Opiate Addiction in Piscataway, NJ
Opiates are medications that can reduce a person's pain, yet also can cause an addictive and euphoric high. Opiates include the illegal drug heroin and prescription pain medications, such as morphine, oxycodone, fentanyl, and hydrocodone. While these medications may be legally prescribed by a physician, they are the common subject of abuse. The state of opiate addiction in Piscataway is not unlike that of the state and nation: people struggle with addiction to these substances. Unfortunately, this addiction can prove deadly. If you or a loved one suffers from opiate addiction, opiate addiction rehab services can help.
There are many reasons why a person may become addicted to opiates. Some people may use them for the express purpose of getting "high" and find themselves unable to stop using them. Others may have been prescribed the medications after an illness, accident, or injury and find themselves unable to stop taking them. Others may use them as a means to conceal an underlying mental illness. Treatment programs in Piscataway will help to relieve the issues that led to addiction. Whatever the reason, opiate addiction doesn't make someone a bad or weak person. However, it does make them a person who should seek opiate addiction rehab as a means to start living their life free from opiate abuse.
Dangers of Opiates
An estimated 6,000 New Jersey residents have died since 2004 due to opioid abuse, according to "Modern Healthcare." Sadly, overdose deaths increased by 15 percent between 2014 and 2015, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. An estimated 1,400 New Jersey residents died due to opiate abuse in 2015. Two opiates that are on the increase in terms of abuse are heroin and fentanyl. Nearly 1,000 of the opiate-related deaths in 2015 were due to heroin abuse. Sometimes a person will mix a combination of heroin and other opiates as a means to enhance their high, which can have deadly effects.
Sometimes drug dealers will add substances to heroin and other medications as a means to produce more of a substance. This is dangerous because a person never truly knows what they are buying. Sometimes a drug dealer will mix heroin with fentanyl, a powerful opiate that had led to an increase in overdoses. Other times, they may add chemicals that were never meant for human consumption. Over time, a person can experience increased risks for infections and complications, such as liver and heart damage, due to ingesting the substances.
Opiate addiction in Piscataway can have long-term effects as well as the short-term risk of causing death. Medical detox in Piscataway is required immediately to prevent any further damage. Those who abuse opiates by injecting them are at greater risk for diseases transmitted intravenously, such as hepatitis and HIV. Those who abuse opiates are also at risk for respiratory infection and organ damage. The life of someone struggling with opiate addiction is sadly not usually a long one. Seeking opiate addiction recovery is vital to helping a person learn to live a life free from opiate abuse.
Opiate Addiction Signs and Symptoms
Opioids not only relieve pain, they also have several key effects on the body, which can signal a person is struggling with addiction to the medications. For example, opiates have the effect of slowing down how fast a person breathes. If a person takes too much of an opiate, they can stop breathing altogether. This can result in coma, brain damage, and even death. Other symptoms associated with opiate addiction include:
- Anxiety attacks
- Constipation
- Depression
- Drowsiness
- Euphoria
- Irritability
- Lack of coordination
- Mood swings
- Slurred speech
A fine line exists between dependence and opiate addiction in Piscataway. For example, those who take opiate pain medications on a regular basis due to chronic pain will develop a dependence on the drug. They will experience withdrawal symptoms if they stop taking the drug. They may also need to take more and more of the drug to experience the same pain-relieving effects.
However, those who are addicted to opiates will experience strong cravings for the drug when they aren't taking it. They will lose control over their relationship with the drug. They may turn to illegal and/or extreme behaviors to try to obtain more of the drug, such as purchasing it on the street, "doctor shopping" at multiple doctors' offices to try to get medications, and stealing medications from family and friends.
When a person struggling with opiate addiction in Piscataway develops this level of addiction, they truly need help at an opiate addiction drug rehab in Piscataway. Call us today at (877) 804-1531.