people can’t afford to buy opioids anymore, they begin using this even more powerful substance.

How Is The Opioid Epidemic Exacerbated?

Some people, especially teenagers, use prescription drugs because they’re not technically illegal. It’s against the law to use someone else’s prescription or obtain the substance without a prescription. However, many individuals see popping pills as more acceptable than injecting heroin.

The pills may be easy to get from parent’s or a friend’s medicine cabinet. Additionally, it’s also available on the internet.

The U.S. government has taken some measures to stop the problem. The Department of Health believes that improving access to prevention, treatment, and recovery services will help manage the crisis more effectively.

Recovering From Opioid Abuse with Steps to Recovery

One of the barriers to recovering from opioid abuse is the potentially agonizing withdrawal process. When people use drugs over a long-term period and then quit, they may have intense side effects. However, you can manage withdrawal symptoms with medication, time, and the right medical attention.

Often, people who try to quit without professional support find it’s too difficult to wait out the withdrawal period. They don’t have access to medication that can weaken cravings and ease withdrawal symptoms. Therefore, they often relapse.

At Steps to Recovery in Levittown, PA, we provide a unique program to help you recover from opioid abuse. We focus on psychotherapy and counseling to teach you how to manage your addiction.

We focus our care on your specific needs through addiction recovery services such as:

• Men’s and women’s addiction programs
• Partial hospitalization program
• Intensive outpatient program
• Outpatient program
• Aftercare program
• Dual diagnosis treatment
• Sober living

If you’re ready to stop being a statistic in the opioid epidemic, call us at 267.719.8528 today. Your renewing transformation to lasting recovery begins today.