“Four in five new heroin users started out misusing prescription painkillers.”
Hearing about drug abuse and addiction is a lot different than dealing with the real thing. Statistics show that among adolescents ages twelve to seventeen years old, a whopping 467,000 adolescents were “current non-medical users” of pain relievers, such as hydrocodone or morphine, with 168,000 claiming an addiction to prescription pain relievers in 2014. In that same year, approximately 28,000 adolescents had used heroin in the past year, and approximately 16,000 were current heroin users. Although the numbers seem grim, there is hope out there for those struggling with opioid addiction.
Is Your Adult Child Addicted to Opioids?
Anyone can become addicted to opioids – executives, healthcare professionals, attorneys, and even our own children. Opioid Use Disorder has become a real concern in the community, and deaths from accidental overdoses are “near an all-time high.” Opioid Use Disorder knows no demographic boundaries.
Signs and symptoms to look for:
- A change in peer group
- Disrupted relationships with family members and friends
- Carelessness with grooming
- Decline in academic performance
- Loss of interest in favorite hobbies/activities
- Missing classes, skipping school and acting out
- Changes in eating or sleeping habits
- Trouble with the law
Opioid use can have fatal consequences. Even one instance of overdose can cause permanent damage or even worse, death. Risks include, respiratory depression, hypoxia, seizures, heart failure, dependence, depression and anxiety, pain sensitivity, withdrawal, tolerance, and the list continues.
Treatment for Opioid Addiction and Getting Help
There is more than one method for battling opioid addiction. However, guided counseling combined with a medication called Buprenorphine is proven to be very effective and, conveniently, does not require daily clinic visits. Advantage Mental Health Center can assist with the withdrawal process through the use of FDA-approved medications such as Buprenorphine, otherwise known as Suboxone®, to diminish opioid withdrawal symptoms and help suppress cravings so a person can stop taking the opioid medication to which he or she is addicted. Strong support systems and counseling for families touched by addiction aid in the journey back to normalcy.
Seek help immediately, by clicking here to Request an Appointment today.