Signs of opiate addiction may not be obvious to everyone. You could have a loved one struggling with drug abuse and not recognize the problem immediately. Learn to recognize some of the most common signals those who have problems with opiate use send through their actions and appearance. After recognizing that a problem exists, you can help your loved one to seek recovery through an addiction treatment program. For more information about your treatment options, contact Bayview Recovery today at 855.478.3650.
Five Common Signs of an Opiate Addiction
Opiates include legal prescription opioids and illegal drugs like heroin. An opiate addiction will cause changes in the mind, body, and behavior. Look for the following five signs of opiate addiction in yourself or a loved one. Addiction can devastate a life. Therefore, if you notice these, contact a rehab center for more information on overcoming opiate abuse.
- Using illegal heroin or using prescription opioids for other than their intended use
- Failing to regularly care for oneself such as eating, bathing, sleeping, working, and exercising
- Getting into trouble with the law from trying to get drugs or money for drugs
- Changes in sleep patterns
- Trouble maintaining social and work relationships
Effects of Opiate Addiction
Opiates can cause problems both after using these drugs for a short while and after long-term use. However, stopping opiates suddenly could cause severe withdrawal problems, including cravings, tremors, anxiety, diarrhea, and insomnia. These side effects of stopping drug use need medical monitoring to prevent severe harm.
Hence, if you or a loved one struggles with an opiate abuse problem, you should also recognize the dangers of continuing to use the drug and the importance of getting professional treatment to overcome the issue.
With each use of opiates, you will experience short-term effects of the drugs. However, the severity of the symptoms that you experience depends on the amount of the drug that you used and how quickly you took it into your body. Common short-term impacts of opiates include:
- Slowed body functions such as breathing and heart rate
- Dry mouth
- Sleepiness
- Nausea
- Confusion
- Constricted pupils
Over time, regular use of opiates will affect your health even more. Chronic constipation, damage to the kidneys and liver, heart problems, tooth decay, and malnutrition increase in likelihood the longer you use opiates. Consequently, the sooner that you can get treatment, the better your chance at restoring your body to full health will be.
Treatment for Addiction to Opiates
Treatment for addiction to opiates includes several steps. First, you call the facility to learn more about payment options, programs, and availability. The staff will help you to find the best treatment course for your issue. Some people start at more intensive care levels, such as partial hospitalization program (PHP), and work their way up to options that require less time at the treatment center. The following are levels of care that you can find at Bayview Recovery:
- Partial hospitalization program (PHP)
- Intensive outpatient program (IOP)
- Standard outpatient program
- Aftercare program for sustaining your recovered life
The level of care often depends on how long you used drugs and the amount you used. You may need to go to another facility for detox first before starting treatment at Bayview. This step enables us to focus on providing therapy to help treat the mental changes often caused by addiction that lead to more drug use.
Contact Bayview Recovery for Help
If you or a loved one has shown signs of opiate addiction, contact Bayview Recovery at 855.478.3650. We have the resources to help those at our facility to break out of the painful harm of opiate addiction. You don’t have to allow opiate use and abuse to continue to harm your social life, body, and mind. Our beautiful location in the Pacific Northwest provides a therapeutic environment to let you heal and find a life of recovery.
Bayview Recovery Center is located in Tacoma, Washington and specializes in substance abuse addiction and co-occurring disorders. Specialist at Bayview recovery are equipped with years of experience navigating adult men and women to sobriety and giving them the tools to maintain it. Backed with a comprehensive set of treatment offerings for individualized care, Bayview has a commitment to fighting addiction. Learn more about Bayview Recovery here.