When it comes to deciding that you need to go to rehab for opioid addiction, there are a lot of thoughts that will cross your mind.
And there is nothing wrong with drug recovery admitting to yourself – or anyone who loves and supports you – that you are scared. After all, you will be going through a process that is both physically and mentally demanding to try to get control of your addiction and build your life back piece by piece.
For many people, a lot of the fear and anxiety revolving around going to a drug recovery center for opioid addiction is rooted in the fact that they simply do not know what to expect. For that reason, we have taken the time to break down the three first steps of typical addiction so that you can go into the process knowing what is coming your way.
Deciding that you need rehab and that you want to beat your opioid addiction is one of the healthiest and most productive things you can do for your life. Without a doubt, this is the first step to living a healthier and happier life!
If you need to learn more information, you can find it at The Forge Recovery Center.
Let’s get started.
Step 1 – Detox
If you know anything about substance abuse rehab, you probably know that the very first step that anyone goes through when checked into a rehab facility. The process of detox is literally what someone goes through as they stop using illicit substances – such as opioids – and the chemicals start to leave their body. This can have an impact on a person’s mental and physical state and depending on the substance being used, the length of use, and how the substances were consumed, detox can take anywhere from three to five to seven days. Some side effects of detox include:
- Cravings for drugs
- Diarrhea
- Dilated pupils
- Intense stomach pain
- Chills
- Nausea
- Body aches
- Agitation
Step 2 – Medication
The next step when it comes to opioid drug recovery is to get on medication that will help ease the cravings for the substance or substances that you were using before getting clean. After all, addiction is not just an emotional or mental dependence on a substance, but a chemical one as well. Even after your initial detox period has come to an end, you are still at serious risk of detox as you continue to try to break free from the addiction.
While experts say that the most common triggers of relapse for opioid users are psychological and social factors, those can certainly crop up even in inpatient centers.
To fight these triggers, recovering addicts will often be administered medications that help ease cravings. The most common types of these medications include:
- Methadone
- Buprenorphine
- Naltrexone
- Lofexidine hydrochloride
Step 3 – Counseling and behavioral therapy
The next step that comes with opioid drug recovery treatment is maybe the hardest job yet. Sure, detoxing and staying off opioids is really hard, but the hardest job is working on yourself and trying to figure out the root causes of your addiction. Identify why you started using, what has made it so hard to stop, and what kinds of triggers you will have to avoid going forward.
This can be a very difficult and emotional journey, because it may force you to part ways with people, places, and things that have been meaningful in your life. However, if they trigger you to use drugs, then you must move on.
Luckily, you will have the support of trained professionals, and other people who are dealing with the same journey as you to help you get through it.
