You may have heard that opioids are driving the drug overdose epidemic in the U.S. The American Society of Addiction Medicine says that more than half of the country’s deaths from overdose in 2015 related to opioids. You might be wondering, “What are opioids?” They are highly addictive drugs that can lead to substance abuse problems even when they’re taken under the supervision of a medical professional.
Although prescription opioids are legal for the person prescribed, heroin is illegal. Unfortunately, both categories of drugs get misused.
What Are Opioids Effects On The Body?
Your body has opioid receptors designed to receive communication from opioid-like neurotransmitters. Your body naturally sends out these chemicals when you perform pleasurable activities, like eating or going for a walk. As these compounds bind to the receptors, they interfere with your body’s ability to send pain messages to the brain.
Your body’s natural opioids can only do so much. You can’t secrete high enough levels of these chemicals to experience an overdose. However, heroin and prescription painkillers are powerful.
How Do People Become Addicted to Opioids?
What are opioids doing in your body? When they bind to opioid receptors, you feel good. Your body overloads with these mood-enhancing chemicals, and it dials down the production of its own pain-relieving neurotransmitters.
Over time, you physically need the drugs in order to prevent pain. You may also require a higher dosage to feel the same positive effects.
Although many people can safely take prescription drugs for short periods of time, dependency often happens when using these drugs continuously for chronic pain. Some individuals misuse the drugs, increasing the dosage or combining them with other substances to enhance the euphoric effect.
Heroin can deliver such an intense, gratifying rush of pleasure the first time you use it that you end up chasing that initial experience. However, because the body quickly becomes tolerant to the drug, most people never have such a strong high again.
Opioid addiction happens so easily because you may have trouble feeling any pleasure from life without it. If you’ve been using it for a significant period of time, you may experience agonizing withdrawal symptoms if you quit using it cold turkey.
Serenity House Detox & Recovery can help you overcome the first hurdle to seeking opioid treatment. You get the support and supervision you need to release drug toxins out of your system safely and comfortably. A successful opioid detox also paves the way for strong recovery.
At Serenity House, we offer affordable detox programs for:
Don’t allow addiction to take over your life. Call Serenity House Detox & Recovery at 866-294-5306 to begin your journey toward healing today.
