Prescription Pain Pill Addiction Treatment

Prescription Pain Pill Treatment in New Jersey

The very definition of pain is elusive. Generally, pain refers to any event in which the brain registers as an unpleasant experience. However, defining exactly what that is and how it occurs is very complex. It is such that even the world’s experts on the subject cannot reach a consensus. The International Association for the Study of Pain defines pain as “an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue.”

In reality, pain under normal circumstances transcends physical damage. This begs the question of pain management, considering the predispositions for addiction. In the past, opioids, alcohol and other substances, which are considered illicit today, are used to achieve pain control. Today, it is common to see a pain patient on eight or nine different prescription medications in an attempt to control pain. These patients can accidentally fall into the trap of addiction in the course of innocent attempts to manage their pain.

Addiction Treatment for Prescription Pain Pills

There are three primary types of treatment for prescription pain pills. Prescription opioid addicts have another treatment option, maintenance therapy, which uses medication to manage the craving for opioids.

• Residential Treatment

Residential treatments are effective in addressing addiction because it offers certain advantages, which include:

1. Provides an immersive experience into recovery
2. Insulates the individual from the addictive substances
3. Limits further emotional damage to the addict’s family
4. Provides more time for therapy and peer interaction

Therefore, residential treatment provides services that are more necessary. It is better suited for people who have extreme addictions, certain medical and psychiatric problems, as well as little social support for abstinence. These groups of recovering addicts have better outcomes in residential treatment. Professionals, such as pilots and physicians, who can place the public at risk with ongoing addiction, may be better off in residential treatment. However, the downside of residential treatment is that it can be expensive and disruptive to work and family responsibilities.

• Outpatient Treatment

Here, addiction treatment services are usually offered two to three hours a day, several times per week. The programs are set up for both day and evening hours, which makes them easily accessible. This treatment is intense, frequent initially but diminishes over time and lasts for six to twelve weeks or up to a year or more. The treatment is based on the same principles as residential treatment, and it is as effective as residential treatment for those with less severe illness. The downside is that outpatient treatment lacks the extensive variety of services and multidisciplinary team of experts available in residential option. Furthermore, outpatient programs have a higher relapse and dropout rate. Thus, several factors are weighed when recommending a treatment program.

• Maintenance Therapy

Maintenance therapy is limited to the treatment of opioid addiction, primarily heroin, but it can be used to treat addiction to OxyContin and other prescription opioids. Maintenance therapy uses medication within the same class as the addicting drug to prevent intoxication, withdrawal, and illicit use. This is very effective at eliminating the use of heroin and opioids and decreasing illegal activities and co-occurring disorders. The most common medication used for maintenance therapy of opioid addiction is methadone, which can only be obtained at methadone clinics.

• Detoxification

This is a medically supervised procedure used to prevent withdrawal symptoms as well as provide a safe and comfortable transition to sobriety. Detox differs from the drug that has been abused and is often complicated due to the regular use of more than one class of drug. For example, someone who uses alcohol and prescription pain pills daily would need separate, but simultaneous, detoxification from both. Some people confuse detoxification with the treatment itself, but detox is only the beginning. Eliminating the drug from an addict’s system is necessary, but extreme vulnerability to relapse follows because craving is incredibly strong at the point of discontinuation. After detoxification, the drug is no longer the problem, but the long-term changes to the brain of the addict and psychosocial problems must be addressed with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT gets to the root of addiction and changes the addict’s beliefs that affirm their addictive behavior. The therapist works with the recovering addict to identify stressors, triggers and the pattern of thoughts that precede drug use.

Find New Jersey Pain Pill Rehab Centers

Addiction treatment for prescription pain pills requires a multi-faceted approach and begins with recognizing that there is a problem. If you or a loved one is battling an addiction to prescription pain pills, we are committed to helping you kick the habit for good. At all of our recommended addiction treatment centers, you are assured of the best approached to treatment that is designed for and unique to you. We would like to discuss your needs for Pain Pill Addiction Treatment in New Jersey or out-of-state. Call our addiction helpline for more information.