Mental Health
Understanding Healthcare
Why Opioids Are Addictive
Why Opioids Are AddictiveThere are many opioid medications available to help with pain control. Doctors prescribe opioids, such ashydrocodone and oxycodone, for example, to help patients who are in severe pain.Opioids should be used when somebody was having surgery or had major trauma and it was thought thatsomething like aspirin or ibuprofen or Tylenol wouldn’t be strong enough.Fentanyl is another opioid pain medication prescribed by doctors to treat severe pain, specifically foradvanced cancer patients. But abuse of these legal opioids, along with the illegal opioids such as “street drug”heroin, is on the rise, with alarming numbers of people becoming addicted.One of the unfortunate side effects of these opioids is the ability to produce feelings of euphoria or make youfeel good. And so, if you don’t have the same feeling it can become very difficult, psychologically, to overcome.Opioids travel through your blood and attach themselves to certain brain cells. Those cells then release signalsthat fog your normal perception of pain and jumpstart your feelings of pleasure.I liked using oxycodone because it made me feel numb and I didn’t have any worries or any burdens in theworld because I was numb to everything.Katie Schneider started abusing prescription opioids in high school. Before long, she was hooked. Heraddiction switched to heroin nearly four years later because it was cheaper and easier to get.I was in complete denial of everything around me and the high was my biggest drive.These drugs kind of take over those circuits that we normally would use to make decisions and do things thatwe want to do or that we need to do and they’ll kind of make it so that the individual is more preoccupied withobtaining and seeking out the drug and using again over and over again.Jake Jansen knows this cycle of addiction firsthand. He is in recovery now from an addiction that started withprescription opioids and then shifted to heroin.It stops becoming fun at one point and all of a sudden you’re doing this just to feel normal. And there’s anincredible physical and mental pull to that substance unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before.Some people are more at risk for addiction than others.That could be social settings, but it could also be genetic makeup. There are certain genes that we’re findingout predispose people to being at a higher risk level for addiction.At first, a person may start taking opioids by choice, but over time, those opioids effect the way the brainworks, and they limit the ability to choose.Page 1 ofIt converts your decision-making ability and essentially impairs it.Addiction is a chronic disease. It affects the body, the mind, it affects relationships.Katie’s parents didn’t know she was addicted to opioids until she got arrested. Katie invited some “drugfriends” to her parent’s home while they were away. They stole some checks and used the money to buydrugs. They got caught. Police gave Katie a choice.Either you tell your parents, or we tell your parents. My dad came and took me directly to rehab. I lost trust tomy family, building that back up was a huge, huge, huge barrier.If you suspect that you or someone you love is addicted to opioids, talk to your healthcare provider. Otherresources can help too, including Narcotics Anonymous and the National Helpline for Substance Abuse andMental Health Services.Page 2 ofThis program is for informational purposes only. Publisher disclaims all guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness,or suitability of this video for medical decision making. For all health related issues please contact your healthcare provider.© The Wellness Network
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