In the US, there are clear indications the nation as a whole is still caught up in an opioid epidemic. From shore to shore, people are abusing opiate substances like prescription painkillers, heroin, and the ever-dangerous fentanyl. The problem is getting so bad that thousands of lives are being lost to opioid overdoses.
When a problem reaches these kinds of proportions, it’s incumbent on everyone in communities all over the country to help look for solutions. Solutions have to go beyond government officials declaring a state of emergency. Until solutions to this particular opioid epidemic can be identified, it’s the addiction treatment community that stands alone as the last line of defense against opioid addiction.
Aside from addiction treatment services, we have to consider what else the addiction treatment community is currently doing to help stop opioid abuse before addiction issues can get any worse.
How Are Ohio Rehabs Addressing the Opioid Crisis?
Throughout the state of Ohio, all of the state’s addiction treatment centers are on high alert about the rising population of opioid addiction sufferers running in the streets. Each and every addiction treatment specialist in the state is aware of the reality that each of those addiction sufferers is likely to soon become addiction treatment clients. That’s nothing short of a tragedy, a tragedy that could get worse should the state’s collective addiction treatment community run out of the resources it needs to provide treatment to everyone who wants or needs it.
In our Ohio addiction treatment facility, our addiction treatment professionals are well-versed on the extent of this growing issue. Even better, they are committed to finding better addiction treatment methods to offset the possibility of relapses among the clients who complete treatment. In the meantime, they are also working to find ways to assist the local community in educating residents about the devastation opioid addiction causes.
Starting with opioid addiction treatment, the process usually starts with the client going through a medically monitored detox program. Rare is the individual who has the fortitude to get past their opioid withdrawal symptoms without some kind of medical intervention. That unto itself is a serious issue because of the seriousness of opioid withdrawal. We are referring to symptoms like:
- Breathing difficulties
- Severe cramping in the stomach region
- Issues with nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea
- Inability to concentrate
- Difficulty with motor function
- Hallucinations and nightmares
- Body convulsions and tremors in the arms and legs
- Difficulties with anxiety and depression
- An alarming increase in blood pressure and heart rate
A medically monitored detox process is essentially the same process throughout the state. The goal is to keep clients safe and comfortable until they can get past their withdrawal symptoms and residual cravings.
After clearing detox, clients can move on to the therapy portion of treatment. Using traditional, holistic and evidence-based treatment methods, therapists are giving clients a chance to learn the truth about their addiction. By figuring out the core reasons they feel the need to hide behind drugs and alcohol, clients will also get the opportunity to learn how to cope with their triggers and the temptations that stand to trip them up while in recovery.
All of this hard work is being done by Ohio rehab specialists who want to ensure the state’s relapse rates will decline. That should help alleviate a portion of the opioid abuse crisis.
With any time they can free up away from therapy, addiction treatment specialist are also working hard to develop educational programs they can offer to people in local communities. That includes high school students where addiction seems to be a growing problem. If there’s no way to stop the flow of drugs into a given community, then it becomes necessary to lower the demand for drugs by lowering the number of people who want unfettered access to them. The only reliable way to lower demand is by educating the public about the dangers surrounding opioid abuse. That includes delving into issues related to opioid deaths caused by accidents and opioid overdoses.
If you are dealing with opioid addiction, you are sitting on the front line of a significant crisis. What we want is for you to have a chance to arrest your addiction and get off the front line into safety. For information about how we can make that happen, please give us a call at (440) 253-9915.
