Painkillers have gone a long way since the discovery of Opium. Narcotics are used and developed to help people with conditions that cause constant or chronic pain. Yes, directly addressing the condition is one way to rid the pain, but recovery takes time, and other conditions don't have direct solutions, or are far, far more expensive. In these cases, we turn to narcotics to make patients suffer less and be more productive in their lives. But all good things must come to an end. Better yet, too much of a good thing is bad. In the case of Opioids, long-term use will inevitably lead to bad results. Results such as dependency, addiction, liver and kidney issues, and near-permanent changes in brain chemistry. Using narcotics don’t just help you block pain. For others, they have side-effects that eventually become cumbersome. One of the most common effects is the “cloudiness” users feel when they are under the drug’s effect. They don’t feel as coherent as they believe they should, which is true. The false sense of well-being can potentially change your perspectives and lead you to bad decisions. Narcotics are excellent in relieving you of pain, but when healthier alternatives are within reach or addressing the cause is now possible, how can you stop taking them? What's the best way, and how long will it last?
What are Opioids?
It’s best to first understand what we are dealing with. Opioids are narcotics, but understanding what they are and how they function is useful in finding out what strategies to employ when you want to quit. Opioids originally came from the base compound Opium. This narcotic is the source of all Opiates and Opioids, found in early 300 BC. This came from the white sap of the poppy plant’s seed pod, which Opium farms still grow today. Opioids are synthetic substances, created by modifying existing substances inside Opium. Morphine, Codeine, and Thebaine were modified to create more potent formulations such as Hydromorphone, Oxycodone, and Hydrocodone. The reason why they effectively relieve us of pain is because our brain can't tell the difference between the opioids we take, and the naturally occurring opioids inside our bodies. Our neurons, the cells that make up our nerves, spinal cord, and brain, accept these opioids and use them to relay signals to other neurons. This is why endorphins are called neurotransmitters. There are more kinds of neurotransmitters in the body, but Opioids affect two in particular. Endorphins are neurotransmitters whose job is to block certain other neurotransmitters from affecting a neuron. Specifically, neurotransmitters associated with pain. By blocking the signals, the brain and spinal cord never gets the pain signal and doesn’t react accordingly. This is how Opioids block pain. There’s also another neurotransmitter affected, which is responsible for an Opioid’s secondary effect. Dopamine is your brain’s reward chemical. If you do something that’s good for your mind and body, your brain triggers the release of these chemicals, making you feel good or satisfied with what you did. If pain makes us get away from something, dopamine is what makes us go towards something. In essence, go away from what hurts us, go towards what’s good for us. When we take Opioids, our brains and nerves get are flooded with endorphin-like chemicals. The resulting flood triggers the excess release of dopamine, nearly ten times the normal amount you’d normally get, leading to euphoria. The effect is mild, especially when you take your proper dosage, but those who take it for recreation often take more, leading to overdose, tolerance, and eventually addiction.How Do You Quit Opioids?
Generally speaking, simply stopping from taking them, aka going cold-turkey, is not advised. Before you quit Opiates, you should do the following first.- See your physician. Stopping opioid intake after long-term use could lead to unseen conditions such as heart issues, trouble breathing and coma. Though the risks are rare, it's still a risk, especially if you have pre-existing conditions. Your doctor may be able to help you understand how to best quit your opioid use, and may help by prescribing medicine that can help mitigate the symptoms of withdrawal.
- Ensure that you’re available during the period. Don't make any business or travel plans. Going on vacation while quitting is a definite no unless you're doing it so in a luxury rehabilitation facility, or the place you'll go to has a nearby hospital.
- Tell the people close to you. Quitting is not as easy as it sounds. You'll need all the help you can get, even if it's just moral support. This is especially true for addicts, who likely have psychological dependence with Opioids.
- Learn as much as you can about quitting. Look through the web and ask your doctor about it. There are facilities that specifically help people who either want to quit, or are addicts looking for a cure. There are also procedures that can speed up detoxification, which can dramatically speed your recovery up, but the price is often expensive
- If you have health insurance, inquire about quitting. They could cover some of the procedures or facilities that can help you detoxify. If not, they can at least lead you to experts who can help you.
How to Detox from Home?
This is another option, which is often considered the best way, since it definitely costs less, and can be done in the comfort of your own home. There are several factors you have to consider first.- Make sure your home is as clean and comfortable as possible. One of the withdrawal's most unbearable symptoms is anxiety and uneasiness. The best way to combat it is to reduce sources of anxiety in your home. Fix anything that needs to be fixed, clean what needs to be cleaned, and buy what needs to be bought. Reduce your clutter and make sure everyone in the house is aware of what you need.
- Start eating Healthy. Throw out junk food, start going organic. Focus on food with high nutrition, such as fruits, red meat, and vegetables, especially those with high fiber. Like cleaning and fixing your house, going into this habit will serve you for a long time. It’s also a good idea to stock up on multivitamins, to fill out the gaps. It never hurts to practice a healthy lifestyle.
- Make sure you have a good supply of drinking water. While detoxing, you would want to drink a lot of water. You need to drink at least three liters of water a day, four if you can. Make sure you can freely get this amount per day.
- Get a hobby that can make you sweat. Whether it be an indoor home sauna or a self-workout routine will do, better if you're more physically involved. Exercising not only helps the detox process, it releases dopamine naturally into your system, helping you fight against anxiety.
Tapering
This is by far, the best quitting method to any kind of addiction. What it means is that you'll reduce the amount you take after certain fixed intervals, until you're down to nothing. For example, if you take 30mg of Oxycodone a day, you'll start taking 20mg for a month, then 15mg the next month, then 10 mg the following month, then you stop, (unless there exist 5 mg tablets.) Doing this method effectively helps your body adapt to the new change slowly. Tapering minimizes withdrawal symptoms, and in some cases, completely negates it. This is why you need to check with your doctor because they can renew your prescription with lesser concentrations. This is a long process but poses the highest success rate.Ridding Yourself of Opioids: Hows and Whats Find more on: www.detoxnear.me
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