In a day and age when the very mention of “fake news” draws headlines, this news is all too real. America is deeply mired in a public health crisis: opioid addiction.

The abuse of and addiction to opioids such as:

  • Heroin
  • Morphine
  • prescription pain relievers

Is a serious global problem that affects the health, social, and economic welfare of all societies.  It is estimated that between 26.4 million and 36 million people abuse opioids worldwide. The problems are fixable, perhaps. Yet, there is no easy fix.

Abuse of Prescription Opioids

Prescription opioids are one of the three main broad categories of medications that present abuse liability, the other two being stimulants and central nervous system (CNS) depressants.

Several factors are likely to have contributed to the severity of the current prescription drug abuse problem.  They include:

  • drastic increases in the number of prescriptions written and dispensed
  • greater social acceptability for using medications for different purposes
  • aggressive marketing by pharmaceutical companies.
  • Heroin Abuse

The recent trend of a switch from prescription opioids to heroin seen in some communities in our country alerts us to the complex issues surrounding opioid addiction and the intrinsic difficulties in addressing it through any single measure such as enhanced diversion control.

Taking prescription painkillers off the streets isn’t enough to eliminate opiate addiction. These drugs stimulate the opioid receptors in the brain in a manner similar to heroin, morphine, methadone and other opiate drugs. When a prescription painkiller addict can’t find pills, he or she is just as likely to turn to heroin, which is now cheaper and easier to get.

How to pick the best opioid outpatient rehab center?

It may seem overwhelming at points as if there are almost too many options. But if you really narrow in on what you are looking for in an outpatient rehab center, as well as the substance you need treatment for, this option becomes a little easier.

When it comes to outpatient treatment, the patient is able to remain in their current living situation and go to school or work, while going to treatment a few times per week.

At IGotSober we use Naltrexone. Naltrexone is an FDA approved prescription medicine that not only reduces or eliminates any desire for alcohol and drugs, but effectively blocks their effects as well. Can be very effective for: alcohol, heroin and all opioid drugs including Vicodin®, Oxycodone, Hydrocodone and many prescription pain medications. It has shown to help significantly improve the success rate for alcohol and addiction recovery.

Why are Naltrexone implants the best to treat opiate based addictions?

Naltrexone has the advantage of being time-tested and non-addictive in nature and as such, eliminates the craving for drugs giving an individual the opportunity to focus on the recovery process. The Naltrexone implant is usually in form of a small non-narcotic pellet which as a norm is usually inserted under the skin near the lower abdomen: the medicine gets released into the body slowly over time. As a norm, local anesthesia is administered before the procedure is performed. The procedure usually takes a very short time and a patient is released soon after.

How long is the Naltrexone therapy?

We strongly recommend based on our experience that the Naltrexone implant therapy should last between 6 and 12 months. For further questions please give us a call.