Substance use disorder (SUD) is a mental condition that leads to the uncontrollable and chronic use of legal and illegal substances, such as medications, opioids and alcohol. This disorder can cause moderate to severe symptoms, including clinically significant impairment, distress, and, the most severe, addiction.
How Do Opioids Work?
Opioids attach to opioid receptors on your body’s nerve cells, triggering the release of “feel-good” chemicals called endorphins. These endorphins muffle your perception of pain and boost pleasurable feelings, creating a powerful but temporary sense of well-being.
What is Opiate Addiction?
When opioids wear off, your body may crave those good feelings and want them back as soon as possible. Opiate addiction occurs when the pleasant effects of opioids change to a craving you can’t ignore. Unfortunately, this often leads to compulsive and continued drug use despite ongoing harmful consequences.
Opiate addiction affects over 16 million people worldwide, including over 2.1 million people in the United States, and significantly impacts one’s quality of life.
The Effects of Opiate Addiction
When you take opioids repeatedly, your body slows its natural production of endorphins over time. This effect means that the same amount of opioids no longer triggers the same strength of positive feelings as when you started using the drugs. This effect is called tolerance and can lead you to increase your dose to gain the sense of well-being you have grown used to.
In 2020, more people than ever — over 2,000 — died from opioid overdoses in Massachusetts (MA).
Is Suboxone a Good Treatment for Opiate Addiction?
Suboxone is a prescription medication used to treat opiates and other addictions. Medication-assisted treatment using Suboxone works effectively at helping to stop opioid cravings by blocking opiate receptors. Suboxone can reduce your urge to take opioids and alleviate withdrawal symptoms. After a short time, this type of medication can allow you to stop being dependent on drugs and alcohol without withdrawal symptoms.
Addiction Treatment in MA
Fortunately, various recovery centers offer both men’s rehab programs and women’s rehab programs in MA for those suffering from SUD. The best centers, such as Paramount Recovery Centers, combine respectful, compassionate care with environmental enrichment. Here, substance abuse therapists evaluate your needs for addiction recovery and may recommend medication-assisted treatment as part of your drug abuse treatment program.
If you’re looking for an in-house powerful opiate or opioid addiction treatment program in MA combined with a schedule that allows you to return home in the evenings, a Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) could be the proper treatment for you.
An Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) is similar to a PHP program in MA. However, patients attending an IOP in MA do not need to be medically monitored. Instead, intensive outpatient programs in MA provide a complete treatment schedule during the day while allowing patients to return to their homes.
If you’re suffering from SUD and have questions about treatment in MA, reach out to Paramount Recovery Centers today to learn more.
