Opioid addiction is the same as any drug abuse. The user begins to exhibit erratic behavior, excessive sleepiness or hyperactivity resulting in decreased sleep, glassy eyes, mood swings and an inability to focus on much beyond the next dose.
How do opioids come into people’s possessions? In many cases, it is a gradual surrender, as a patient deals with chronic pain. It’s easy to shop around for doctors and many receive prescriptions from one or more compliant physicians.
In some cases, the addict may steal or borrow medicine from a friend as a way to cut expenses, then start looking for the drugs available anywhere, including the street and the underground market of the Internet.
While some people are prescribed the drugs after surgery, they become dependent on the relief and start to extend the use beyond what’s medically necessary.
Taking a pill is a natural act, and that can make it extremely easy to forget you’re taking drugs. Other risk factors of addiction include prior problems with alcohol or tobacco abuse; a family history of substance abuse issues; certain pre-existing psychiatric conditions that may be triggered by drug experiences; and in some cases, easy access to medications whether through the home medicine cabinet or compliant doctors.
Many people believe pills are not part of a serious drug problem, and thus do not realize that there are some health issues that may occur from repeated abuse.
WHAT CAN BE DONE
The road away from addiction is not an easy path. Patients are usually evasive about their drug problems, but doctors will require an honest discussion of habits in order to treat a drug abuse problem. Treatment options are plentiful, but they depend on the patient’s insurance and financial resources, their location in the country, and whether there are vacancies in drug rehabilitation and treatment centers for their particular issue.