Question

why is drug addiction treatment important? How can you make a connection between drug addiction and opioids?

Answer 1

why drug therapy is important : Drug therapy has clear benefits. Medication can cure many conditions, such as certain infections and diseases, and can dramatically improve symptoms of a wide range of problems. Patients should speak with their physician or health care provider to determine whether medication is right for them.

What type of therapy best for the addiction :  

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

CBT is one of the most popular therapies in addiction medicine, and counselors use it to treat a variety of addictions. Research has proved CBT can effectively treat addiction to: Alcohol. Marijuana

Objective of Drug therapy:  The objective of drug therapy is to provide maximum benefit within minimum harm. Because all patients are unique, drug therapy must be tailored to each individual.

Drug Addiction Affects All Aspects of Daily Life: Family, Work, School and Social Activities

Drug addiction is a complex medical problem with negative consequences that can affect almost every part of a patient’s life. To be successful, a drug addiction treatment program must be ready to address these issues by not only focusing on the patient’s addictive behavior, such as drug use, but also offering solutions to ancillary problems. Many programs now offer job skills training in order to help the patient become a productive member of both his family and society at large. This aspect of drug addiction treatment is an essential part of encouraging patients to stay sober by giving them something to be sober for.

Drug addiction treatment can be found in a variety of environments, using many different behavioral and pharmacological methods. There are over 10,000 drug addiction treatment facilities in the US that offer counseling, behavioral therapy, medication, and case management to those suffering with substance abuse.

In addition to formal drug addiction treatment centers, many drug addicts can get valuable assistance in doctor’s offices and medical clinics from doctors, nurses, counselors, psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers. Drug addiction treatment can be offered in outpatient, inpatient and residential settings and, although some treatment models are typically associated with a particular treatment environment, many effective methods are flexible enough to be offered anywhere.

Since drug addiction is such a major public health issue, much of the funding for drug treatment comes from local, state and federal government budgets. Although private or employer-subsidized health insurance policies can provide coverage for addiction treatment and the resulting medical fallout, benefit caps have resulting in shorter stays or the total elimination of certain programs. Although the US Congress recently passed a mental health parity law, it does not apply to all insurers and there are significant loopholes available for corporations to use to avoid having to pay out benefits.

Drug Addiction Treatment Can Help Reduce the Spread of HIV, AIDS and Hepatitis C

Those suffering from drug addiction, whether they inject drugs or not, have an increased risk of contracting HIV, Hepatitis C and other types of infection diseases because these diseases can be spread by sharing contaminated needs and having unprotected sex (drug use lowers inhibitions and leads to more promiscuous sexual behavior). Because drug addiction treatment, by definition, reduces both needle sharing and risky sexual behavior, it also prevents the spread of infection diseases.

Drug addicts who use needles are almost six times more likely to get HIV than those who stop using and enter and stay in drug treatment as those in treatment often reduce participation in the risky behavior that can spread disease. Treatment programs also offer a safe environment for infectious disease screening, counseling and referral to maintenance programs.

Connection between Drug addiction and Opioids :

Opioids, sometimes called narcotics, are a type of drug. They include strong prescription pain relievers, such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, fentanyl, and tramadol. The illegal drug heroin is also an opioid. Some opioids are made from the opium plant, and others are synthetic (man-made).

A doctor may give you a prescription opioid to reduce pain after you have had a major injury or surgery. You may get them if you have severe pain from health conditions like cancer. Some doctors prescribe them for chronic pain.

Opioids can cause side effects such as drowsiness, mental fog, nausea, and constipation. They may also cause slowed breathing, which can lead to overdose deaths. If someone has signs of an overdose, call 911:

• The person's face is extremely pale and/or feels clammy to the touch
• Their body goes limp
• Their fingernails or lips have a purple or blue color
• They start vomiting or making gurgling noises
• They cannot be awakened or are unable to speak
• Their breathing or heartbeat slows or stops

Other risks of using prescription opioids include dependence and addiction. Dependence means feeling withdrawal symptoms when not taking the drug. Addiction is a chronic brain disease that causes a person to compulsively seek out drugs, even though they cause harm. The risks of dependence and addiction are higher if you misuse the medicines. Misuse can include taking too much medicine, taking someone else's medicine, taking it in a different way than you are supposed to, or taking the medicine to get high.

Opioid misuse, addiction, and overdoses are serious public health problems in the United States. Another problem is that more women are misusing opioids during pregnancy. This can lead to babies being addicted and going through withdrawal, known as neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). Opioid misuse may sometimes also lead to heroin use, because some people switch from prescription opioids to heroin.

The main treatment for prescription opioid addiction is medication-assisted treatment (MAT). It includes medicines, counseling, and support from family and friends. MAT can help you stop using the drug, get through withdrawal, and cope with cravings. There is also a medicine called naloxone which can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose and prevent death, if it is given in time.