The Global Opiate Epidemic

If you look at the reasons why opiates were produced, you will discover that they were manufactured basically for the purpose of reducing pain.

Hence, people who feel severe pain can take opiates, and they will feel okay. The intent behind the production of opiates has achieved its purpose, although it has been bastardized.

These days, people take opiates because they want an increased form of relief. When it gets to this stage, they will do this without informing the doctor.

They are aware of the fact that, the doctor will not accede to their request of taking extra painkillers, so they prefer to do it all by themselves.

Opiate addiction fully sets in when the individual takes opiates even in the absence of injuries. The reason for this is, they just want to feel better over and over again.

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Just like other forms of addiction, opiate addiction is a serious one. It is very hard to break free if you are trying all by yourself.

Opiate addiction is best treated by seeking treatment in the appropriate quarters. This implies that, it is best to visit a rehab.

Now, it is not just any rehab, it is important to visit a trusted one that has a track record of adequately treating addiction cases.

This would ensure your success in rehab, in the long run. Typically, opiate addiction is classified under drug addiction, so this implies that it would follow the same modus operandi for drug addiction treatment.

To start with, detoxification would have to be the first phase in opiate addiction treatment. The reason for this is, there are some buildups that could be dangerous to the body’s system. So, it is important to flush them out.

Prior to this phase, the individual must have accepted the fact that he or she is addicted, and wants to break free from it. This phase is handled by the counselor who needs to verify that the individual is ready for addiction treatment.

After the detoxification phase, there is the rehab and finally the aftercare phase.

A good number of people are addicted to opiates, and they do not want to accept this fact. Usually, people take opiates because they want to be rid of pain.

Later on, some people develop a tolerance for opiates, they increase the dosage more than they should, and they become addicted to it.

Opiates are effective in killing pains, and when it is taken without the prescription of a doctor, it becomes an abuse.

Usually, it is normal for an individual to feel less satisfied with the dosage of opiates taken. We are humans and normally, we are insatiable. There is also a tendency for us to want to explore. This does not happen to everyone however.

People who abuse opiates usually do so without the knowledge of a doctor. They know they would be severely scolded if the doctor is informed.

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Hence, they would rather keep to themselves, and purchase opiates over-the-counter, instead of going to a health facility.

It is severely difficult to break free from any form of addiction, particularly one that involves substances.

The desire to stop usually sets in, but overcoming addiction is more than a willpower, there are some measures that need to be put in place.

Hence, people who are injured would not hesitate to take opiates even when they have the slightest of injuries. They become unable to bear any degree of pain because there are opiates that they can take.

Opting for a rehabilitation center is one of the best things that can ever happen to an addict. Rehabilitation centers that provide quality services is a sure bet for recovery from opiates addiction.

Prior to this, it is important to have a counselor all through the process of addiction treatment.

He or she would be responsible for assessing and evaluating the addiction condition of an individual, so that it would be easy to create a personalized plan.

This would be useful in the overall treatment process of the addict, and even the aftercare program.

Opiates are sometimes referred to as narcotics. They are drugs which are commonly known for relieving pain. Sometimes, health practitioners give opioids for the purpose of relieving pain.

This usually comes in handy for those who just had a major surgery, or a recovery from a serious injury. For instance, people who are just recovering from cancer, are those who will be given opioids.

People who use opioids are prone to develop a dependence and hence an addiction. Dependence refers to the withdrawal symptoms which surface when drugs are not taken.

While addiction is referred to as a chronic disease of the brain, which makes a person to compulsively and obsessively seek drugs, irrespective of the fact that they could be harmful.

In the world today, opiate addiction are serious public medical problems. It becomes even shocking to note that, some pregnant women take opioids for the purpose of stepping down the pains which comes with the pre-natal period.

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There are a good number of effects associated with opiate addiction. The individual could experience Drowsiness to start with. This is very common among people who are addicted to opiates.

There is also a tendency for the individual to have difficulty in breathing. For those who have breathing problems, this effect could be aggravated.

In addition to this, there is also a chance for constipation and unconsciousness to set in. This implies that, for the latter, it would be difficult for the individual to digest food like before, and this could induce vomiting and a high level of discomfort.

It could get worse, and the person might enter into a coma. At this point, it is advised that the individual is rushed to a medical facility.

Furthermore, tolerance is one of the long-term effects of opiates addiction, but many people are not aware of this.

This is a situation whereby people who are using opioids on a long term, need to increase their doses, so that they can get the same result.

Our bodies are known to adapt to any substance or act which we continually feed it with. People who are addicted to opioids are advised to make it a point of duty to see a health practitioner.

Opiates are known to reduce pain and anxiety, and when it is taken in much quantities, it gives euphoria. A good number of opiates can be smoked, taken via injection or with mouth.

The medium which gives the fastest and strongest pleasure is the injection route. Due to this, a good number of people have found themselves stuck in the web of opiate addiction, and it is hard to break free from.  

People who are addicted to opiate addiction are known to take more than what they intended to. At many points in their lives, they have tried to cut down or stop the usage, but it has been difficult to achieve this.

Hence, it gets to a stage where they continue to use it irrespective of the psychological and physical harm attached to it.

For someone who take opiates on a regular basis, the nerve receptors adapt and they provide a resistance to the drugs, which induces the need for greater doses.

Another angle to this tolerance is, the physical withdrawal reaction which takes place when the drug is out of the body, and the receptors need to adapt to its absence. This physical dependence is however not the same as addiction.

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A good number of patients who use opiates for relieving pain, are physically dependent, and not addicted.

The drug does not harm them, and the cravings experienced by addicted people does not affect them.

For people who are addicted to opiates, the first line of treatment, which is the most important, is detoxification. This is referred to as the medically supervised and controlled withdrawal from drugs.

Detoxification is essential because, there are some unpleasant withdrawal symptoms which the patient could experience.

Some of these symptoms include: Agitation, anxiety, cold and hot flashes, diarrhea and the likes. The intensity which comes with the reaction is dependent on the dose and the withdrawal speed.

When it comes to opiate addiction treatment, there is no single method which would work well for all patients.

People who are addicted to opioids, are advised to have a counselor who would be with them in every step of the way.

What it involves to maintain a healthy diet is tasking for almost everyone. This means that some measures have to be put in place. Such measures usually come with no pleasure, but they are for the best in the long run.

One of the major causes of extra weight in children is excessive eating, and this happens as a result of food addiction.

Food addiction in children is a condition whereby they eat obsessively and compulsively even though they are not feeling hungry.

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One of the ways to preventing food addiction in children, is encouraging them to eat when it is time to eat. They should not just eat when they see a nice looking food.  

During eating, they should also ensure that they do not eat in front of the Television, or while they are undergoing other activities. It takes their mind of the food, and they can easily lose focus of what is entering their mouth.

In addition to this, parents need to ensure that they do not use food as a reward. Some parents are fond of doing this.

For instance, they can promise their children that, once they score high in a test, they would get their favorite snacks for them.

With time, this becomes a continuum, as those children would do the bidding of their parents simply because they want their favorite food.

For parents whose children are already use to overeating, you can regulate this by including lots of veggies in their diet. This would ensure that they have a balanced diet, and it would make up for the supposed detrimental effects of their overeating.

Also, make sure they do not take sweet drinks. It is important for you to ensure they cut down on the intake of sweet drinks, they do not come with any form of nutrition.

Their dental health is also at risk when they take too much sugary drinks. It is better to encourage them to take more water and milk which is devoid of fat alongside with healthy meals.

After dinner, instead of taking snacks which have high fat and sugar content, it is best to take healthy snacks, to prevent them from being overweight.