Answer Addiction

Tag: rehab

  • Dear Sarah: A Letter to a Friend Who Can't Get Clean

    Dear Sarah: A Letter to a Friend Who Can't Get Clean

    Two and a half years pass, and you have just gotten out of jail again. I know it won’t be your last time, but I wish it were.

    To the Most Interesting Girl I’ve Ever Known:

    Do you remember the first day that we met? I do. I was sitting on a couch with a few other girls and we were watching a movie. That was pretty much all we could do to pass the time in detox. It was my first rehab and your fifth. That night you came out of the bathroom in ridiculous unicorn pajamas and your hair was wrapped in a towel. I didn’t even realize you were there until you started violently throwing up into a trash can. Everyone was watching you and shaking their heads. I found it sad that these women were judging you for getting sick. After all, we were all there to get better…weren’t we?

    I wasn’t. You weren’t either. I was in rehab because I had nowhere else to go and you were there because your parents forced you to get clean.

    The next day, you wandered into my room, jumped up onto my bed, and we talked about everything. We talked about how miserable it was to be stuck in this building when all we really wanted to do was to go out and get high. We didn’t want to be there, but it was really the best option for both of us at that time. 

    I learned so much about you during our time in that place. I found out that you were three years younger than me and that when your dad died, he left your mom an obscene amount of money. You have never lived in a house with less than five bedrooms and have never gone hungry. All your clothes came from the mall and you judged people based on what their teeth looked like. Your mom was used to you going to rehab every other month and she would make sure that you had plenty of cigarettes and nice things to wear.

    I had nice things to wear, too. My dad made sure that I had new clothes and nice shampoo for my first trip to rehab. I was homeless but far from hitting rock bottom…that came later. We bonded over our love of superficial things and our misery there. You confided in me that you were a new mother and embarrassed about it. You did not want to be a mom and you shot up every day during your pregnancy. You gave birth to a little boy three months early because you went into withdrawal and weren’t able to get your dope that morning. It pissed you off because you didn’t like children and still didn’t want any.

    I understood and didn’t judge you because I didn’t want children, either. I knew that if I were ever pregnant, there would be even less time and money for me to get high. After social services told you that your drug use prevented you from keeping the sick baby in your care, your mom adopted your son and took on all of the responsibility that you didn’t want to have.

    I understood you and you understood me.

    We were moved together to the residential area of the rehab program where they took away our comfort medications and forced us to interact with the other women there. That didn’t last long. We didn’t want anything to do with these women who had hit their rock bottom. We didn’t want to hear their sad stories or participate in anything therapeutic. If we talked about other people there, it was to judge or make fun of their appearance.

    Looking back on my behavior during this time, I am remorseful and embarrassed by our cruelty. We were both sick and should have taken advantage of the help that was being offered, but we weren’t ready. We fed off each other, encouraging destructive behavior. A few days after being moved, we were kicked out of that rehab together for buying drugs from a man in a different unit.

    Do you remember sitting on that curb in the sunshine with our freedom and trash bags full of clothing? A guy that you knew picked us up and bought us each a gram of heroin and a brand-new bag of needles. He then took us to a hotel in a sketchy part of town and we stayed there for the next three days. We looked at each other as we pulled out of the rehab parking lot and smiled so big. We had won our freedom and were now able to get as high as we wanted without consequence.

    We didn’t think about the fact that we’d both just screwed up a really good chance to fix our lives and to rebuild the trust we had broken with our respective families. We weren’t thinking about anything past the three days that the hotel was paid for. We bonded and became closer during that long weekend. You overdosed in the bathtub and I brought you back. The first thing you said to me was, “where’s my shit?” I laughed, you laughed, and we continued to get high. After being kicked out of the hotel we went our separate ways but continued to stay in touch. You went home to your big house and I continued to crash where I could because it was getting cold out. We even planned our next rehab stay together!

    We really had our priorities straight, didn’t we?

    The next “vacation” we took together was a bit more successful. We didn’t get kicked out, but we came close. We didn’t take it seriously and continued to judge people, something that I’m still ashamed of. You told me you’d been arrested twice since we’d seen each other last, both times for felony possession. You saw your son and he’s walking now, but you still hate being a mom. I nod and agree, it sounds like a hassle to me at that time in my life. We graduate from this 30-day program and go our separate ways again. You go back home again to your fancy house and I go to a sober living facility, something I wasn’t ready for. You came to visit me often and took me out for coffee on my birthday.

    I got kicked out of that place too and had to stay on a lot of different couches, each more desperate and filthier than the previous. My parents were done housing me because they saw me getting sicker with each visit. They saw me lose weight and gain track marks and strung out boyfriends while you were sleeping in your childhood home with a fridge full of food. I never compared myself to you and I never complained about my situation, especially to you. In rehab, we judged people like me; I had become one of the unfortunate. I was someone whose addiction had completely taken over her life. I was paying for my heroin with money that I stole or earned in ways that I don’t like to talk about. You paid for your drugs with money that your mom handed you and if that wasn’t enough you stole it from your stepdad.

    Maybe I was a little jealous.

    The following summer I hit my rock bottom. I won’t tell you how it happened, but it was brutal. The drugs we so enjoyed doing in your car ended up taking my soul and my self-respect. I decided that I needed to change and right after making that decision I met the man who changed my life. I’d started taking methadone a few months prior to meeting him and finally my life was starting to make sense. I had a home, a job, and someone who loved me unconditionally.

    I still called you every few weeks to check in. You told me you were still getting high and that you overdosed a few times and that you had just gotten out of jail again. We laughed about it and then we didn’t talk for almost six months because we were both so busy with life. The next time I called you, you kept talking about how “nasty” the girls in jail are and how they’re missing their teeth and you’re sick of having to pee in front of your probation officer.

    I didn’t tell you that the damage I caused to my own teeth led to them all being pulled and replaced with porcelain ones.

    You asked the last time I used and when I said eight months, you yelled at me. “How?! You were the WORST! You LOVE getting high!”

    I told you about the methadone and how it was really helping me fix my life. You said you will never be on that stuff because you don’t want to have to take something every day. I wish you would at least try. If not methadone… just try something. 

    I tell you I’m pregnant and getting married and you are in disbelief again. You say my child will have issues and I won’t be able to bond with him. In the same conversation, you get upset because I don’t invite you to my baby shower. My husband doesn’t want us to see each other and I agree with him. You are now dangerous for me and the little life that he and I built together. Perhaps you always were. I imagine you falling asleep or getting high in the bathroom as I open presents.

    I am a different person now and happy about it, a different kind of selfish.

    Two and a half years pass, and you have just gotten out of jail again. I know it won’t be your last time, but I wish it were. You don’t look three years younger than me anymore. We don’t talk on the phone because we don’t have anything to talk about. I know how you feel about the medication I take and that’s okay. I have a family now and a home, and I wish that one day you’ll get to have the same things. I want you to know that the unconditional love that your child has for you is better than the best heroin you’ve ever done. I want you to know that eventually, once you stop using, you can enjoy things again. Sushi is amazing. Sleeping in late is amazing. Not being sick and desperate every morning is amazing, too.

    We might never see each other again but I just wanted you to know that I still think about you and that if you give it a chance, you can find happiness too. You deserve to have a good life, we all do. Just try, okay?

    Your friend always, 

    Mary

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Shia LaBeouf and Alma Har'el's Almost-True "Honey Boy" Tackles Family Alcoholism and PTSD

    Shia LaBeouf and Alma Har'el's Almost-True "Honey Boy" Tackles Family Alcoholism and PTSD

    In rehab, LaBeouf used a flashlight under the covers to write what he was learning about mental illness and alcoholism. These notes evolved into the screenplay for “Honey Boy.”

    Actor Shia LaBeouf, now 33, wrote Honey Boy during his 10-week lockdown in court-ordered treatment, which he nicknamed “head camp.” That was the sentence for his highly-publicized 2017 felony arrest for public drunkenness, obstruction, and disorderly conduct—a charge that could’ve landed him seven years in prison. Since then, much has changed for LaBeouf.

    “I want to thank the police officer who arrested me in Georgia for changing my life”

    This week, only two years post-rehab, the Hollywood Film Awards honored LaBeouf with its Breakthrough Screenwriter prize. Now sober, his acceptance speech was all gratitude, with the first shoutout going to Savannah cop Arthur Bryant:

    “I want to thank the police officer who arrested me in Georgia for changing my life. I want to thank my therapist and my sponsor for saving my life. I want to thank my team for being part of my life and my parents for giving me life.”

    LaBeouf’s mother Shayna Saide, who accompanied her son to the ceremony, teared up during the award speech. Honey Boy is based on a thinly-veiled story about a child actor named Otis Lort—played by Noah Jupe—and his bitter ex-rodeo clown father James Lort, played by LaBeouf. Before LaBeouf’s stay in rehab, he had been estranged from his father Jeffrey for seven years. LaBeouf gives a powerful performance as the elder Lort, a deeply disturbed, bitter alcoholic whose drinking destroyed his marriage, his career, and scarred the psyche of his young son. Yet, these complex characters display an obvious love for each other.

    The screenplay is a slice of LaBeouf’s life. The movie begins with Otis as a preteen, so it doesn’t include earlier scenes such as his parents divorcing when he was only three, nor the violence he witnessed at age nine—overhearing a man raping his mother in another room. In LaBeouf’s last rehab stay (his third), he learned about his PTSD.

    The daring, vulnerable script originated with email correspondence between two close friends. The actor, holed up in a treatment facility, used a flashlight under the covers to write what he was learning about mental illness and the family disease of alcoholism. He shared his innermost thoughts with Alma Har’el, an award-winning Israeli filmmaker he’d first met in 2011 after seeing Har’el’s Bombay Beach, which won Best Documentary at Tribeca Film Festival (TFF) that year.

    Alcoholic Fathers, Jewish Mothers, and Deep Emotional Scars

    They met for dinner and soon found much in common: Both had alcoholic fathers, Jewish mothers, and deep emotional scars. LaBeouf produced Har’el’s second doc, LoveTrue (2016), which also premiered at TFF.

    While LaBeouf was writing about his experiences in treatment, he described painful memories that were surfacing. Har’el recognized the seeds of a cinematic story and encouraged him to keep writing.

    The process of revising the script was a group effort with director Har’el at the helm. The moviemaking team included 12-year-old Jupe, Lucas Hedges as Otis in his 20s, and Byron Bowers as Percy, a kindred spirit for Otis during his rehab stay. LaBeouf and Har’el were open to everyone’s input.

    We reached out to Alma Har’el to find out more.

    How did making your first feature film compare to documentaries?

    AH: This film felt like a documentary even though a large part of Honey Boy was scripted. It was a combination of Shia’s real-life story, his dreams, and adding fiction. Regarding the documentary part, it was very important for me to find out as much as I could about where real events in Shia’s life took place. I spoke with both of his parents to understand as much as I could. His mother Shayna Saide provided so many photos. We used as many as we could in the credit sequence. It was to help bring the story to life as much as was possible.

    How true to Shia LaBeouf’s life was it?

    We were making a film about [the fictional] Otis—not about Shia. Much of the movie was inspired by real-life events and whenever [possible], I wanted to rely on those truths. It was a big help that Shayna, Shia’s mother, was on set with us every day, all day.

    Was his father offended by the portrayal of him?

    I don’t want to speak for him, so I don’t want to say what he felt, but I could say that he sent me a very warm message after he read the script. Then he sent me messages on Facebook almost every day. I think that [brought] good luck on the shoot. When he saw the final film, he was extremely happy for Shia.

    Was it like an AA living amends for him?

    It was. I think it was exactly that in so many ways.

    How do you feel about the use of the word “god” in 12-step programs?

    Yeah, it’s very challenging, but it is, as they say, your higher power, so it’s up to you to define what it is. I think that’s the power of these programs. It is the power of the people that support each other and come back to share things together and find …their own higher power. Much [of it] is a personal journey. [Everyone] has their own terms. But, yeah, I have my challenges with that. That’s been one of my biggest challenges—to find what those destinations are outside of religion. I think gods can be real even if it’s not the god everybody else is praying to. It is certainly about figuring that out for yourself—a personal journey.

    Can you add anything to that?

    Well, it’s like, what is that thing that makes you present? What makes you have faith in something bigger than yourself? Also, the part of Percy was written much more religious at first. It spoke about god-related steps in rehab….When Byron Bowers [was cast] in the role, he rewrote that part for himself so it was based on his own experiences.

    What was it like when you said something but didn’t realize it was a trigger. Did Shia have to take care of himself by taking a walk or was it smoother than that?

    It was a lot more intense than that! We had to deal with very, very intense situations, often on set, but we did it with privacy when we could. We always made sure that Noah, and all of us were feeling safe. I’m very happy that we were all able to … be present.

    Do you mean present for the difficult topics in the script?

    Yes. We all went through these deep feelings and learned so much.

    About each other?

    Yes, and about PTSD. I also feel like our movie could help children of alcoholics [who may be] struggling. We didn’t want to [shy away] or disregard anything.

    Was it cathartic for Shia?

    An exorcism! And not just for him. We let demons come up.

    Noah Jupe said he went into this movie as a child but left as a teenager. Did you see that metamorphosis taking place?

    I’m not a mother so I was really glad his mother was on set with us every day, and Shia’s mother too. They became close allies of mine in directing. We were all very intimate on set, having … intimate discussions about everything. I loved watching Noah’s perceptions and his ability to express himself emotionally and see things in a deeper way. It was happening, but I hadn’t really seen how much he’s grown until we took a break after Sundance. It was obvious then that he’s now a teenager just by the way he walked. He has physically and emotionally grown up so much. It’s so funny when we were sitting together doing the Q&A, some of us teared up when he was talking…from how much he’d grown up and what an amazing young man we were seeing.

    Honey Boy is now in theaters.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Rehab Redemption: Faking It in the Fishbowl

    Rehab Redemption: Faking It in the Fishbowl

    As I shared my experience with the group, I knew that I should be expressing some kind of emotion, but the tears simply refused to come.

    There was a group activity – an exercise – they made us do at the inpatient treatment facility where I ended up because I couldn’t stop drinking. It was called “Fishbowl,” and it required an individual to sit in the center of a large circle of folding chairs and describe something horrible that had happened to them, or some shameful act they’d committed against somebody else. The other addicts and alcoholics would sit in these chairs — the “bowl” — and listen as the “Fish” shared this traumatic event from their past. Without fail, by the time the tale was over, the storyteller and most of the people in the room would be sobbing uncontrollably. 

    Often, the Fish would reach a point mid-story when their emotional response would render them incapable of carrying on. The audience would sit there uncomfortably, waiting to hear how the narrative played out, watching in disappointment as a counselor wrapped the Fish in a tight, one-armed hug while holding a box of tissues up to their tear-streaked and quivering face. And yet, regardless of the tears, and despite the very real prospect of either witnessing or suffering a complete mental breakdown, everyone in the facility — staff and patients alike — absolutely loved doing Fishbowl.

    Get That Shit Out of Your System

    It was a 30-day treatment program, and Fishbowl was conducted on a four-week rotation, meaning that with a little luck, you were able to participate twice during your visit. I had essentially won the lottery by walking into the beginning of an intense Fishbowl session on my very first day at the facility. My peer advisor — a skinny 20-year-old in khakis who was trying to quit heroin — told me as much as he led me away from the reception area and down a hallway that ended at pair of steel double doors. “Fishbowl fucking rules,” he told me. “It feels so good to just get all the shit out of your system!” 

    He cautioned me to be quiet as we entered the lecture hall. The doors opened to reveal a ring of people seated in a circle and segregated by gender along a diametric divide. A few people turned to look as he directed me to an open seat between a middle-aged man with a Wyatt Earp mustache and a teen with a shaved head wearing a tattered blue hoodie. The chairs were pointed inwards towards a young woman who was, to my horror, sobbing and convulsing as she gulped down air and twisted a plastic water bottle in her hands as if wringing a towel. 

    The Fishbowl was my first experience in treatment. Before I’d even been shown to my room, I witnessed a stranger scream through tears about how she’d barely escaped a house fire she’d caused by passing out with a lit cigarette in her hand. Her cat, she bellowed, had died in the blaze.

    The young woman finished her story and the audience members thanked her for sharing while providing a light round of applause. As she walked back to her seat, a stocky man with a buzzcut and the general demeanor of a high school gym coach stood up and asked who would like to be next in the bowl. Instantly, 50 synchronized hands shot into the air and a raucous chorus of “Me! I will! Me! Bryan, pick me!” resounded from the perimeter of the folding chair circle. My peer advisor – Mr. Khaki – was the lucky one chosen, and he clapped in excitement as he trotted to his place in the center of the room. 

    Once seated, he placed his hands in his lap, took a breath, and launched into a story about showing up to a trap house to score drugs and being robbed by a pair of dealers who beat him severely and then forced him into the trunk of their car. They drove around for hours, stopping intermittently to exit the vehicle for brief periods of time before returning and driving off to their next location. Mr. Khaki recounted through barely decipherable sobs how every time the car stopped, he assumed they were about to pop open the trunk lid and kill him. That feeling of powerlessness, he explained, combined with his ever-worsening heroin withdrawals, created a hellish experience of total vulnerability that ultimately set him on his current course to recovery. 

    Eventually they stopped and the trunk opened an inch, as if someone had pulled the release handle inside the cab of the car. He heard the dealers exit the vehicle and assumed the worse, feeling around for anything he could use as a weapon to defend himself. But the men simply walked away, the sound of their voices and footsteps quickly fading into silence. He climbed out of the trunk and took off running. After a few blocks he slowed down and then walked several miles to the house where he lived with his mother. He cleaned himself up, and never reported the incident to the police. When his mom asked about his black eye and the cuts on his face, all he would say is that he wanted to stop using, and that’s what led him to the inpatient treatment center where he was now sharing his story. 

    Mr. Khaki’s traumatic experience clearly resonated with the other members of the group. There was an explosion of thunderous applause, along with shouts of appreciation and encouragement as he accepted a tissue from Bryan and stood up from the chair. He was replaced by a girl who told a story about being abused by an ex-boyfriend — a man who, she told us, was currently undergoing treatment at a different facility. Then the gentleman with the mustache fell to pieces as he recalled missing his daughter’s birthday party because he was passed out drunk behind the wheel of his pickup truck in the woods where he’d go to drink in secret. Bawling and quivering, he choked back sobs as he recounted how he’d regained consciousness in the dead of night, unsure of how to get back to the highway. 

    My Turn in The Fishbowl

    Eventually, Bryan, the linebacker of a counselor who was running the Fishbowl session, turned to me and asked if I’d like to give it a try. “How about it… Jason K.?” He squinted at my adhesive name tag. “Why don’t you tell us something about yourself?”

    “Uh… I’m okay. I’m still getting the hang of things,” I replied, wondering if anyone would try to stop me if I made a run for the exit.

    “What’s your D.O.C.?” Mr. Khaki interjected. I wasn’t sure what he meant. I knew that most of the other people at this facility were here by court order. Was he talking about the Department of Corrections? 

    “Um, I’m actually here voluntarily,” I said. “I checked myself in.”

    “No, your drug of choice,” said Mr. Khaki. 

    “Oh, um, alcohol mainly, but once I get started with that, anything is fair game.” There were murmurs of understanding and acceptance from the other members of the group. 

    “How much clean time do you have?” asked Bryan.

    “I’m two weeks sober today,” I replied. “A week in the detox center, then six days waiting for a bed to open up here.” At this admission, a roar of applause even bigger than the one elicited by Mr. Khaki’s story erupted from the circle.

    “I know you just walked into this, and it probably seems overwhelming, but it’s a great way to start your time here. Get something off your chest.”

    “Yeah,” Mr. Khaki chimed in. “You’re gonna have to do it eventually. Might as well get it out of the way.” Other members of the group were urging me on as well, offering words of encouragement to motivate me into that chair at the center of the room. I felt like they were starving for my trauma. Like everyone was eager to get a taste of the new guy’s emotional pain. 

    “Alright,” I said, to a round of anticipatory cheers. “Fuck it. I’ll go.” 

    The seat was still warm from the cumulative body heat of the last dozen people to sit here and make their confessions. I began rooting around in my brain for something to share, wanting nothing more than to escape through a window and suck down ten cigarettes in rapid succession. I’d chain smoked nearly that many on the sidewalk outside the treatment center just one hour earlier while mustering the courage to propel myself inside. It took everything I had left, courage-wise, to flip through the smoke-damaged photo album of my mind in search of a suitable story to share. 

    The Tears Refused to Come

    Should I tell them about the time I got caught breaking into a bar where I worked? How I was fired, couldn’t pay my rent, and subsequently ended up being evicted? Or the time I was kicked out of a rock show for being too drunk, and when the bouncer led me out the door at the back of the club, I fell down the stairs and landed on my face in the alley below? How a police officer sat me on the curb and held napkins to my nose and mouth until an ex-girlfriend of mine just happened to walk by, and how she took me to her brother’s apartment and cleaned my wounds while sobbing and begging me to go to treatment? And even then, how I refused to stop drinking after one of my teeth became abscessed and my jaw swelled up to the size of a grapefruit, and the doctor told me I might die? Or maybe I could share about the time I stole an acquaintance’s wallet out of his coat pocket as we walked through a crowded bar, then pulled out the cash and threw the rest down a storm drain. About how, when he noticed it was missing, I convinced him he’d left it at the last bar we were at, and even helped him look for it. I had hundreds of stories like these to share, each one a reminder of who I’d become and why I now sat there, frightened and confused in the Fishbowl, hating myself. 

    In the end, I decided to share the story of how my mother deserted my family when I was eight years old. Better to throw her under the bus, I thought, than to expose myself as the world’s biggest piece of human garbage. I began by talking about how she simply disappeared one night while we were sleeping. She’d written a note, explaining that she was too young to be married with kids, and she needed a chance to go live her life. I told the group how my sisters and I went to live with my aunt and uncle until my dad was able to figure out how to proceed in the aftermath of being abandoned by his partner. We ended up moving into my grandmother’s house, where we began the laborious process of rebuilding our lives. We didn’t see mom again for several months, by which point she was drinking pretty heavily.

    As I shared my experience with the group, I knew that I should be expressing some kind of emotion — that I should be bawling my eyes out like everyone else — but the tears simply refused to come. I tried forcing myself to cry by thinking about how I’d ended up here — an emotional phone call to my dad at a time when suicide was starting to look like the most sensible option — but it soon became obvious that my emotional moment wasn’t going to happen. I’d already cried so many tears for her over the course of my life that I now seemed to be tapped out at a moment when they actually might have done me some good. I wanted to fit in, to exhibit the vulnerability that my peers had so fearlessly demonstrated before me, but the best I could do was to put on a show, burying my face in my hands and pseudo-wailing while doubled over in my chair, a pale imitation of the genuine anguish I’d so recently witnessed. 

    My performance was a hard sell to this group of master-level bullshit artists. No applause followed, and no thanks were given. Instead, we all sat there blinking at each other for what felt like a decade before someone finally spoke up. 

    “Okay, that’s enough for today,” Bryan said. “Let’s finish with the serenity prayer.” 

    I stood up and made my way back to the circle, joining hands with Mr. Khaki and the blue hoodie kid. I’d learned the words to the prayer a few years earlier, when a previous landlord — herself a recovering alcoholic — convinced me to attend Alcoholics Anonymous, the implication being that it was the only way to save myself from eviction. I went to a few meetings and learned just enough to convince her I was working the program, but I never actually stopped drinking. She eventually caught on to my scam and kicked me out, but still, the words of the prayer had stayed with me.

    “God,” Bryan began.

    “God,” we echoed, linked by our tobacco-stained fingers around the now-empty folding chair. 

    “Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,” we continued in unison, our words echoing across the high ceiling of the lecture hall. 

    “The courage to change what I can,” we went on, most heads bowed and eyes closed, but not mine… not yet. “And the wisdom to know the difference.”

    “Free time for 30 minutes, then small groups,” said Bryan, prompting the crowd to disperse. Most people went outside to smoke while Mr. Khaki showed me to my room. I expected him to give me shit about my performance, but we walked down the hall in silence until we reached the door marked D402. He showed me around and then left me alone to unpack. I opened the suitcase I’d borrowed from my dad and started taking out the clothes he’d purchased for me just before dropping me off at the bus station. I placed a pair of flannel pajama pants in a drawer with the price tag still attached to the waistband. Then a package of white t-shirts, and socks, and toiletries that we’d shopped for with the enthusiasm of preparing for the first day of school. Rehab and kindergarten were similar for me in that way; the excitement of a new beginning, combined with a sense of absolute, bowel-clenching terror. And finally, at the bottom of the bag was a carton of cigarettes — Camel Lights — with a note taped to the front: 

    You got this, boy
    Love, Dad.

    That’s when I started to cry. 

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Bam Margera Talks to Dr. Phil About Problems, 'Self-Medicating'

    Bam Margera Talks to Dr. Phil About Problems, 'Self-Medicating'

    Jackass star Bam Margera appeared on Dr. Phil to talk about his recent troubles, including his drinking problem.

    Former Jackass star Bam Margera appeared on the season premiere of Dr. Phil on Monday (Sept. 9) to talk about his battles with substance use after his cry for help last month. 

    On the episode, which was filmed on August 5, Margera talked about how his drinking escalated when he started filming Jackass, according to People.

    “If you’re a professional skateboarder, you can’t drink,” he said in a clip from the show. “You need the balance of being on a handrail. I never drank until I was like 22. I never tried drugs until I was like 24.”

    However, the outrageous stunts on Jackass left Margera turning to alcohol for liquid courage and pain management. 

    “When you try a skateboard trick, you’re supposed to land it and ride away,” he said. On Jackass, the stunts were set up to fail. “You’re not going to land it. You’re going to eat shit no matter what. Give me a few shots of tequila and okay, I’m feeling pretty numb. Mission accomplished.”

    When Drinking Became a Problem

    Margera, 38, said that he knew he had a problem when he needed to drink a beer every morning. 

    “Before, it was a fun party, let’s get all messed up and go do some crazy stuff,” he said. “Then it came to the point where I felt so terrible in the morning that I knew if I instantly would crack open a beer I would feel better. Then if I had another beer I would feel normal. Then, now that I feel normal I’ll have another and have a little buzz on, so by the end of the day you’re pretty much toasted.”

    His drinking became even worse when his Jackass costar Ryan Dunn died in a car accident in 2011.

    “After Ryan Dunn died that really exacerbated the alcohol,” Margera’s mother April said on the show. “He almost uses Ryan’s death as a big excuse to behave badly.”

    Margera didn’t dispute that — he said that Dunn’s death made him question his life.

    Repairing His Family Life

    However, he said he reached out to Dr. Phil in hopes of getting help for his whole family, including his mother April and his wife Nikki. “My family’s in shambles,” Margera said. 

    However, Margera said that his son, Phoenix Wolf, keeps him going. 

    “He is the raddest kid ever,” Margera said, becoming emotional. “He’s so interested in skateboarding. I have all these toys everywhere and he goes right to the skateboard. He’s like my best friend and I’ve only known him two years.”

    Dr. Phil responded, “You’d die for him, but the question is will you live for him?”

    After the show filmed in early August, Margera spent the month in and out of rehabs. It’s not clear whether he’s sober at the moment.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Drinking in Japan

    Drinking in Japan

    Japan was never the problem: it had been me all along! That realization led to an important discovery about my relationship with alcohol.

    People’s alcoholism evolves in many ways: some folks know by the time they’re 13 that they have a problem with alcohol, some learn in college, others later in life. I happened to be one of the latter ones; my alcoholism reared its ugly head in my early thirties. 

    I’d gone to Japan to work as a dancer, and later became married to a Japanese man. He was never home and I became so abjectly lonely, I’d hit the ex-pat bars for company, partying with rock stars, movie stars, baseball stars, businessmen, students, teachers, models, people from many different countries. It was a good time. But I didn’t drink much. 

    Then, one day, this raucously drunk girl (who came from some posh ivy league university and was teaching English in some elitist student exchange program), ranted about how much she and her pals hated what they called Prison Japan, then began dumping on Californians, calling us flaky, shallow people. I was so mad, I was ready to walk out the door. When she saw my subtle rage, she tried to assuage me.

    “Oh, c’mon Margaret, we were just joking, here, sit down again.” Then she said: “Hey, how come you never get drunk? That’s probably why you seem depressed. Maybe if you got drunk with us, you’d have more fun.” 

    Why Not Drink?

    Since this was a novel idea, I thought, Why the hell not? I never get drunk, lose control. Maybe if I’m drunk, this whole convo won’t seem so bad.

    So I began drinking, shot after shot, about six in a 45-minute span. All of a sudden, a certain undeniable warmth and euphoria shot through my body; I felt so carefree, so happy! I got so lively I found myself on the bar doing an imitation of Mikael Baryshnikov’s drunken-albeit-perfect tap-dancing number in the film Casanova. Yes, I felt indestructible and over-confident, sure my performance was almost as good as Baryshnikov’s. And the crowd went wild! Suddenly, I was part of the group. And it felt so damn good.

    I had no idea until that night that drinking prodigious amounts of alcohol could turn me into a fun-loving party girl. I decided right then and there that I ought to get drunk anytime I went out. Nightclubbing while drinking moderately was fun, but nothing compared to the euphoria and freedom heavy drinking bought me.

    I also discovered alcohol was my conduit to bonding with the Japanese, to really forming a connection with them. Their stalwart façade, worn throughout the day, would melt and they‘d become lighthearted or sentimental, sometimes bellicose; pretty much behaving like anyone who has had a little too much to drink.

    I never saw Japanese men get in bar fights—with the exception of the Yakuza, Japanese mafia. When Yakuza drank, they could become fearlessly aggressive; shocking violence could be unleashed abruptly, anywhere, anytime. Once I witnessed a Yakuza break a bottle and cut his girlfriend’s face. A vermilion stripe ran down her cheek, yet no one got up to help her. I learned later that the public was afraid to do anything for fear of repercussions! The only help she got was from a waiter who brought her a towel to stop the bleeding. She continued to stay by her boyfriend’s side, towel to cheek, looking down. I tried to help her, but got pushed back by management, telling me “Damena, dekinani, No, no, no, danger; you can’t go over there.” 

    Progressive Disease

    After some time passed, I noticed my drinking was getting progressively worse. Now I was consuming about 20 beers when I drank. The hangovers were staggeringly hideous. And they made me deeply depressed; alcohol is a depressant and I had a predilection toward depression anyway. It bothered me so much, I knew I had to quit. The hangovers were interfering with my relationship with my husband, my Japanese language studies, and my interactions with others. I so wanted to moderate. I’d even pray to the big Buddha in the park before going out, “Please, please watch over me. Don’t let me get drunk.”

    It didn’t work. Hard as I tried, I just couldn’t stop drinking excessively.

    I convinced myself that it was the loneliness of living in Japan that was driving me to drink. I was positive that once I got back to America, my drinking problem would sort itself out. Wrong. It remained intractably intact, I was getting stupefyingly drunk at least three to four times a week; one day to nurse a hangover, and the following day right back at it. 

    I eventually learned how to moderate, which gave me the proof I so desperately wanted: I was no longer an alcoholic. I was able to successfully drink casually and not to excess for about seven years. Then, out of nowhere, I got fired from a really boring dumb job. Inexplicably, I took it very hard. I decided it was high time to cut loose: drink away my disappointments and my feelings of inadequacy, and finally throw in the towel on this thing called life. I’d let it all hang out and drink as much as I wanted.

    Well, what I thought might be a two-day bender turned into a two-year bender. I spent most of my time on the couch passed out, at the liquor store, in rehabs, jails, or hospitals. I was up to two fifths a day, drinking more than ever. Hey, I’d given up on life, surrendered to King Alcohol . . . Why even try to moderate?

    I also was anti-AA. I’d convinced myself it was a cult and refused to go. But looking back now, I realize the real reason was that I was too prideful to have to admit to the group relapse after relapse. Finally, at my wit’s end, I went to an African American Christian rehab. I ended up staying there for six months. 

    This rehab didn’t mess around. It was lockdown and you weren’t allowed to go anywhere without staff present. And it did the trick: I lost my taste for alcohol and stayed sober for five years. But I still wouldn’t go to AA.

    Then, when I once again resumed my egregious drinking habits, my husband gave me an ultimatum: “Go to AA or I’m divorcing you.” I was shocked he’d say that because he was a normie and thought AA slightly freakish. But I got the message, and I believed him. So instead of going to the 7/11 at 5:59 to buy beer, I went to a meeting. 

    And this time AA worked for me. It’s amazing how my idea of AA as a cult evaporated the minute I really needed to stop drinking. I’m now sober three years, and with the help of AA I’ve become a better, happier person. 

    Everywhere I Go, There I Am

    I learned in the end that geographics don’t help—once you’ve become an alcoholic. Japan was never the problem: it had been me all along! That realization led to an important discovery: Alcoholism may be triggered by certain life events, but once you got it, you got it, and sometimes you need a lot more help than just moving away.

    Check out Maggie’s new Memoir Hangovers in Japan by Samari Shelby (pen name).

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Everything You Need to Know About Oxymorphone Hydrochloride Addiction Treatment

    Everything You Need to Know About Oxymorphone Hydrochloride Addiction Treatment

    Read our treatment guide to find help for oxymorphone hydrochloride addiction.

    Table of Contents

    1. What Is Oxymorphone Hydrochloride and How is it Used?
    2. Development of Opana Dependence
    3. The First Step Back From Addiction
    4. Outpatient Vs. Inpatient Care
    5. Effective Opana Care Plans
    6. Identify the Best Oxymorphone Programs

    Suffering from the addicted use of oxymorphone hydrochloride? Let this article serve as the beginning of your journey toward a sustainable recovery. With the right information in hand, you can wade through a sea of rehab treatment choices and find something that fits your unique circumstances. In this way, you can increase your odds for success. And you can increase those odds even further by finding a rehab that excels in all areas and provides the most effective care possible.

    What Is Oxymorphone Hydrochloride and How is it Used?

    Oxymorphone hydrochloride (oxymorphone HCL) is the generic name of a prescription opioid (or opiate) painkiller called Opana. The same opiate also goes by names that include oxymorphone and 14-hydroxydihydroymorphinone. The manufacturer of Opana also once sold a related product called Opana ER. However, Opana ER and similar ER oxymorphone products are no longer on the market in the U.S. In the 2010s, the use of oxymorphone hydrochloride has become increasingly widespread.

    Opana comes in the form of a tablet and is available in a range of dose strengths. Doctors use it to treat moderate to severe pain symptoms. However, to receive it, you must have failed to gain adequate relief from other, less powerful medications. Like oxycodone (OxyContin), morphine and other opioid medications, oxymorphone hydrochloride produces its pain-relieving benefits by altering normal function in your brain and spinal cord (i.e., your CNS or central nervous system). Specifically, opiates change the way signals from your body’s pain receptors are interpreted by your CNS.

    Oxymorphone, morphine, oxycodone and other opiates also have additional effects. First, they reduce the speed of communication between your nerve cells and slow your system down. Any substance capable of having this effect is known as a CNS depressant. The slowdown in your nervous system creates a sense of sedation. At the same time, it decreases normal function in your respiratory and cardiovascular (heart and blood vessel) systems. In addition, opioids trigger a large increase in your brain’s output of its pleasure-producing chemicals.

    Opioids are more formally known as opioid or opiate agonists. Opana, OxyContin, morphine and a variety of other powerful opioid agonists belong to a group of controlled substances that the federal government designates as Schedule II. All substances in this category have a legitimate medical purpose. However, they also carry a major potential for harm in the form of substance abuse and addictive patterns of intake.

    Schedule II medications also share the ability to depress your CNS so far that it can fail to keep up an adequate level of activity. This kind of problem usually happens in people who consume excessive amounts of medication.

    Even when used in prescribed amounts, oxymorphone hydrochloride can produce notable side effects. Some of these side effects are only serious when they impact you severely or linger instead of disappearing. Others are always viewed as serious and call for immediate notification of your doctor.

    Symptoms/side effects that only raise concern when severe or lingering include skin flushing, heavy sweating, headaches, a rapid heartbeat, confusion, anxiety, gas and swelling or pain in your stomach. Symptoms/side effects always classified as serious include an irregular heartbeat, fainting, intense sleepiness, changes in your normal sexual performance and any indication of an allergic reaction (e.g., hives, rash or facial swelling). Women who take the medication on a regular basis during pregnancy may give birth to children who develop severe symptoms of opioid withdrawal.

    Besides Opana and discontinued Opana ER, no brand-name medications on the U.S. market contain oxymorphone hydrochloride as their active ingredient. However, generic forms of the opiate are readily available. Whether generic or branded, oxymorphone has a number of known slang terms or street names among illicit users. Examples of these names include:

    • Mrs. O
    • Blues
    • New Blues
    • Pink
    • Pink O
    • The O Bomb
    • Pink Lady
    • Pink Heaven
    • Blue Heaven
    • OM
    • Oranges
    • Octagons
    • Stop Signs

    The Potential for Overdose

    Like other Schedule II opioid agonists, oxymorphone can easily serve as the source of an unintentional or intentional prescription drug overdose. Slowed heart rate and slowed or labored breathing (i.e. respiratory depression) are two of the most common indicators of this serious medical emergency. Other symptoms you may experience include:

    • Complete loss of normal muscle tone
    • Changes in your normal pupil size (too wide or too narrow)
    • Significant blood pressure decreases
    • Extreme sleepiness that eventually leaves you in an unresponsive stupor
    • Unusually clammy skin
    • Unusually cold skin
    • Fingernails, lips or skin with a bluish tint
    • Loss of consciousness that may or may not lead to a coma
    • Cardiac arrest (full shutdown of your heart function)
    • Respiratory arrest (full shutdown of your lung function)

    An overdose can potentially be triggered by even physician-approved use of oxymorphone. However, you stand a much higher chance of experiencing this life-threatening problem if you don’t follow your doctor’s orders or take the medication without a doctor’s knowledge. You can fail to follow the terms of your prescription by taking too much Opana in single doses or taking it too often. Some people increase their risks even further by combining these two types of medication misuse.

    If you’re 66 years or older, you have higher overdose risks regardless of any other factors. The same fact holds true if you mix Opana with another CNS depressant like benzodiazepine or alcohol. The presence of specific health issues may also make and overdose scenario more likely to occur.

    Development of Opana Dependence

    If you take oxymorphone hydrochloride or any other opioid painkiller for more than a few days or weeks, you can develop a case of physical and psychological dependence. This is the term used to describe a chemical and physical change in your brain that makes you feel reliant on your medication to feel functional or “normal.”

    The main indicator of a dependent state is the appearance of Opana withdrawal symptoms if your blood levels of the medication drop below your brain’s expectations. Think of these symptoms as an alarm bell sent by your brain to warn you that you haven’t fulfilled its now-established need for opioids.

    Regardless of the medication or drug responsible for dependence, opiate withdrawal follows the same general course. When oxymorphone consumption first falls below expected levels, you can develop symptoms such as muscle aches, frequent or excessive yawning, sleeplessness, anxiousness and runny nose. When blood levels of the medication fall even further, additional symptoms begin to make themselves known. 

    In addition to nausea and vomiting, potential problems at this stage include goose flesh, pupil dilation, diarrhea and cramps that affect your stomach or abdomen.

    Because people addicted to opioids can also go through withdrawal, dependence on these substances is sometimes confused with addiction. However, there are clear differences between the two states. First, dependence is a medically manageable condition that affects a large percentage of people who take Opana and other opiates long-term. With proper oversight, it does not lead to notable life disruptions. In contrast, no one can “manage” the profound life dysfunction that tends to characterize addiction. The brain effects of opiate dependence and addiction also apparently differ. Specifically, dependence alters brain regions other than those altered by addiction.

    Development of Opana Addiction

    If not well-managed by a doctor, oxymorphone dependence can set the stage for addiction, even if you don’t abuse your medication. Despite this fact, most cases of oxymorphone addiction develop as a result of some type of abuse. The abuse category includes any form of excessive intake that occurs among people who hold legitimate Opana prescriptions. It also includes any level of intake by someone who hasn’t received official permission from a doctor.

    Possible Problems in Affected Users

    Serious, non-addicted oxymorphone abuse and oxymorphone addiction are not treated as separate issues by doctors and public health experts. Instead, they’re viewed as connected — and often overlapping — problems. Together, these problems fall under the common framework of a single disease called opioid use disorder (OUD). If you’re not addicted, but still abuse Opana, your OUD symptoms may include:

    • Keeping up a pattern of Opana abuse or oxymorphone abuse even if you realize that it damages or interferes with your main relationships
    • Keeping up a level of Opana abuse or oxymorphone abuse that degrades your ability to meet commitments in any key area of your daily life
    • Consuming Opana repeatedly in situations where its effects can lead to injuries in others or in yourself

    If you’re addicted to oxymorphone HCL, your OUD symptoms may include:

    • Intense urges for the medication when you’re not actively using it
    • A habitual tendency to abuse Opana
    • Rising tolerance that leads to increasing levels of consumption in order to feel the medication’s expected effects
    • A repeated inability to set limits on the amount of medication that you habitually consume
    • A pattern of intake that you can’t change despite knowing that it causes you to suffer mentally or physically
    • Opana withdrawal symptoms like those associated with dependent, non-addicted oxymorphone consumption
    • The establishment of a lifestyle that’s geared toward supporting your Opana abuse (including the need for recovery time after bouts of excessive intake)

    As the definition of OUD indicates, you may experience a mixture of problems related to both Opana addiction and non-addicted oxymorphone abuse. On the other hand, you may experience problems that only fall into one of these two areas.

    When assessing you for OUD, a doctor or addiction specialist will want to determine just how seriously you’ve been affected. The disease is considered mild if it only produces two or three symptoms in 12 months’ time. Four or five symptoms in the same timespan will result in a diagnosis of moderate opioid use disorder, while severe cases involve six or more symptoms.

    The First Step Back From Addiction

    No one can recover from an Opana addiction without going through an initial stage commonly known as detox. Detox gets its name because it’s a period of detoxification that allows the levels of an abused substance in your bloodstream to drop steadily over time. Simultaneously, the process serves as an endpoint for your addictive pattern of substance intake.

    While you can go through detox without any professional assistance or oversight, no addiction specialist would ever recommend that you do so. Instead, all experts in the field ask you to seek help in the form of a supervised detoxification program. There are several underlying explanations for this strong, universal recommendation.

    One of the biggest arguments in favor of seeking professional help is avoidance of the “cold turkey” approach to detox. This is a common nickname for the decision to bring your Opana/opioid consumption to a complete, abrupt halt. You should avoid going cold turkey for one simple reason: When you rapidly cut off your medication intake, you can go into withdrawal in just a few hours. Depending on the extent of your Opana addiction, this action may lead to overpowering withdrawal symptoms that push you beyond your ability to cope. And if this occurs, a relapse may be waiting right around the corner.

    Depending on how far you progress in detox before abandoning your efforts, you may then have to deal with perhaps a greater threat to your health: an overdose. In fact, relapses are a notorious overdose risk for all people in opioid recovery. That’s true because detox will make you less tolerant to the effects of oxymorphone HCL and other related substances. In what is unfortunately a common scenario, your reduced tolerance can bring about a life-threatening toxic reaction if you try to consume the same amount of medication as you did before entering detox.

    In a supervised and monitored medical environment, you can sidestep every one of these serious problems. Doctors and other support staff will not only provide protection by frequently assessing your condition; they will also be on-hand to tackle any unexpected health issues you may develop. And if you experience any severe Opana withdrawal symptoms, doctors can use a new medication, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, to lower their intensity to a tolerable level. In case of a relapse, this same level of focused medical attention will help you reestablish your recovery and keep your overdose risks as low as possible.

    In addition to strongly recommending that you enroll in supervised detox, all addiction 

    experts recommend that all participants continue onward to enrollment in a substance treatment program. In this area, participation in supervised detoxification is also superior to any attempts to detox on your own. That’s true because supervised detoxification prepares you for follow-up treatment. Instead of entering a strange and unknown environment, you’ll have a good idea of what to expect as you take your next steps toward sobriety.

    Outpatient Vs. Inpatient Care

    The vast majority of people who enter rehab after stabilizing their condition in medical detox go straight to enrollment in an outpatient or inpatient treatment program. (People with severe health issues and/or severe Opana addiction symptoms may instead start this phase of recovery with a temporary hospitalization.) Since it’s a stay-at-home approach, outpatient care only requires you to make regular visits to the main facility. During those visits, you’ll get treated, undergo progress checks and receive any necessary updates to your existing care plan. Intended for certain mild cases of oxymorphone-related OUD, outpatient treatment maximizes your personal flexibility and scheduling.

    Despite the conveniences provided by outpatient care, the most effective model for oxymorphone addiction treatment is generally inpatient care. Designed mainly for moderate and severe cases of OUD, inpatient rehab programs require you to begin living at a residential facility and remain there while you receive help. This increased level of oversight makes it easier to stay the course and avoid any setbacks in your developing recovery. It also makes it easier to get your rehab care plan updated when you make progress or your circumstances otherwise change.

    If you’re affected by a major, concurrent (i.e., simultaneous) mental illness such as depression or a schizophrenic disorder, you may need to enroll in inpatient treatment even if you only have mild OUD symptoms. This recommendation is common, since mental illness complicates the steps needed to provide you with appropriate care. In addition, mildly affected individuals may choose inpatient care for a range of other reasons.

    Effective Opana Care Plans

    In the 21st century, there’s major consensus on the best methods of treating opioid use disorder. The proven model of treatment includes two, mutually supporting approaches: behavioral psychotherapy and medication. Each of these approaches delivers its own specific benefits to rehab program participants.

    Behavioral therapy is the umbrella term for a diverse range of non-medication-based options that help you change how you think and act both during and after addiction treatment. In turn, these changes will help you establish and maintain a lifestyle built around long-term sobriety. Therapies known to produce results in Opana addiction recovery include:

    • 12-step facilitation
    • Motivational interviewing
    • Contingency management
    • Community reinforcement approach (CRA) plus vouchers
    • Family behavior therapy

    When combined with other forms of treatment, 12-step facilitation increases the odds you will add enrollment in a self-help group to your recovery agenda. In turn, participation in this kind of group gives you a sobriety-promoting peer group and helps you steer clear of relapses. When used early on in treatment, motivational interviewing helps you resolve any internal conflicts that hold you back from full participation.

    Contingency management and CRA plus vouchers have similar objectives. By giving you some kind of reward when you remain sober and meet other rehab program goals, they make it more likely you will make progress while undergoing treatment. Conducted with close family members in attendance, family behavior therapy helps you get at the roots of any issue in your home life that makes you more likely to abuse oxymorphone HCL.

    Used separately, buprenorphine and methadone are the primary medication options for people with OUD. Like Opana itself, both of these medications are opioid agonists. However, in a structured treatment program, their use is both beneficial and proven not to get you “high” or support any further involvement in medication abuse. Methadone is more powerful than buprenorphine. Still, either option provides the same basic advantages, whether used short-term or as part of a long-term program of opioid maintenance.

    Unlike the opioid agonists methadone and buprenorphine, the third medication option — naltrexone — is an opioid antagonist. This means that it fights against the presence of opiates in your body and brain, and stops you from experiencing the effects that often support oxymorphone hydrochloride addiction. As a rule, you won’t receive this medication unless no opioids remain in your system. This is a safety precaution that prevents the possibility of naltrexone triggering immediate Opana withdrawal symptoms.

    Identify the Best Oxymorphone Programs

    Given the extent of the opioid crisis taking place across America, it’s not surprising that a seemingly endless variety of rehab facilities offer treatment for people affected by OUD. On one level, this wide selection offers you plenty of choice, no matter the severity of your symptoms. However, on another level, the sheer abundance of rehab programs can make it difficult to find something that suits your specific needs.

    You can cut through all of the clutter and find what you need if you focus on a few core points. First, any rehab program worth even minimal consideration must offer services that uphold the standard of care established by the nation’s leading experts. Whatever the precise details of your treatment, that standard always includes some mixture of therapy and medication. Be aware that not all rehab programs will meet even this basic requirement. In addition, many programs fail to hire licensed, accredited personnel who have first-hand expertise in administering appropriate care.

    If you place a call to any of the rehab facilities on your short list of likely options, you should receive help in the form of clear information and prompt answers to your questions. Look for the same clarity and level of helpfulness on any websites that you examine. Whether you call or check on the web, you should hear or see some mention of a detailed intake assessment for all new patients enrolling in treatment. Such an assessment is vital to determining next steps in your care, and cannot be skipped or omitted.

    If your personal circumstances permit, you can boost your odds at rehab treatment success by focusing on the top tier of opiate recovery programs. At this level of care, you can expect more than standard plans administered by skilled, experienced professionals. In addition to these essentials, look for holistic options that round out the main rehab program and help make sure you receive personalized, customized attention. Specific options available to you may include things such as advanced addiction therapies and art or movement therapy courses.

    Wherever you decide to go for rehab treatment, just remember that the goal — freedom from a damaging, addictive lifestyle — never changes. With wise choices and hard work, recovery is surely within your grasp.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Luxury Rehab Guide for Xtampza ER Addiction

    Luxury Rehab Guide for Xtampza ER Addiction

    We can help you find the best luxury XTampza ER rehab.

    Table of Contents

    1. What is Xtampza ER and What is it Used For?
    2. Can the Xtampza ER Tamperproof Formula Prevent Addiction?
    3. How Xtampza ER Works in the Brain
    4. Xtampza ER Addiction Symptoms and Side Effects
    5. The Risks of Xtampza ER Overdose
    6. Diagnosing Xtampza ER Addiction
    7. Xtampza ER Withdrawal and Detox
    8. Medication-Assisted Treatment for Xtampza ER Withdrawal
    9. Xtampza ER Addiction Co-occurring Disorders
    10. Xtampza ER Addiction Treatment Programs
    11. Finding the Right Xtampza ER Rehab Center for You

    It takes hard work and a determined attitude to defeat any type of drug addiction. But narcotic painkiller dependency can be especially difficult to overcome. Consequently, people who develop an addiction to Xtampza ER should seek professional help from trained addiction specialists.

    There are excellent Xtampza ER rehab facilities located across the country, offering addiction treatment services with a proven track record of success. When you find the right Xtampza ER rehab, their experts can help you regain your sobriety and improve your physical, mental and emotional health. 

    What is Xtampza ER and What is it Used For?

    Xtampza ER is the brand name for an extended-release version of oxycodone, a potent painkiller in the opioid class. Oxycodone is a medication prescribed for moderate to severe chronic pain. Xtampza ER was specifically created to help people whose pain is significant and experienced on a 24-hour basis. 

    Extended release means that Xtampza ER delivers oxycodone gradually, in carefully controlled mini-doses. Each Xtampza ER capsule is engineered to release a steady supply of oxycodone for up to 12 hours. The medication should be taken twice daily, to make sure it works around the clock. 

    Xtampza ER is considered a drug of last resort. This means it should only be given if alternative methods of pain control are not practical or effective. The reason why doctors only prescribe it when other options aren’t available is because it is addictive. 

    All opioid medications are potentially addictive, if taken for a long time or in large amounts. In addition to their painkilling effects they also cause mild-to-moderate euphoria, and that is what traps so many people.

    Xtampza ER prescriptions normally limit users to 72 milligrams per day, or 36 milligrams per dose. If you limit your consumption to this level, you should be safe. But if you use more Xtampza ER than this, your risk for Xtampza ER dependence will skyrocket. 

    For those who suffer from long-term, chronic pain, the temptation to misuse this medication is very real. Opioids of all types are highly effective at reducing pain, and that is what lures people into abuse. Still others take Xtampza ER and other opioids because they like the feelings of euphoria and relaxation that the drug produces. 

    Either way, using Xtampza ER in ways that are inconsistent with a prescription is playing with fire. 

    Can the Xtampza ER Tamperproof Formula Prevent Addiction?

    One unique aspect of Xtampza ER is its resistance to tampering and abuse. Many people who misuse oxycodone will crush the tablets or capsules and snort them or inject them. This delivers a concentrated dose of the drug directly into the bloodstream, which amplifies the oxycodone high.

    This can be a problem with conventional extended-release oxycodone formulations. But Xtampza ER is manufactured differently. It is comprised of crushproof microspheres that contain tiny doses of oxycodone in powder form. These microspheres are too strong to be smashed open and will only release their medication as they dissolve in the stomach. 

    In this case, extended release performance is guaranteed.

    The manufacturer of Xtampza ER, Collegium Pharmaceuticals, has patented their method for producing tamper-proof, extended-release oxycodone under the name DETERx. It represents a true breakthrough in the ongoing efforts to combat oxycodone and prescription opioid abuse. If recreational users and oxycodone addicts attempt to crush Xtampza ER and use it for a quick high, they will be frustrated and disappointed. 

    But the tamperproof formula of Xtampza ER only makes it harder to abuse. It does not eliminate the risk of Xtampza ER addiction. 

    People who want larger doses of this drug can simply take more of it. They can double, triple or quadruple the normal dosage to get a stronger painkilling and euphoric effect. It may not deliver a rapid high if used in this way, but it will satisfy your cravings if you’ve developed Xtampza ER dependence.

    Top-quality addiction treatment centers do provide Xtampza ER rehab services, because they know this drug is addictive and can cause enormous problems for people who abuse it. If you’ve been misusing Xtampza ER, thinking it’s safe because of its extended release formula, you could be setting yourself up for a fall. An Xtampza ER rehab facility can help you recover your sobriety, and a failure to ask for help could end up costing you dearly. 

    How Xtampza ER Works in the Brain

    The human brain contains a dense network of natural (endogenous) opioid receptors. Their role is to relieve pain and to promote feelings of calm and relaxation, eliminating panic and anxiety that can make your suffering worse. 

    When you experience pain, your body can produce its own opioids that bind with these receptors. This triggers a natural analgesic (painkilling) response. Their presence also spurs the brain to release ample quantities of dopamine, a neurochemical that causes feelings of happiness and exhilaration. 

    Opioid painkillers can bind with these receptors as well. When pain is severe, endogenous opioid production may be inadequate to the task, and that is when powerful medications like oxycodone can be especially helpful. Opioid medications stimulate robust activity when they bind with opioid receptors, and that is why they bring so much relief to those who use them for pain. They also produce stronger feelings of relaxation and euphoria than natural opioids, which makes them attractive to recreational drug users. 

    Unfortunately, the benefits of Xtampza ER come with a price. Frequent overstimulation of opioid receptors from Xtampza ER use will cause a gradual loss of sensitivity. This means the receptors will react less vigorously when the medication is present. Xtampza ER abuse causes an increase in tolerance for the drug’s effects, forcing you to use more of it to achieve the same effects. 

    Another consequence of Xtampza ER abuse is that interferes with your brain’s capacity to produce dopamine, the pleasure chemical that floods the brain when you first start misusing opioids. Over time, you come to depend on the dopamine to make you feel happier and less anxious. But when your brain struggles to produce enough, it can push you into compulsive drug-taking. This is another aspect of growing tolerance for Xtampza ER and a reason why increased tolerance can lead you deeper into addiction. 

    Using too much of this medication for too long will prevent your brain from functioning properly. Xtampza ER addiction will be the final result, and at that point Xtampza ER rehab may be your only true hope for recovery. 

    How Xtampza ER Addiction Develops

    The origin of Xtampza ER abuse can be found in unwise behavioral choices. No one intends to become addicted to Xtampza ER, but even extended release versions of oxycodone can produce dependency when they are used incorrectly or recklessly.

    There are four primary ways that people become addicted to Xtampza ER:

    #1 Overuse following a prescription

    Physicians carefully customize dosages of Xtampza ER and other opioid painkillers to make sure they’re taken in safe amounts. In fact, the whole point of the extended-release formula is to give patients adequate quantities of painkiller without flooding their system. But when you suffer from chronic, severe pain, the temptation to overuse any medication that brings relief is strong. 

    When you have pain in excess of what Xtampza ER in normal doses can handle, the proper course of action is to talk with your doctor to explore alternatives. Taking more of the drug on your own is a form of Xtampza ER abuse and will not keep you safe in the long-term. 

    #2 Self-medicating behavior

    Oxycodone is a well-known painkiller in all of its formulations. Consequently, many people suffering from persistent or severe pain will use it even without a prescription. 

    Regardless of the circumstances, this type of self-medicating behavior is dangerous, no matter how careful you plan to be. Self-medicating with opioids is inherently hazardous and should be avoided, even if the drug being abused comes in an extended-release formula. Xtampza ER is a relatively safe medication if used with restraint, but is highly addictive if used otherwise.

    #3 Recreational Xtampza ER abuse

    Oxycodone products like Xtampza ER can produce pleasant side effects. They can make you feel calmer and more relaxed and produce bursts of joyful emotions. In general, the more oxycodone you take, the more intense its euphoric effects, and that is why some people abuse it as a way to get high.

    There is a thriving black market for opioid medications of all types. If you purchase Xtampza ER from illicit sources, you may hear it referred to by a number of street or slang names. These may include:

    • Oxy 80
    • Oxycat
    • Schoolboy
    • Loads
    • Hillbilly Heroin
    • Goodfella
    • Juice
    • Dillies
    • Apache
    • Dance Fever
    • Tango and Cash
    • Doors and Fours
    • Murder 8
    • White Stuff
    • Dummies
    • China White
    • Friend
    • Jackpot
    • TNT

    If you’re getting your opioids from an illicit source, anything you purchase and consume could lead you into addiction. Recreational use of opioids is always a form of drug abuse, whether you realize it or not.

    #4 Mixing with other drugs, including other opioids

    One additional complication with recreational use is that opioids are often mixed with other drugs.

    Xtampza ER is a central nervous system depressant, which means its impact will be increased if it is combined with other depressants like alcohol or benzodiazepines. Conversely, people who’ve been using the drug too often or in heavy quantities may feel overwhelmed by Xtampza ER side effects. To compensate, they may consume stimulants like cocaine or methamphetamine.

    As you can imagine, this type of behavior is extremely dangerous. Escalating your drug use increases the odds of addiction and puts you at grave risk for a drug overdose. It can make your Xtampza ER addiction more difficult to treat, since you may have become dependent on multiple substances, all of which you’ll need to stop using to achieve sobriety. 

    If you mix Xtampza ER with other opioids, this behavior can lead to Xtampza ER addiction quite rapidly. 

    The opioid receptors in your brain will bind with opioids interchangeably. It recognizes no difference between these drugs. This means you can satisfy your Xtampza ER cravings by taking any kind of opioid, including fentanyl, hydrocodone, other oxycodone products or heroin. 

    Mixing opioids can put you on a collision course with serious Xtampza ER dependence. If you’ve been abusing multiple opioids, that is a sure sign you have a problem and need to seek out Xtampza ER rehab services immediately. Given how deadly opioids can be if misused, you cannot afford to take any chances.

    Xtampza ER Addiction Symptoms and Side Effects

    It is common for people who use this medication to experience side effects. Xtampza ER side effects are typically mild and unlikely to cause serious discomfort—if Xtampza ER doses remain within the normal range. 

    But with continued misuse, Xtampza ER side effects may transform into true Xtampza ER addiction symptoms. These symptoms will have a negative impact on your life and make it harder for you to function. They are warning signs of trouble and should not be ignored.

    Your descent into Xtampza ER dependence may be too gradual for you to identify or acknowledge. But the symptoms that reveal the truth will be evident after enough time has passed and your Xtampza ER addiction has deepened.

    Common Xtampza ER addiction symptoms include: 

    • Chronic drowsiness, during the day as well as at night
    • Constant fatigue
    • Muscle weakness
    • Disruptions in normal sleeping patterns (i.e., nighttime insomnia, sleeping late, falling asleep during the day, etc.) 
    • Nausea and vomiting
    • Dry mouth
    • Itchy skin
    • Slow heart rate
    • Loss of appetite
    • Respiratory difficulties (shallow breathing)
    • Constipation
    • Mental confusion
    • Memory loss
    • Sudden mood swings
    • Poor coordination
    • Low blood pressure
    • Slower-than-normal reflexes or reaction times

    All of these Xtampza ER addiction side effects are consistent with the overuse and abuse of central nervous system depressants. Such symptoms could be made worse by the use of alcohol, other opioids or benzodiazepines. Mixing these substances with oxycodone will only act to slow nervous system activity even further.

    If no action is taken to prevent the progress of your Xtampza ER addiction, these symptoms will only worsen. The only antidote to Xtampza ER dependence is to stop taking this drug and other opioids, entirely. This can be hard to do on your own and possibly even hazardous to your health, which is why you should enter an Xtampza ER rehab facility where your withdrawal can be managed safely.

    The Risks of Xtampza ER Overdose

    If you don’t seek treatment for your Xtampza ER addiction, you may pay the ultimate price for that decision. 

    In 2017, more than 70,000 Americans lost their lives to a drug overdose. Opioids were responsible for two-thirds (nearly 47,000) of these deaths, proving once again that the opioid abuse epidemic is the main reason why overdose fatalities have ascended to such appalling heights.

    Opioid overdoses occur when tolerance develops to such a great extent that your body cannot handle the doses you’re taking. Even taking opioids in an extended-release version is not enough to protect you from this danger. If you continuously escalate your Xtampza ER use, or start mixing it with other substances that hinder central nervous system functioning (alcohol, other opioids, benzodiazepines), an oxycodone overdose could be a part of your future.

    Overdoses are usually a product of drug addiction. Of all the central nervous system depressants, none are as deadly as opioids. Whether you’re taking prescription medications or illicit street drugs like heroin, the risk is the same.

    Heavy use of Xtampza ER will likely produce symptoms that aren’t entirely different than those associated with Xtampza ER overdose. It is the severity of these symptoms that will let you know that something out of the ordinary is happening.

    The distinctive signs of an Xtampza ER overdose include:

    • Extreme drowsiness
    • Confusion, disorientation
    • Low blood pressure
    • Slow heartbeat
    • Nausea and vomiting
    • Dilated pupils
    • Bluish tint to lips and fingers
    • Significant respiratory distress

    Severe respiratory suppression can result from an Xtampza ER overdose. This is the condition that can cause opioid overdoses to turn deadly. 

    Quick intervention following an Xtampza ER overdose can prevent the worst-case scenario. Paramedics and emergency room personnel may be able to halt the progress of the overdose by administering a drug called naloxone. 

    Sold under the brand name Narcan, this drug actually blocks opioid receptors and stops opioids from binding with them. If it is given before the overdose progresses too far, it can greatly increase the odds of survival.

    Diagnosing Xtampza ER Addiction

    People suffering from an addiction to Xtampza ER will need to be officially diagnosed before Xtampza ER rehab can be offered. Trained addiction specialists and mental health professionals can diagnose drug dependency, based on the presence of certain physical, psychological and behavioral symptoms. 

    There are 11 symptoms of Xtampza ER abuse that can be used to diagnose a substance use disorder. You must report two or more of these before the Xtampza ER addiction can be confirmed.

    These diagnostic criteria include:

    1. Consumption of Xtampza ER that frequently surpasses planned levels.
    2. Previous attempts to quit using the drug have all met with failure.
    3. Extraordinary amounts of time have been spent using Xtampza ER, obtaining more supplies or recovering from its effects.
    4. Occupational, educational, professional and personal responsibilities have been neglected because of constant Xtampza ER abuse.
    5. The use of Xtampza ER has been interfering with social activities and important relationships.
    6. The presence or recurrence of physical or psychological problems caused by drug abuse has not led to a change in drug-taking behavior.
    7. Favorite activities and hobbies have been neglected or forgotten, for reasons related to drug use.
    8. Xtampza ER abuse has led to, or been implicated in, reckless or dangerous behavior and possibly to accidents or arrests.
    9. Tolerance for Xtampza ER has continued to increase.
    10. Cravings for the drug are frequently experienced.
    11. Xtampza ER withdrawal symptoms accompany interruptions in normal patterns of Xtampza ER use.

    If you’ve been using other opioids to satisfy your cravings for Xtampza ER, you might be diagnosed with a general opioid addiction, rather than an Xtampza ER addiction specifically. Either way, a facility that offers Xtampza ER rehab services should be your next destination.

    Xtampza ER Withdrawal and Detox

    Overcoming opioid addiction requires you to stop taking Xtampza ER altogether. If you’ve been mixing oxycodone with other drugs or medications, you’ll need to get off those substances as well.

    But you cannot stop taking opioids all at once. Xtampza ER withdrawal symptoms can be overwhelming if you do this, causing you tremendous physical and emotional distress and making your sobriety difficult to maintain. 

    Should you stop taking Xtampza ER too suddenly, you will likely experience some intense withdrawal symptoms. They will usually begin a few hours after your last dosage and peak in intensity three to five days later. It may take a week or more before these symptoms become truly manageable. 

    Some of the most common Xtampza ER withdrawal symptoms include:

    • Agitation, restlessness
    • Muscle and joint aches
    • Loss of appetite
    • Persistent nausea
    • Runny nose
    • Tearing up
    • Heavy sweating
    • Headaches
    • Insomnia
    • Tremors, shakiness
    • Fatigue
    • Diarrhea
    • Intense physical and psychological cravings

    While the most serious physical symptoms will usually recede after about a week, powerful psychological symptoms of oxycodone withdrawal may arise to take their place. Psychological Xtampza ER withdrawal symptoms may include depression, anxiety, irritability, poor concentration and sudden mood swings. If you have any pre-existing mental health conditions, their symptoms may become noticeably worse.

    In some instances, you might develop post-acute withdrawal syndrome, or PAWS. This condition can leave you feeling depressed, irritable, anxious, and agitated for up to two years after you’ve stopped taking opioids. PAWS is more likely to develop if your addiction to Xtampza ER was severe or long-lasting.

    Fortunately, the worst of Xtampza ER withdrawal can usually be avoided, if you start your recovery from addiction in a medical detox facility. The best Xtampza ER rehab centers offer detox services that commence as soon as you are officially admitted. They know that managing your withdrawal symptoms successfully will give you a much better chance of staying clean and sober for the long-term.

    Medically-supervised detox for Xtampza ER dependence will take place in a clinical or hospital-like setting. While in detox, you’ll be monitored and cared for on a 24-hour basis. All of your personal and medical needs will be addressed, with every effort made to make you feel comfortable, calm and content. 

    If you need mental health treatment, as you may if you have a dual diagnosis for both a substance use disorder and a mental health disorder, that may begin while you’re in detox. Appropriate treatment for any physical health problems you have will also be provided.

    Most medical detox programs last for 7-10 days. Their main goal is the stabilization of your mental and physical condition, which will prepare you to accept formal addiction treatment services.

    Medication-Assisted Treatment for Xtampza ER Withdrawal

    The best way to avoid Xtampza ER withdrawal symptoms is to reduce your drug use gradually, over the course of a few weeks or months. Tapering of dosage lets the brain and body adjust to living without opioids. This process will start during detox and continue on through treatment, and likely into aftercare.

    But most Xtampza ER rehab centers won’t ask you to taper off of that drug specifically. Instead, they will use medication-assisted treatment (MAT) to help you make the transition to an opioid-free lifestyle. During MAT, you’ll be given replacement opioids that can bind with opioid receptors in the brain, but without causing the euphoria associated with oxycodone products. 

    Medication-assisted treatment can protect you from severe withdrawal symptoms. It can also stop the downward spiral and compulsive behavior so often caused by drug addiction, which is frequently driven by the desire to get high. Taking away that possibility can help reduce your psychological dependence on Xtampza ER. 

    Tapering of dosages may begin within a few weeks or may not start for a few months. But either way, these opioids can be taken safely, giving you peace of mind as you continue the healing process.

    For many years, methadone was the preferred opioid replacement drug, particularly for those who had been abusing heroin. The most common replacement opioid in modern MAT is buprenorphine, which is usually prescribed under the brand names Suboxone and Subutex. 

    The latter contains buprenorphine exclusively, while the former includes small amounts of naloxone, a medication that can block opioids from binding with opioid receptors altogether. The naloxone in Suboxone will only be activated if you attempt to abuse the drug by injecting it, which is the only way to get high from buprenorphine. 

    These medications will help prevent you from suffering the worst symptoms of Xtampza ER withdrawal. Eventually, you should taper your doses down until you are off buprenorphine. But that will only happen when your therapists are convinced you’re ready to make the transition to complete sobriety.

    Xtampza ER Addiction Co-occurring Disorders

    A previous history of mental illness and having previous troubles with substance abuse are two of the largest risk factors for Xtampza ER addiction, or any type of opioid addiction. 

    About 50 percent of those who become addicted to medications like oxycodone will also have some type of mental health disorder. Depression and anxiety disorders frequently develop in those who suffer from chronic pain, and they may be more vulnerable to abusing Xtampza ER than people who don’t develop these problems.

    Among recreational drug abusers, mental health problems are often present and likely play a role as a causal factor for the abuse. When men and women have undiagnosed mood disorders, anxiety disorders or personality disorders, the temptation to self-medicate with drugs and alcohol is strong. Self-medicating behavior often leads to the use and abuse of multiple drugs, which is why people with Xtampza ER addiction may develop additional substance use disorders.

    Complicated medical histories are common when Xtampza ER abuse is the issue. When you go through the diagnostic process, addiction specialists and mental health experts know this and will perform extensive evaluations to make sure all existing conditions are identified. 

    Xtampza ER rehab programs will be comprehensive and inclusive, to make sure you receive treatment for all of your symptoms and conditions. True recovery from Xtampza ER will not be possible unless all of your health issues are addressed. The best Xtampza ER rehab centers will always make your overall health (in all its aspects) their number one priority.

    Xtampza ER Addiction Treatment Programs

    Your time in Xtampza ER rehab will challenge you like few experiences have before. This is unavoidable when you go through an addiction treatment program. But if you remain focused on healing and refuse to accept your Xtampza ER dependence as a permanent condition, you can move past your substance abuse issues and move forward with your life. 

    The best Xtampza ER rehab centers will offer you both inpatient and outpatient treatment options. Inpatient treatment is generally recommended, especially if you have co-occurring mental or behavioral health disorders that will need to be treated at the same time as your Xtampza ER addiction. Inpatient treatment programs for Xtampza ER addiction will let you concentrate completely on your recovery, in a supportive, healing-centered environment where outside distractions are kept away. 

    However, if you have life situations that need your attention, outpatient programs that can be tailored to fit your time requirements and lifestyle may offer you the best odds for healing. The best Xtampza ER rehab facilities will work with you to design a flexible outpatient treatment plan that lets you manage all of your responsibilities without neglecting your recovery.

    The top Xtampza ER rehab centers will provide you a full menu of evidence-based treatment services, regardless of whether you live onsite or spend a few hours a day on center grounds before returning home. Your inpatient or outpatient treatment plan for Xtampza ER addiction recovery will be comprehensive, personalized and as intensive as it needs to be to help you regain your sobriety. 

    Comprehensive Xtampza ER addiction treatment plans will include daily individual therapy sessions. In these private settings you’ll be able to discuss your past, present and future, as you attempt to come to terms with your substance abuse and the life experiences that may have led you down the path to dependence.

    In addition to individual therapy, your recovery plan will also include group therapy sessions that let you interact with your peers in recovery. During these meetings, you’ll be able to forge new bonds of support and mutual understanding with people who know what you’re going through and can relate to your struggles.

    Family therapy options are usually offered by the best Xtampza ER rehab centers as well. Family therapy sessions will give you the opportunity to reconnect with loved ones you may have pushed away during your battles with substance abuse. The people who care about you the most are usually anxious to help, and the love and forgiveness you receive in family therapy can help inspire and motivate you in your quest for recovery.

    To round out your treatment program, high-quality Xtampza ER addiction treatment facilities may usually offer a range of complementary therapies and services. Holistic healing therapies like yoga, meditation, acupuncture, Tai Chi, arts and music therapy and massage therapy can help you restore your physical health and emotional equilibrium, and they have become standard amenities at many centers. 

    Life skills, coping skills and relapse prevention courses are also frequently offered by the best Xtampza ER rehab facilities. This type of instruction can be invaluable, once you’ve returned to your former life and are asked to confront circumstances that may have triggered your drug use in the past.

    Once your 30- to 90-day treatment program has ended, you’ll make the transition into an aftercare program. Aftercare services will include a mixture of individual, group and family therapy, along with regular monitoring of your medication-assisted treatment regimen if MAT was included in your long-term recovery plan. 

    Finding the Right Xtampza ER Rehab Center for You

    There are many excellent Xtampza ER rehab facilities available, in the United States and elsewhere around the world. After some research and a few visits, you’ll likely be able to find one or more near your home. Doing so could be important if your primary interest is in outpatient treatment. 

    But if you’re thinking about inpatient treatment, you should broaden your search to include rehabilitation facilities in other locations (assuming you’re able to travel). Even if you prefer outpatient treatment, many facilities provide off-campus housing options for those who come from elsewhere. 

    When you visit Xtampza ER rehab centers, your loved ones should accompany you if possible. They should be encouraged to join you in asking questions and requesting further information from staff members, administrators and addiction treatment specialists. 

    Personnel at high-quality Xtampza ER rehab facilities should be able to explain the admittance process in its entirety, while giving you detailed information about how your recovery plan will proceed. They should seek your input and the input of your loved ones as well, since their primary responsibility is to construct an Xtampza ER addiction treatment plan that meets all of your physical, psychological, emotional and personal needs. 

    As you speak with their representatives, tour their grounds and explore their treatment options in more depth, you should feel uplifted by the experience. You should be impressed by how well-organized they seem to be and by their professionalism and overall preparation. They should make you feel accepted as an individual, acknowledging you as someone with a unique background and life history.

    After you’ve met with them, your doubts, fears and uncertainties should begin to fade. You should feel more prepared to meet the immense challenges you’ll face and be anxious to start your recovery as quickly as possible. The addiction treatment specialists you meet should instill you with confidence, and the treatment plans they propose should be comprehensive enough to give you great hope for your future.

    The best Xtampza ER rehab centers are dedicated to helping you recover your sobriety, of course. But their ultimate goal is to help you find lasting wellness, which is your best long-term protection against relapse. 

    Superior Xtampza ER rehab services can be your lifeline. If you’re willing to put in the effort to change, they can make a profound impact on your life. Any good-quality Xtampza ER rehab center could be the right one for you, if you’re sincerely ready to accept their guidance and commit yourself to embracing sobriety as a permanent lifestyle choice.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • How to Find the Best Rehab for Ibudone Addiction

    How to Find the Best Rehab for Ibudone Addiction

    Looking for a luxury Ibudone rehab? We can help.

    Table of Contents

    1. What is Ibudone and What is It Used For?
    2. Ibudone Street Names
    3. How Long Does Ibudone Stay in the System
    4. Signs and Symptoms of Addiction to Ibudone
    5. Ibudone Overdose
    6. Ibudone Detox
    7. Treatment and Rehabilitation for Addiction to Ibudone
    8. Choosing the Best Ibudone Rehab Center

    If you are suffering from an addiction to Ibudone, you are not alone. There are many others who have the same addiction to this and similar drugs. The opioid crisis in the United States is now classified as an epidemic. Those who are addicted, or who may have a loved one who is suffering from addiction will want to work with professionals in an Ibudone rehab facility. Any type of misuse of the drug is considered to be dangerous and should be brought to the attention of a professional. A quality facility will provide help with detoxification and withdrawal and will then provide help for the recovery and the management of addiction going forward.

    What is Ibudone and What is It Used For?

    The drug Ibudone is the brand name for a drug that’s a combination of hydrocodone and ibuprofen. Doctors will generally prescribe the drug as a means to help their patients who are dealing with acute pain. It is generally used to help with pain that lasts for less than 10 days, and it is not used for treating chronic pain.

    Some will take the medication for several days and like the way that it makes them feel, and then seek out more. Others might not be prescribed the medication at all, but instead might find the medication, buy it illicitly, or steal it. It is easy for many people to become addicted to the drug, even with limited use in the beginning.

    Ibudone Street Names

    As an opioid, Ibudone has quite a few different street names. Some of the common names that are used for the drug and other brands of hydrocodone and opioids include:

    • Captain Cody
    • Cody
    • Doors & Fours
    • Miss Emma
    • White Stuff
    • Goodfella
    • Murder 9
    • Friend
    • Hillbilly Heroin

    Of course, there are countless other names that are used as slang for opioids. These are just some that are often used.

    How Long Does Ibudone Stay in the System

    While it might differ somewhat from one person to another, the drug will begin working in between 10 and 20 minutes. The effects will last for between four and eight hours, with the peak of the effects being about half an hour to an hour after taking it. The hydrocodone in Ibudone will stay in the system for less than 24 hours. It has a short half-life and will be broken down in the body in four hours. The liver and your urinary output will eliminate it from your system

    Signs and Symptoms of Addiction to Ibudone

    Many people do not want to admit that they or a loved one might have a problem with any type of drugs. However, it is important to know the signs and symptoms and to be honest about whether you may have developed a dependence or an addiction. Some of the most common signs of a problem with Ibudone include:

    • An inability to stop using the drug
    • Using more than you know you should
    • Work and relationships are suffering
    • Using even though you know that it is negatively affecting your health
    • Hiding your use of the Ibudone
    • Developing a tolerance and increasing use

    These are some of the warning signs. If you or a loved one has these issues, it is time to seek help.

    Ibudone Overdose

    When too much of the drug is taken an Ibudone overdose can occur. This can often happen if the pill is cut or is crushed. This is because the time-release factor of the pill is eliminated in those cases. It means that too much of the drug will enter the system at once. Some of the signs of an overdose or adverse reaction to the drug include:

    • Slowed breathing
    • Cold and clammy skin
    • Slowed heartbeat
    • Weakness of the muscles
    • Dilated or constricted pupils
    • Coma
    • Death

    Ibudone Detox

    Detox is typically the first step that an addict will take when they are trying to overcome their Ibudone addiction. In fact, treatment centers want clients to undergo a detox and be weaned off the drug before they go into recovery treatment. Detoxification programs will reduce the amount of the Ibudone that a client is receiving over time until the body can gradually become accustomed to the lower dosages. Eventually, they will remove the drug entirely from the patient. The goal is to minimize the withdrawal effects that a patient will feel.

    Some of the common types of withdrawal effects associated with Ibudone include:

    • Hot and cold sweats
    • Irritability
    • Anxiety
    • Runny nose
    • Teary eyes
    • Body aches
    • Abdominal cramping

    Treatment and Rehabilitation for Addiction to Ibudone

    Once a client has undergone the detoxification process, they will be able to begin their hydrocodone abuse treatment plan in earnest. The professionals at the rehab center can provide clients with a range of different types of help and treatments that can help them to overcome their cravings, to improve the way they handle their addiction, and better their current situation.

    While in the facility, you will work very closely with the counselors who are providing you with mental health help and addiction counseling. The goal is always to provide a treatment plan that is capable of helping the patient deal with all of the issues they are suffering that are contributing to their reliance on Ibudone. For example, some patients might also have mental health disorders or other substance abuse issues that they will have to contend with, as well.

    When it comes to addiction treatment and recovery, the best Ibudone rehab centers will have inpatient and outpatient options available for the clients. While the living arrangements of these options will differ, the core treatment types tend to remain the same. Both will have their pros and cons, and it is important to remember that there is no “correct” type of rehab that will work for everyone. You need to find what will work for you.

    With inpatient care, there are a number of benefits. These include:

    • A live-in facility where clients can focus on recovery rather than all the pressures of the outside world.
    • They offer a safe environment that is free from temptations that could cause the client to use.
    • Inpatient Ibudone rehab has around the clock supervision and care.
    • A wide range of different types of services will be right on site.
    • An expert staff of counselors, mental health professionals, therapists, nurses, and doctors will be on-hand.

    In addition, there may be those who do not have a supportive family or friends that they can stay with, and inpatient recovery from addiction might be the best option.

    Of course, there are also just as many benefits that can come from outpatient treatment. Some of the touted benefits include:

    • The comfort and convenience of staying at home and around family.
    • Clients have more privacy when they are able to stay at home.
    • You can still get quality treatment when you go into the facility for your sessions.

    This could be a good option for those who have to still go to work and who have other obligations in their life that they have to meet. It is also beneficial for those who have friends and family who will be there to support them through their recovery. However, those who know that they can be tempted will want to consider the benefits that come from having inpatient care.

    Psychotherapy, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, is commonly used with addiction treatment. You may have individual sessions with counselors and therapists, as well as group sessions. In addition, family therapy can be helpful for those who want to improve their relationships with their family. It can also help to ensure that the family understands exactly what addiction means and how they can help.

    Often, other types of therapy will be introduced that can help clients to better manage their lives and their stress. They may also find that the Ibudone rehab offers classes for life skills and that can help to prevent relapse. Some facilities will have holistic therapies available for the clients, as well, which can help them to improve their overall wellbeing. For example, meditation, yoga, and art therapy could be useful for some clients.

    Choosing the Best Ibudone Rehab Center

    When you are looking for the best facilities to help with Ibudone addiction treatment, you will want to make sure that you choose one that has been able to develop and maintain a good reputation. It tends to be a good option to find those that rely on treatments that are evidence-based when it comes to treating the Ibudone addiction.

    In addition, the facility should be able to help you with not just your addiction to the hydrocodone, but also for any other issues that you might have, such as an underlying mental health condition. Make sure they have the counselors and therapy options that will be able to meet your needs, and that they will be able to provide you with individualized care. You and your situation are unique, and they need to treat you that way.

    Take the time to learn about the various types of treatment options that are available, the professionals who are working at the facility, and where the facility is located. The more you learn about the facility, the better you will feel about going there or sending a loved one there for their Ibudone recovery.

    Resources: https://www.drugs.com/mtm/ibudone.html

    http://www.ibudone.com/

    https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/us-opioid-epidemic

    https://www.drugs.com/cdi/ibudone.html

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Finding Luxury Rehab for Valium Addiction

    Finding Luxury Rehab for Valium Addiction

    Need help finding a luxury Valium rehab? We can help.

    Table of Contents

    1. The drug
    2. Uses of the drug
    3. Slang names
    4. Definition of addiction
    5. Problems with addiction
    6. Addiction symptoms
    7. Withdrawal symptoms with the drug
    8. Drug Rehabs
    9. Types of rehabs
    10. Payment for rehab loans and insurance
    11. Conclusion

    The drug

    Valium (generic name diazepam) is a powerful drug that is used to treat anxiety, stress, alcohol withdrawal symptoms, as well as seizure episodes. It’s a benzodiazepine derivative. The drug is a colorless or light yellow crystalline compound, which is insoluble in water. 

    Uses of the drug

    Valium is used for the treatment of anxiety disorders, stress, and tension in everyday life. People suffering from acute alcohol withdrawal often resort to Valium because it helps in providing temporary relief to muscle cramps and tremors that are caused as a part of withdrawal syndrome. It also helps relieve acute agitation in patients, along with assisting them in calming down. It’s also effective in treating acute delirium tremens and hallucinosis, which is caused as a part of withdrawal syndrome. 

    Slang names

    The drug is commonly known as Valium and is used popularly among people all over the world. Some of the common Valium slang names are:

    >> V’s

    >> Yellow V’s

    >> Blue V’s 

    >> Benzo’s 

    >> Dead Flower Powers

    >> Foofoo 

    Definition of addiction

    Excessive use of Valium can cause an addiction in users. Valium affects the body through brain cells. It starts acting up by entering the central nervous system through your bloodstream and changes the cells in the brain’s pleasure center. Benzodiazepines weaken a group of cells that prevents the neurotransmitter of the brain, dopamine, from flooding through. Since these cells are inactive, dopamine is released in the brain thereby leading to a feeling of pleasure and intense joy. This also helps relieve the user from stress and anxiety. Soon, the brain gets used to this euphoric feeling and craves for more Valium. The person under addiction seeks more Valium for its pleasure-inducing effects. The more the person consumes Valium, the more the brain wants it; this pushes the user from a controlled user to an addict who can’t do without Valium. Gradually, the user becomes an addict and starts to lose control over themselves, as the drug craving episodes start controlling their actions and emotions.

    Problems with addiction

    Valium addiction is a significant problem that leads to an extreme craving for the drug. When the drug is denied, it can cause acute withdrawal symptoms, as well as muscle cramps and tremors. In severe cases, rehabilitation is needed for the recovery to be successful. Most people who are addicted to Valium are the ones prescribed to have it for a prolonged period. However, with an accepted gradual increase in the dosage, they become addicted to it and start craving for more. Over time, the users become tolerant to the drug. This means that they will need Valium every time they need to get that feeling of relief, along with the achievement of the desired sedative effects. This leads to increased consumption of the drug, in a larger dosage. Thus, pushing the patients into a more profound addiction. This causes the cycle of addiction, craving, and dependence to continue. 

    Addiction symptoms

    The initial addiction symptoms of Valium include the difficulty in controlling the use of the drug. The more the addict consumes, the more Valium he requires to get the desired effect of pleasure and sedation. As the addicts become more tolerant, they consume more Valium, thus leading to addiction. Other physical symptoms, while consuming the drug in excess, include heavy heartbeat and dry mouth. The addict will feel nervous and confused, having delusions of well-being, and paranoia along with frequent suicidal thoughts; these signs are relatively common in Valium addicts. With the increase in addiction and consumption, extreme health conditions such as seizures, slipping into a coma, and the risk of fatal overdose can also be categorized as a symptom of Valium addiction.

    Withdrawal symptoms with the drug

    Withdrawal symptoms from Valium are extreme and can cause various unpleasant physical symptoms, such as tremors, muscle cramps, or fainting; this happens when you’re trying to quit the drug suddenly. Addicts will also witness a significant increase in craving for the drug. The withdrawal symptoms can be categorized into four types:

    • Physical symptoms

    This includes various physical pain and illness, such as severe headaches, nausea, vomiting, intense stomach pains, extreme cramps, and tremors. Loss of appetite and dry mouth is also caused as a part of the withdrawal symptoms.

    • Cardiovascular symptoms

    This includes changes and fluctuations in the cardiovascular systems such as a sudden increase in blood pressure, variation in heart rate, sudden increase and decrease of pressure, and so on.

    • Neurological symptoms

    Neurological symptoms include a confused state of mind, lack of clarity in thoughts and actions, the development of seizures as well as lack of consciousness of mind. Reduced reflexes are also seen among the addicts.

    • Psychological symptoms

    People under withdrawal symptoms suffer from intense craving, extreme mood swings, sudden depression, and panic attacks. They may also face rebound anxiety due to the denial of the use of Valium.

    A variety of medications are given to addicts to help them fight and overcome withdrawal symptoms. The first step towards treating a Valium addiction or any other drug addiction is detoxification. This is done to ensure that the negative effects and the intake of drugs are completely removed. This helps the patient to become less tolerant of the drug than before and reduces dependency. This process of detoxification is done gradually in order to avoid fatal attacks. 

    Gradual reduction of the intake of Valium, along with other medications to reverse the effects of the drug helps the body get accustomed to performing normal body functions without Valium. If the dosage of Valium is stopped abruptly, it can cause adverse effects in the body, and in extreme cases, even death. During this process of detoxification, the addicts usually experience extreme physical conditions such as diarrhea, abdominal pains, irritation, mood swings, nausea, intense cravings, and so on. Extreme withdrawal symptoms such as joint and muscle pains, rapid breathing, fluctuation of heart rates might also be caused. Detoxification helps the addicts gradually get used to the fluctuating dose along with controlling the craving for the drug. Patients are usually given a certain amount of Valium initially. Once the medication reaches a certain level, it’s slowly tapered down and finally discontinued. Once the intake of Valium has stopped completely, the withdrawal symptoms can become worse. The medication list that is included to tackle withdrawal symptoms and reduce cravings are as follows:

    SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors)

    This is a class of antidepressant medications. These are often effective to smooth out the instant effects of withdrawal symptoms, though results may vary from person to person.

    Melatonin

    It’s a hormone that is proven to ease anxiety, irritation, and induce sleep. This helps address tolerance and reduce the extreme effects of intense withdrawal symptoms.

    Anticonvulsants

    These are used when patients develop a seizure. Anticonvulsants are useful in reducing the overall effects of withdrawal symptoms and helping patients control the craving of Valium.

    Drug Rehabs

    One of the effective methods of treatment for Valium addiction is rehab centers. Choosing the most suitable rehab for addiction is essential since there are hundreds of centers all over the world. It’s important to select Valium rehabs that have a quicker rate of recovery. Moreover, for individuals suffering from Valium addiction, the approach is vital. Rehabs offering evidence-based medication are the best and most effective in treating substance abuse addicts. Evidence-based medication professionals are specially trained to use the latest technology, medications, and approach to treating patients suffering from prescription drug addiction and overdose. 

    Types of rehabs

    There are mainly three types of Valium rehabs for treating addicts. They are as follows: 

    Inpatient Rehabs

    Inpatient rehabs should be the choice for patients suffering from intense addiction of Valium. In these rehabs, the patients need to stay for round-the-clock observation under the supervision of doctors and counselors. In these rehabs, the treatment or rehab program varies between 30 days to 90 days, depending on the condition and needs of the patients. The treatment may go on for a longer time. The duration depends on the seriousness of the addiction and the recovery rate of the addict. The first step is medical detoxification, where the patients are treated with several medicines to detoxify the body from the effects of Valium. During this phase, the patient is monitored for withdrawal symptoms or seizure. Physicians keep the patients under constant monitoring, preventing them from fatal attacks.

    Inpatient rehabs often include the patients taking up daily chores of life as they recover gradually. This helps the patients interact with other addicts who are going through a similar phase of life and get motivated by each other. Patients find similar people around and hence, don’t feel out of place or isolated. This environment with similar people helps patients recover and get back to their normal life quickly. These rehabs are luxurious and aesthetically beautiful since the patients residing there should have a feeling of positivity and motivation, in order to restart their lives as a normal person that’s free from addiction.

    Outpatient Rehabs

    In these types of rehab centers, the patients have to make an appointment, and they can take part in the treatments and go back home, instead of staying back at the rehab. These rehabs are suitable for patients who have mild addiction or have recovered from addiction, and regular treatment is being done to prevent relapse. It’s seen that patients after they have been successfully treated in the Inpatient rehab and sent home, experience an addiction relapse, and they start consuming Valium again. This is done to prevent relapse and continuously monitor the patients even after they are sober. 

    Outpatient rehabs have become quite useful and accessible. These rehabs check the patients regularly and ensure that they do not indulge in drug addiction again since relapse is a common problem seen in most drug addicts. Counseling sessions are also a part of the treatment in the outpatient rehabs. This helps patients with self-motivation and keeps them away from drugs. Moreover, meditation sessions are also conducted, thus helping in self-reflection and realization. 

    Outpatient rehabs have special significance for the patients who are already treated in residential rehabs and are free from drug addiction. Patients who are cured of Valium addiction also get additional treatment, medication, and counseling to control the craving of drugs and lead a healthy life by forgetting the past.

    Residential Rehabs

    Often, it has been seen that patients resort to drugs and addictions again after being successfully treated in rehabs, and once they leave the inpatient rehabs. For such addicts, residential rehabs are the perfect option. Here, patients are kept under constant observation, along with counseling and meditation sessions. People staying in these rehabs undergo medication, take part in various activities and learning sessions, along with counseling sessions, which prevent them from indulging into addiction yet again. Residential rehabs offer long-term programs and treatments, especially for people who had been treated more than once, yet were taken to addiction once they went back to their normal course of life.

    Residential rehabs focus on motivating the patients along with treatments and activities, such that they can drive and motivate themselves to lead a normal life and refrain from Valium abuse and addiction. Residential rehabs involve the addicts into various individual and team activities, keeping them engaged and thus preventing the use of drugs again. These activities also help the addicts to reskill themselves and learning things that will help them earn a living or be employable once they leave the residential rehabs.

    Behavioral therapies play a key role in helping patients recover. The following are some of the therapies that the Valium addict patients must undergo:

    • Individual therapy

    The basic yet effective forms of behavioral therapy are individual therapy. In this kind of session, the counselor meets the patients for a one-to-one discussion. In these sessions, the patient can speak his heart out to the counselor; this helps the counselor understand the patient. Here, counselors can give separate time to each patient and motivate them to refrain from further drug addiction or relapse. Confidentiality and privacy are taken care of by the rehab centers and the counselors.

    • Group counseling

    Counseling a group of similar people, having the same difficulties in life, helps in empathizing with each other. These sessions help the patients to understand the disastrous effects of drug addiction and the importance of positivity. They also get inspired by each other’s journey towards a normal life. They also take part in various creative and recreational group activities, helping them to reskill themselves and become employable after they leave the rehabs.

    • Cognitive behavioral therapy

    This therapy is all about controlling your impulses, instead of your drug craving managing all the activities. This helps individuals regain positivity and get back to the mainstream of life. This kind of therapy guides people to help themselves and become their controller in matters of drug addiction and to refrain from any form of addiction. 

    Payment for rehab loans and insurance

    Rehab loans, as well as insurance, are available to financially support the addicts such that they can continue their treatment in the center for a long period. Since treatments in rehabs are expensive, and the duration of the programs are long term, the insurance and loans help the patients and their families cope with the cost of treatment.

    Conclusion

    Valium rehabs have helped thousands of drug addicts to quit drugs forever and get back to a healthy life. Rehabs form an essential part of treatment and recovery for drug addicts. People addicted to drugs for a long term need to undergo the entire process of detoxification, medication, rehabilitation, counseling, and medication to give up on drugs finally. Chances of drug addiction relapse are high since lack of acceptance in society, along with poverty caused due to drug addiction and unemployment in most cases, forces the patients to resort to the drug again. This is where friends and family need to play an active role. Support from close ones, along with motivating them to move on in life helps the addicts get back to the ordinary course of life.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Best Rehab Options for Diazepam Addiction Treatment

    Best Rehab Options for Diazepam Addiction Treatment

    Our guide can help you find a luxury Diazepam rehab.

    Table of Contents

    1. WHAT IS DIAZEPAM?
    2. WHAT ARE THE USES OF DIAZEPAM?
    3. WHAT ARE THE SLANG NAMES FOR DIAZEPAM?
    4. WHAT IS DIAZEPAM ADDICTION?
    5. WHAT ARE DIAZEPAM ADDICTION COMPLICATIONS?
    6. WHAT ARE DIAZEPAM ADDICTION SYMPTOMS?
    7. WHAT ARE DIAZEPAM WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS?
    8. WHAT ARE DRUG REHABS?
    9. Types of rehabs
    10. Payment for rehab loans and insurance
    11. Conclusion

    WHAT IS DIAZEPAM?

    Diazepam is a benzodiazepine derivative, a prescription drug that is often prescribed by doctors and physicians to treat extreme anxiety and unmanageable stress. It’s a tranquilizer and acts as a muscle relaxant, thus reducing tension and anxiety. This drug is colorless or light yellow and is a crystalline compound that is also water insoluble.

    WHAT ARE THE USES OF DIAZEPAM?

    Diazepam or Valium is a medicinal prescription drug often prescribed by doctors for the treatment of extreme anxiety or stress. It’s also useful in treating hypertension. This drug acts as a muscle relaxant and helps patients relax and unwind from the daily stresses in their lives.

    Diazepam is also useful for people suffering from acute withdrawal symptoms due to alcohol addiction. This helps the victim in getting relief from muscle cramps and tremors, along with other extreme physical symptoms caused as a negative side effect of the withdrawal effect. Patients suffering from acute agitation and irritation due to denial of alcohol are also prescribed Diazepam to help them calm down. 

    WHAT ARE THE SLANG NAMES FOR DIAZEPAM?

    There are several slang names that are used for purchasing Diazepam without a prescription. These names are used when a person is addicted to medicine and tries to make a clandestine purchase. With that said, here’s a list of some common slang names for the drug. 

    • Moggies 
    • Vallies 
    • Jellies
    • Eggs 
    • Blues
    • Yellows 

    WHAT IS DIAZEPAM ADDICTION?

    Diazepam, which is a prescription medicine, is popularly used by doctors and medical practitioners all over the world as a tranquilizer to help recover from stress or anxiety. However, with prolonged use of this drug, patients might become addicted to it. Excessive use and overdose of Diazepam cause addiction, as the patients start becoming tolerant of this drug with time.

    Diazepam affects the body through the brain cells. It mainly works on the cells in the brain’s pleasure center, thus triggering the feeling of joy, pleasure, and stresslessness. Diazepam or Benzodiazepines, as a whole, work on a group of cells that prevents dopamine from flooding into the brain. Thus, dopamine is released in excess in the brain when overdosed or consumed for too long.

    This leads to a sensation of pleasure, which the patients enjoy and would love to cherish for a longer time, thus consuming even more of Diazepam. Once the consumers get this intense feeling, the brain starts craving for more Diazepam. The more the person consumes, the more Diazepam tolerant he becomes.

    The pleasure-inducing effects are intense, and they need more of Diazepam to get the desired intensity, thus slipping deep into addiction. With more indulgence of Diazepam, the patients become addicts and start getting controlled by Diazepam, thus losing control over themselves. 

    WHAT ARE DIAZEPAM ADDICTION COMPLICATIONS?

    People suffering from Diazepam addiction have an extreme craving for the drug. When denied, acute withdrawal symptoms are seen in the patients, along with severe and adverse physical symptoms such as muscle cramps, pain, and irritation. Rehabilitation is the only way for successful cessation of the addiction for patients suffering from prolonged Diazepam addiction.

    It has been observed that most Diazepam addicts were once patients who were initially prescribed to take the drug for treatment. However, they have, over a prolonged period, a self-imposed increase in the dosage, leading to addiction. With regular overdose, the users become Diazepam tolerant, which leads to more craving of the drug. 

    This cycle goes on, and the addicts need more dosage than the previous time to get the feeling of intense pleasure and satisfaction. 

    WHAT ARE DIAZEPAM ADDICTION SYMPTOMS?

    Some of the addiction symptoms of Diazepam are pretty much like an addiction to any other drug. People witness difficulty in refraining themselves from the use of the drug. They develop a lack of interest in various activities and are unable to focus. As the addicts consume Diazepam in more massive amounts, they become more tolerant towards the drug.

    Physical symptoms may include a soothing state of mind, fluctuating heart rates, dry mouth, dizziness, and being in a subconscious state of mind. The addict feels nervous and confused. Other symptoms include delusions of well-being, and they often have random suicidal thoughts. These symptoms increase with time if not detected and treated immediately.

    WHAT ARE DIAZEPAM WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS?

    Once the victim stops having Diazepam, severe withdrawal symptoms can be seen, causing various extreme physical conditions, such as intense pain, shivering, tremor, muscle cramps. The victims might even collapse if they don’t take Diazepam for an extended period. This happens typically when the addict tries to quit the drug. The withdrawal symptoms for Diazepam addiction can be categorized as follows: 

    • Physical symptoms

    The main physical symptom of Diazepam withdrawal is severe pain, including headaches, muscle cramps, joint, and abdominal pains. Other symptoms are vomiting, shivering, and tremors. Addicts also experience loss of appetite and dry mouth.

    • Neurological symptoms

    Diazepam addiction causes the victims to feel confused and experience a lack of clarity when they stop having Diazepam. The lack of synchronization between thoughts and actions causes failure in comprehending properly. 

    • Cardiovascular symptoms

    The cardiovascular system of the body is adversely affected as a result of Diazepam withdrawal effects. Fluctuating heart rate, shortness of breath, and sudden rise or fall in blood pressure can cause discomfort in addicts. In extreme cases, cardiovascular fluctuations might even prove to be fatal.

    • Psychological symptoms

    Psychologically, not having Diazepam causes depression, extreme panic attacks, and increased cravings. Addicts often become violent and try to get their hands on Diazepam.

    The sudden stop of Diazepam, after a prolonged period of consumption, can be fatal for the victims. A wide variety of medicines are given to the patients as a part of the Diazepam withdrawal process to keep them calm and prevent fatalities. 

    As a first step, detoxification takes place, where the addicts are detoxified with medications to gradually decrease and then nullify the effects of Diazepam from the body. This helps the patients become less tolerant of the drug.

    Initially, the patients are given a certain amount of Diazepam, after which the doses are tapered down. The dose of Diazepam is finally discontinued, depending on the response of the patients. The medicines that may be used for the withdrawal symptoms include selective serotonin, melatonin, and anticonvulsants. All these are antidepressant medications that can reduce the effects of intense withdrawal symptoms.

    WHAT ARE DRUG REHABS?

    Rehab centers are the most effective places for the treatment of people suffering from any addiction. Rehabs take complete care of the addicts, and they are treated by expert teams, experienced doctors, and consultants. There are thousands of rehab centers, but not all of them are effective or best for treatment. It’s essential to choose the most suitable rehab care after considering the following factors:

    • The severity of the addiction
    • Success rate
    • Number of renowned and experienced doctors
    • Cost
    • Ambiance 

    Rehabs that offer evidence-based medication are most effective in treating Diazepam addiction. Rehabs using this medication technique have professionals who are specially trained and use the latest approaches, technologies, and medications for treating people with Diazepam addiction. Each patient is first analyzed and then treated based on the severity of the condition.

    Types of rehabs

    The rehabilitation centers can be categorized into three types. Here are the most common ones. 

    Inpatient Rehabs

    This is one of the types of rehabs popular for a severe Diazepam addiction. These are quite similar to the residential rehabs, where the patients need to stay until the treatment goes on. The patients are kept under observation all the time and are attended by the doctors and counselors.

    The period of treatment varies depending on the physical condition and the kind of improvement seen in the patients. Once the detoxification is carried out successfully, other therapies and medications, along with counsellings and motivational sessions, are planned and executed. This ensures that the patients can come back to a healthy life soon after the treatment period ends. 

    Inpatient rehabs are often more beneficial since they keep the patients busy throughout the day with a series of activities and leave no time for them to resort to addictive behavior again. Since these rehab centers accommodate lots of patients, each person interacts with other addicts and gets motivated from their journey.

    Since all have similar issues, no one judges the other, thus making the process of recovery smoother and comfortable. These rehabs offer training sessions and courses, helping the addicts in becoming employable after they complete their duration of treatment and are ready to go back to their regular routine. 

    Outpatient Rehabs

    Outpatient rehabs do not have in-house residential facilities. Patients can make appointments with the consultants and counselors for the required treatment. These rehab facilities are popular for patients who are being pushed to the verge of addiction or who has just recovered and are facing relapse of addiction.

    A regular visit, treatment, and checkup at these rehabs prevent relapse of drug addiction. Patients who have completed treatment and are sent home often face recursion of addiction. They start readministering Diazepam. To prevent that, outpatient rehabs keep monitoring the patient constantly through regular treatment and sessions even after they are free of addiction.

    Residential Rehabs

    Residential rehabs are rehabilitation centers where patients can stay and take up the course of treatment. These rehab centers offer 360-degree treatment with special care devoted to the physical and mental well-being of the patients. Mental and psychological treatment is equally important for curing Diazepam addiction.

    Medication only provides a short-lived relief from an addiction problem. A patient needs to develop a determination to lessen the chances of relapse. Residential rehabs help instill confidence and motivation. The residents also take part in various positive and creative activities, along with learning and counseling sessions. These activities help them build the determination to prevent them from indulging in drugs again.

    Residential rehabs also offer team building activities, helping the patients restore their social and human qualities, thus helping them prevent the use of drugs in the future. These activities are designed to reskill the residents and help them make their living and recognition after they leave residential rehab. Among the various treatments and therapies, some of the most effective ones are as follows. 

    • Individual therapy

    This is a basic form of therapy that has proved to be the most effective among all types of behavioral therapy. In this kind of treatment, the counselors meet the patients individually and indulge in a personalized discussion.

    In these sessions, the patients are encouraged to speak without hesitation and let out all the issues and problems in front of the counselors, who ensure the protection of privacy and confidentiality.

    These sessions are most effective because, after all, besides medications and efforts, it is the addicts themselves who have to realize the adverse effects of drugs and Diazepam addiction and pull themselves out of it. 

    • Group counseling

    Working in groups helps patients enhance human qualities and adapt to social regulations. These sessions of counseling a group of similar people who are suffering from a similar problem help in strengthening empathy in individuals.

    The patients interact and learn from each other, thus understanding the importance of refraining from drugs and moving towards positivity. They also get to interact with recovering drug addicts who might have much of advice to provide. That way, the patients who are still under treatment get inspired by the survivors and regain confidence.

    Payment for rehab loans and insurance

    Treatment for Diazepam addiction in rehabs can be expensive. Since the duration of the treatment, sessions, and medication takes time, financial assistance can sometimes be inevitable. Loans and insurances are available to support the expenses of treatment at the rehabs. These loans ensure that the victims who need treatment can continue their medication and courses at the rehab facility. You can consult the bank or your insurance company to know more. 

    Conclusion

    Diazepam addiction treatment has been made a lot easier with the help of rehab solutions. Mental health awareness has also helped in encouraging more people to take the necessary steps to treat mental health issues, like an addiction. For more information on the above, you can always conduct a search online.

    View the original article at thefix.com