Opioid addiction is a serious problem that is quickly growing throughout the United States. Easier access to heroin and pain pills has heightened the problem considerably, particularly among young people. The price of heroin has dropped considerably over recent years, which has made it much easier for people to get and more desirable to try.
While other illegal drugs along with alcohol still pose a significant threat to the health and safety of young people, it is the growth of heroin and pain pill addiction that is the most disturbing.
According to recent surveys, roughly 24.6 million people in the United States 12 years old and older have a problem with substance dependence or abuse. 1.9 million of those people abuse or are dependent on prescription opioids, and 517,000 of those people are living with a heroin addiction.
In 2013, drug overdoses became the leading cause of injury death in the United States surpassing both homicide and car accidents. Over half of all people over the age of 12 have reported taking pain relievers that were not prescribed to them.
Prescription painkillers are expensive and tracked by both doctors and pharmacies, so maintaining an addiction to them can be challenging. 75% of people addicted to opioid painkillers switch to heroin because it is cheaper and easier to get. The physical high you get from heroin is similar enough to opioids that the addicts make the switch.
There are many treatment options and programs across the United States to help people with this type of addiction. Many centers use a combination of treatments that work together effectively. One option in treatment is the use of a medication called Vivitrol.
Vivitrol blocks the effect opioids will have on the addict?s brain. That means they won?t get high using heroin or taking pain pills while also on Vivitrol. An addict cannot start taking Vivitrol until he or she has been clean for at least seven to ten days. Vivitrol is a shot, the patient receives once a month through a health care professional, and the effect of the shot will last the full 30 days until their next injection.
However, Vivitrol alone won?t stop the addiction. Drug treatment centers that utilize Vivitrol with their patients will also offer group and one-on-one counseling in order to help the patient through the experience of no longer relying on drugs. The counseling also helps patients identify the reasons they started using drugs in the first place.
Addiction recovery is a long road, and addicts need all the aid and support they can get. Group addiction counseling helps individuals realize that they are not alone in their addiction, and regardless of what things they did while using drugs, some people will understand.
When looking for drug rehab centers for yourself of a loved one, it is important to find one that combines counseling with their other treatment options because it has proven to be an essential part of the recovery process. Opioid addiction is severe and is not something that can be ignored.