Painkiller Addiction Rehab Centers & Rehab Programs

Looking for painkiller addiction rehab centers and detox programs info?

Read on to get information on painkiller warning addiction signs, symptoms, withdrawals, effects, treatments and detoxification programs.

And also the differences between short/long term outpatient and inpatient painkiller treatment centers.

Painkiller abuse has become a serious healthcare issue in modern society.

Since painkillers modify how our brain works, they also tend to leave their trademark imprint.

As per the Institute of Medicine, 116 million adults are affected by chronic pain and it costs about 625 billion dollars in pain treatment and lost productivity every year.

Painkiller addiction is a phenomenon where the person can’t continue his life without taking the painkiller.

Since this addiction to painkillers can’t be treated by medical means, certain psychological and sometimes emotional methods are employed to treat this type of addiction.

Such treatment is known as painkiller addiction treatment.

These treatments are carried out in special places called painkiller addiction treatment centers and under special medical and environmental conditions which often are not healthy for the normal human brain.

Painkiller addiction is not only dangerous for the person, but also for everyone who is involved with that person.

It puts an enormous emotional and psychological pressure on the person involved and their family regardless of the type and level of addiction he/she has.

The process of learning to abstain from the use of these painkillers is called recovery.

What are painkillers and how do people get addicted to them?

A painkiller, as the name suggests, is a drug or medicine that helps to relieve pain.

Now we know that when ingesting a painkiller the pain doesn’t actually go away, so what happens?

Painkillers contain chemicals that interact with the brain and modify or sometimes redefine what ‘pain’ is.

This causes the actual pain to gradually cease because the brain has been put in stasis.

These feelings generated by painkillers are similar to the feelings that occur when one takes drugs like heroin or cocaine.

This psychological feeling is defined as ‘high’, where the susceptibility to pain becomes less and people generally tend to become worry-free.

Many people tend to misuse painkillers as drugs because they cause this feeling of ‘high’.

This is how people get addicted to painkillers.

As per a 2007 report, 2.3 million people used prescription painkillers for the first time.

The different signs of painkiller addiction

As we know, painkiller addiction is very harmful and generally, the person needs to receive addiction treatment in order to continue normally with his life.

Here are some symptoms that can help to identify painkiller addiction-

  • Becoming highly aware of the medication – This includes continuously checking to make sure there is enough of a supply of the medicine and also looking forward to when the scheduled time arrives to take the medication.
  • Taking a different amount than what was originally prescribed – This generally occurs gradually, over time, where the person starts to increase the dosage because the pain is becoming stronger and harder to ‘kill’ with the previous dosage.
  • Going “doctor shopping” – This generally refers to a condition where the patient visits two or more doctors for the same problem and lies about their actual condition to get an extra supply of painkillers.
  • Getting painkillers from other sources – This generally includes buying more painkillers from the internet, using other people’s leftovers, etc.
  • Feels angry if someone talks to them about it – This indicates a serious red light in this case. This means that people don’t want to admit that they are becoming addicted to painkillers.
  • Changes in sleep patterns, sudden mood swings, stepping back from responsibilities, etc.

These roughly sum up the symptoms that help to identify painkiller addiction.

The person responsible also has to have a grip over the drugs that he takes or else addiction treatment might be necessary.

Short & long term effects of painkiller abuse

Painkiller abuse can cause the following short term effects-

  • Intense high caused whenever the drug enters the bloodstream.
  • Sudden mood swings.
  • Reduced reaction time i.e. The time required to take action.
  • Severe headaches, vomiting, and nausea.

The long-term side effects caused by painkiller abuse are more serious. They include-

  • Liver and kidney failure.
  • Lower resistance to diseases
  • Stomach problems
  • Weak heart with sudden chest pain.
  • Impaired mental function.
  • Asthmatic problems.
  • Death
  • Addiction

Other than the above-mentioned side effects, painkiller abuse causes emotional, psychological and mental grief for the family members of the addicted person.

If you or your family is dealing with a painkiller abuse contact a painkiller addiction treatment center today.

Long & short term addiction treatment facilities for prescription painkillers

Prescription painkillers are generally recommended by doctors and physicians for mild to severe pain.

Since these medicines are frequently used, buying these medicines isn’t very difficult.

Some stores even dole out prescription painkillers without checking that the prescription they are filling is valid or not.

Thus addiction to these prescription painkillers can happen fast and is generally very common.

The good news is throughout the country that is several professional painkiller addiction rehab facilities help people take back their life.

According to a report put forward by NIDA in 2013, out of 22.7 million Americans who needed help, only 2.5 million people came forward and asked for help.

Those dealing with this type of drug abuse and addiction should take this seriously and seek help.

Painkiller addiction treatment centers offer in-patient and outpatient services to tackle the problem of painkiller addiction.

In Inpatient rehab or detox, the addicted person is handled with the utmost care.

The program takes place at the patient’s home if there is mild addiction, or separate rooms are provided in the addiction treatment center for strongly addicted people.

The family plays a big role in this type of treatment and traits like trust and affection are rebuilt between the patient and the family.

Outpatient rehab is generally for people who have a strong sense of justice and have a strong will to overcome their addiction to painkillers.

Instead of being an in-house member of the treatment facility for pain killer addiction, they opt to consult a physician or doctor by themselves at certain fixed times.

Following are the few ways these facilities help addicted people-

  • Biofeedback – This is a very important first step before starting the actual detox or rehab program. This therapy is used to identify how the person’s body responds to external stimuli, even after being addicted to a certain drug.
  • Meditation – This is used as a tool to calm the person’s mind and slowly take him away from the addiction.
  • Art, Self-love, and Music therapies – These types of therapies are used to divert the patient’s mind from the addiction, helping them to get over it.
  • Yoga, beach and nature walk – These walks have a soothing effect on the mind and help to slowly and gradually cleanse the body of the addiction
  • Family therapy – In this type of therapy, the patient is asked to spend time with the family and given certain specific tasks to complete which helps them to regain courage and trust.
  • Trauma resolution – In some cases, addiction happens because of a certain mental trauma that the patient suffers through. This is a specialized therapy that helps them to get over their trauma.
  • Relapse therapy
  • Group therapies

Painkiller detox and withdrawal symptoms

Many painkiller rehab facility offers detox programs first before the main rehab begins.

During a drug detox program, people usually go through withdrawal symptoms which can be dangerous.

This is why going to professional and medical detox is very important so they can manage the withdrawal.

The detox programs for painkiller treatment can be either medicated or non-medicated.

In medicated detox, the patient generally uses other medicines to ease the painkiller addiction, while in non-medicated detox the process is completed by gradually decreasing the dosage of the painkiller used or just going “cold turkey”

Below are the typical detox available

  1. Social detox – the natural detox without drug help and this is not recommended
  2. Medical detox – this is the recommended type of detox and should only be received by licensed medical professionals at a painkiller rehab center. The different types of painkiller medical detox are:
  • accelerated detox program
  • rapid detox program
  • ultra-rapid detox program

These detox programs can result in the following withdrawal symptoms-

  • Nausea
  • Muscle cramps
  • Depression
  • Agitation, Restlessness
  • Amnesia

To minimize these symptoms, Naltrexone and other drugs are used.

Inpatient rehab for painkiller addiction treatment

The inpatient or residential painkiller recovery program is a program where the patient stays at the treatment centers while receiving rehabilitation for their addiction.

The patient eat, sleep and get all treatment at the facility

The long term inpatient rehab can run from 3-8 months to about 1 year depending on the patient’s need.

The short term inpatient programs are generally fast-paced and help people to cope with addiction within 1-2 months.

Pros of inpatient painkiller recovery programs

  • The patient receives around the clock care and support
  • The trauma, present within the patient is dealt with.
  • No use of medicines, so the process is organic and harmless.
  • Quick removal of addiction problems.
  • Though it is tough, it is a sure method to end the addiction.
  • People strongly addicted to painkillers can use this process.

Cons of an inpatient painkiller recovery program

  • The time taken is quite long and thus some people cannot complete the process and end up being addicted again.
  • It requires a lot of money for a long time.
  • It requires extensive care for a very long time.

Outpatient painkiller rehabilitation

Outpatient painkiller rehab refers to the process where the addicted person goes to the treatment facility from home and does not live for the treatment duration at the facility.

Outpatient prescription painkiller rehabs are generally of the following types-

  • Day programs – These types of programs are carried out with the highest level of care and the patient meets with the doctor 3-4 days a week for multiple hours. The patient will participate in ongoing therapy and other treatment programs to ascertain the degree and level of painkiller addiction rehab required.
  • Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) – IOP is another outpatient painkiller rehab that can help an individual beat their addiction
  • Continuing care – This is the continuation of the main program where after the rehab, help is provided about once a week or so so that the patient doesn’t relapse.

Programs duration

Painkiller addiction detox programs durations

  • 3-day detox
  • 5-day detox
  • 7-day detox to end the use of painkillers.
  • 10-day detox – Program used for people who are severely addicted.

Short term painkiller addiction rehabs

  • 28 days/30 days – This rehab is for people who want the rehab to be completed faster and cheaper or who has a mild addiction.
  • 60 days

Long term prescription painkiller addiction rehabs

Long term rehabs can be from 90 days to a year.

Long term rehabs are generally preferred by people whose addiction is severe.

How can the private facilities be paid?

According to the Affordable Health Care Act, a person addicted to drugs or alcohol or painkillers can receive treatment with his or her insurance.

So this means that you will be covered. But the extent of your treatment will depend on your coverage type. Please speak with your insurance for more details.

You can also get the best painkiller addiction rehab by using loans, credit cards and asking family for financial help.

Do not let addiction rehabilitation prices being high prevented you from getting the treatment you need

Get connected with drug addiction treatment professionals today!

Please contact us with the number on the website to be connected with a painkiller rehab center for a free no-obligation consultation.

Updated on January 20th, 2020