Naltrexone is a considerably strong treatment for opiate addiction, and it is very different from the other medications used to treat this problem. Naltrexone is a safe, tested, effective medication, but it isn’t right for everyone. So who can be treated with naltrexone?

Why is Naltrexone Treatment Not for Everyone?

As a treatment for opiate addiction, naltrexone, or its brand name ReVia, is a safe and effective medication, but there are important limitations to this drug. According to the National Library of Medicine, “Naltrexone should not be used to treat people who are still using street drugs or drinking large amounts of alcohol.” Because the drug is an opioid antagonist, it can cause severe issues in a person who is currently still abusing opioids or alcohol. In addition, it triggers a withdrawal reaction whenever a person is dependent on opioids, so a treatment regimen must not begin with this medication until the individual is completely finished with withdrawal.

Some people are not able to tolerate naltrexone and often go off the medication. This is because so many restrictions are put on those who take it and because the consequences can be severe––and painful––if the individual relapses. Some addicts refuse to take the drug in the first place because there are so many rules associated with its use.

Who is Right for Naltrexone Treatment?

Naltrexone is beneficial for those who truly want to quit opiates.

Although it can be too hard for some individuals to take the drug, it can be very beneficial for others. According to Harvard Medical School, “An addict who takes naltrexone faithfully will never relapse.” This is because many addicts who take it faithfully understand the consequences of further drug abuse, making it a strong deterrent against relapse, and because it protects the individual from feeling any euphoric effects if they do happen to abuse opioids again, as it “neutralizes or reverses the effects” of these drugs.

Harvard Medical School states that “physicians and other middle-class patients who are highly motivated to get free of the opiate because they have so much to lose from a persistent addiction” are some of the most ideal candidates for naltrexone treatment.

Is Naltrexone Right for Me?

This medication may be a beneficial treatment for your needs, but this strongly depends on

• Where you are in your treatment and recovery
• How long you plan to be on medication
• How serious you are about quitting your opioid drug abuse
• Whether or not you can handle the intense effects of naltrexone

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, “You can stop taking naltrexone at any time with no withdrawal or craving,” as it is not addictive. This is a desirable factor for many individuals, but it is important to remember that persistence and motivation are two very important qualities that you should have if you are considering naltrexone treatment for your addiction. If you still think this treatment is right for you, it could be helpful to talk to your doctor about the benefits and drawbacks of the medication.

Do You Want to Learn More About Naltrexone Treatment?

Call 800-442-6158 Who Answers? . We can discuss this option with you and answer any questions you may have as well as refer you to rehab centers where naltrexone is a possible treatment option for patients.

From Thanksgiving to New Years, the holiday season brings a flurry of good tidings and celebrations. For some people, mixed feelings regarding self and others can also come to the foreground during the holidays.

Family togetherness, seeing old-time friends and all the underlying issues that these interactions carry can make for a pressure cooker of emotional turmoil for non-drug using individuals, let alone people struggling with addiction. Add opiate addiction to the mix and the dangers that come with opiate abuse and addiction increase considerably.

According to the U. S. National Library of Medicine, opiates have a cumulative effect on the brain and body, damaging essential chemical processes in the background, without a person even knowing. By the time the need for opiate addiction treatment becomes apparent, drug users may have rolled the dice too many times, resulting in unforeseen catastrophe and heartache. Once opiate addiction takes hold, the sooner a person gets needed treatment help the better.

The Holiday Season

During the holiday season, it’s not uncommon to spend time with loved ones, old friends and acquaintances who are, for the most part, people you may or may not interact with on a day-to-day basis. Spending extended periods of time with family and “long ago” friends can stir up old memories of times gone by, both good and bad.

In actuality, whether good or bad, this season brings about changes in one’s daily lifestyle that can be stressful. By the time Christmas rolls around, walks down memory lane can start to take a toll on a person’s emotional stability, especially when opiate addiction is a factor.

The Opiate Abuse Cycle

The holidays are even more stressful for opiate users.

The good feelings and sense of calm that comes with an opiate “high” takes a tremendous toll on the brain’s neurotransmitter production processes. In effect, neurotransmitters regulate most every major bodily function.

With repeated drug use, the brain cells that produce neurotransmitter chemicals start to deteriorate, and in the process require larger and larger doses to produce the desired effects of the drug. On top of this, users experience uncomfortable withdrawal episodes that only work to drive continued drug use. Within the context of the holiday build-up to Christmas, someone addicted to opiates may well see considerable increases in his or her drug use.

The Opiate Addiction Cycle

According to the University of California-San Diego, the opiate addiction cycle takes root as opiates wear away at the areas of the brain regulating learning, motivation and behavior, also known as the brain reward system. Someone trying to appear cheerful and upbeat in accordance with the Christmas spirit while attending parties, family get-togethers, going to work and shopping for gifts can easily grow dependent on the drug’s effects to cope with it all.

This mental dependency on opiate effects increases, much like the brain’s physical dependency does. By the time Christmas and New Year’s come and go, opiate addiction has become a “normal” part of daily life.

The Need for Opiate Addiction Treatment Help

Opiate addiction is essentially a breeding ground for emotional instability and mental distress. In cases of heavy drug abuse, feelings of despair and depression only get worse as opiates continue to offset the brain’s ability to function normally. Waiting until Christmas passes only worsens the problem, leaving the mind and body all the more dependent on opiates to manage daily life. For these reasons, getting needed opiate addiction treatment now offers the best chance of a successful recovery.

If you or someone you know struggles with opiate addiction and are considering getting treatment help, please don’t hesitate to call our toll-free helpline at 800-442-6158 Who Answers? for information on treatment programs in your area.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, “Several factors are likely to have contributed to the severity of the current prescription drug abuse problem: …increases in the number of prescriptions written and dispensed, greater social acceptability for using medications for different purposes, and aggressive marketing by pharmaceutical companies.”

For these reasons, as well as possibly many others, opiate prescription abuse is dangerously common today. It is important to be able to recognize when you may be in danger of abusing your prescription opioids and how to find the help you may need.

Am I Abusing or Likely to Abuse My Prescription Opiates?

Looking forward to when you can take your next dose is a sign of abuse.

There are certain questions you should ask yourself about your drug use if you are unsure that it has become abusive. These include:

• Am I taking my medication more often, in higher doses, or for a longer period of time than my doctor prescribed?
• Have I begun to take another medication or drug in place of the medication I was prescribed to take?
• Have I ever lied about my prescription or falsified information in order to get more medication?
• Has the main reason for my drug use become related to the euphoric feeling the opioids cause and not pain relief or another issue for which they were prescribed?
• Have I begun to feel that I do not need the medication but am continuing to take it anyway because I like how it makes me feel?

If you answered yes to any of the questions above, you are already abusing your prescription. However, if you haven’t begun to do so yet, you may be in danger of abusing the opioid that has been prescribed for you. Answer the questions below in order to find out:

• Am I experiencing extreme tolerance to the drug I am taking, to the point where I have considered taking more to counteract it?
• Do I feel that I am dependent on the drug and that I am unable to get up in the morning or do anything without it?
• Do I watch the clock when I am waiting to take my next dosage?
• Have I considered taking more of my medication, taking it more often, or taking it in a higher dose than I was prescribed?
• Have I considered switching to another medication that I was not prescribed or taking illegal substances?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may be in danger of abusing your opioid prescription. It is important to seek help immediately.

Where Can I Find Help?

According to the National Library of Medicine, “There are different types of treatment for drug abuse. But the best is to prevent drug abuse in the first place.” If you believe that you are in danger of abusing your opioid prescription, you likely are. You can find help by talking to your doctor, choosing to attend treatment at a rehab clinic, or attending support group meetings.

Often, the best way to start is to talk to your doctor. You can also call 800-442-6158 Who Answers? to find out about treatment centers in your area and other ways to prevent dangerous drug abuse.

The holiday season impacts most everyone, bringing out the very best, and sometimes the very worst in people. For people struggling with heroin addiction, the holidays can quickly become a source of tension and stress as friends and loved ones gear up for the festivities.

As the heroin epidemic continues to gain steam, heroin overdose rates have increased accordingly. Much like cocaine, heroin all but takes over brain and body functions in short periods of time.

For these reasons, the risk of heroin overdose runs especially high during the holiday season. Getting needed heroin addiction treatment help may well make the difference between a safe, happy holiday season and days of heartbreak and trauma.

Heroin’s Overdose Potential

Heroin’s primary effects work to depress or slow down the body’s processes and functions. These changes start inside the brain where heroin’s effects cause the release of massive amounts of endorphin chemicals, according to the University of Maryland.

With long-term use, users reach a point where they’re taking incredibly large doses at a time. At high dosage levels, the drug’s depressant effects can slow bodily functions down to dangerous levels causing the respiratory and/or cardiovascular system to stop working. Heroin overdose results when dosage amount effects overpower the brain and body’s ability to maintain normal functions.

Why the Time is Now

Dysfunctional relationships can contribute to heroin abuse.

The Family Dynamic

While the addict may seem like the source and root of a family’s dysfunction, more often than not, the way a family communicates and the interrelationships within the family contribute to the addict’s drug using-behaviors in various ways. Be it an enabling spouse or a judgmental sibling, it’s the dysfunctional relationships within the family that likely feed into the addict’s behaviors. During the holidays, these relationship roles tend to intensify and in doing so, create “reasons” for the addict to engage in drug-using behaviors.

Stress Levels

Stress can be both good and bad in terms of the effects it has in a person’s life. According to the U. S. National Library of Medicine, both positive and negative experiences can trigger a certain degree of stress, but it’s the actual duration of the stressor that determines whether it has good or bad affects in a person’s life.

The holiday seasons runs for a good two months in duration, which is more than long enough for stress levels to build along the way. If you’ve used heroin for any length of time, you’re well aware of how stress can trigger the urge to use. Over the course of the holiday season, usage frequency and dosage amounts can escalate to dangerous levels.

Increasing Dosage Amounts

The brain develops an ongoing tolerance for heroin’s effects, which greatly contributes to the likelihood of heroin overdose with long-term drug use. For someone who’s already addicted to the drug, dosage level amounts stand to increase considerably if he she relies on heroin to cope with the holidays.

Emotional Instability

Whether a person views the holidays as a happy or sad time of year, frequent heroin use eventually starts to wreak havoc on one’s emotional well-being, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The feelings of sadness and discontent that develop once the drug’s effects wear off become yet another reason to keep using. In effect, the emotional instability that results from heroin plays into the vicious cycle that is heroin addiction. This process further increases the likelihood of heroin overdose.

If you or someone you know struggles with heroin addiction this holiday season, getting needed treatment help now may well be the only thing that stands between you and an overdose episode. If you have any further questions about addiction or need help locating treatment programs in your area, please feel free to call our toll-free helpline at 800-442-6158 Who Answers? .

Anyone who’s lived with heroin addiction for any length of time well knows how this drug wields control over the body and mind. Whether just entering drug treatment or working through recovery, the challenges for the most part remain the same.

Heroin addiction leaves an imprint on the brain, warping a person’s psychological make-up and changing his or her belief systems. For these reasons, the secrets behind overcoming heroin addiction have as much to do with confronting your outlook on daily life as it does abstaining from further drug use.

Depending on the severity of the problem, overcoming heroin addiction may or may not require medical treatment in terms of helping the body better adjust to the absence of the drug. Ultimately, you can overcome heroin addiction with the right supports in place.

Addiction: A State of Mind

Heroin addiction develops out of the damaging effects of the drug on the areas of the brain that determine a person’s interests, motivations and overall outlook on life, self and others. While the physical effects of the drug create the conditions that allow heroin addiction to develop, it’s the drug’s overarching effects on a person’s thinking and overall psychological make-up that drives the addiction cycle, according to Indiana University.

Frequent heroin abuse set the stage for brain and body functions to become physically dependent on heroin’s effects while continued drug use sets the stage for psychological dependency to take root. Herein lies the actual addiction mindset, a state of mind that can stay with a person long after he or she stops using the drug.

Mild vs Chronic Heroin Addiction

Anxiety is a symptom of heroin dependency.

Frequency of heroin use and the length of time a person continues using most determines whether you’re dealing with a mild or chronic form of heroin addiction. With long-term use, heroin has a cumulative effect on brain chemical processes and brain function in general. In effect, heroin creates chemical imbalances that worsen over time, impairing overall brain function in the process.

Someone at the early stages of drug use may only exhibit signs of physical dependency, which can be overcome on one’s own with the right supports in place. Signs of physical dependency include:

• Mood swings
• Irritability
• Restlessness
• Problems sleeping
• Constipation
• Difficulty concentrating
• Feelings of depression
• Anxiety
• Fatigue

People struggling with chronic heroin addiction have likely developed widespread brain chemical imbalances that will persist long after they stop using the drug. Chronic addiction also impacts a person’s lifestyle, making it difficult to cope with the demands of everyday life. Signs of chronic addiction typically take the form of:

• Decline in work/school performance
• Problems at work or loss of employment
• Relationship conflicts
• Loss of interest in once enjoyed activities and pursuits
• Loss of control over drug intake
• Intense drug cravings

The secrets to overcoming heroin addiction can go a long way towards helping you work through the underlying issues that drive drug-using behavior; however, these issues become more pronounced and more difficult to work through in cases of chronic heroin addiction.

5 Secrets to Overcome Heroin Addiction

1. Changing Your Lifestyle is Half the Battle

Heroin addiction essentially changes a person’s daily routines, habits and behaviors. As the drug’s effects take over the areas of the brain that shape your priorities and interests, drug-based choices and drug-using behaviors start to take priority over other life areas. These effects can persist long after you stop using the drug.

By changing your lifestyle you begin the process of undoing the addiction mindset that drives continued drug-use. This entails developing daily routines geared towards drug-free activities and pursuits, such as work, attending support group meetings and developing relationships with like-minded individuals.

2. Help the Healing Process Along

The brain chemical imbalances left behind from heroin addiction will take time to get back to normal. Until they do, you’ll likely experience ongoing feelings of depression, irritability and have trouble sleeping. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, helping the healing process along can help in relieving the physical aftereffects of addiction and make recovery more bearable.

Ways to support the body’s healing process include:

• Avoid stimulant-based substances, such as caffeine and nicotine
• Daily exercise, such as taking walks or even joining a gym
• Eat healthy
• Meditation and relaxation exercises

3. A Craving Only Lasts for 20 to 30 Minutes

Besides the residual withdrawal aftereffects of heroin addiction, drug cravings become the second biggest obstacle to maintaining continued abstinence from drug use. While drug cravings may feel like a physical aftereffect, they actually stem a psychological dependence on the drug’s effects.

The feelings of euphoria, calm and confidence heroin causes have become imprinted in the brain. In effect, the brain perceives heroin’s effects as the solution to all of life’s problems.

The good news is drug cravings only last for up to 30 minutes, so staying occupied with a task for this amount of time will allow cravings to pass. Structuring your daily routines and activities can go a long way towards overcoming drug cravings.

4. Identify Drug-Using Cues and Triggers

During the course of heroin use, the brain incorporates the places where a person uses the drug, the people he or she uses with and the activities taking place into the addiction mindset. Once a person stops using, these aspects of drug use act as cues that can trigger drug cravings and drug-using behaviors. Identifying drug-using cues can help you develop a plan on how to avoid people, places and situations that pose a threat to your recovery efforts.

5. Recovery is a Process, Not a Cure

It’s easy to expect much of the addiction problem to go away once you stop using heroin. The truth of the matter is stopping drug use is only the first step in the recovery process, according to the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration. In essence, overcoming heroin addiction is a process that takes time, focus and an ongoing desire to get and stay well. Keeping this in mind can help you stay engaged in the recovery process for the long-term.

When All Else Fails ….

While the five secrets for overcoming heroin addiction can go a long way towards working through the challenges that recovery brings, people struggling with severe or chronic forms of addiction will likely require professional drug treatment help. The brain chemical imbalances left behind by chronic heroin use require medical treatment or else a person will end up fighting a losing battle against withdrawal and drug cravings aftereffects.

Drug treatment programs can administer medication therapies specifically formulated to support damaged brain chemical processes. These programs also provide behavioral treatments that help you “undo” the addiction mindset and develop healthy ways of coping with the demands of everyday life.

If you have any further questions regarding addiction or need help locating heroin addiction treatment programs in your area, please feel free to call our toll-free helpline at 800-442-6158 Who Answers? to speak with one of our phone counselors.