Prescription drug addiction is quietly spreading across the United States as one of the faster growing drug problems.  It’s especially a problem among women.  Men often abuse drugs to escape in the physical sensation, but women abuse drugs to cope with feelings, stress, and losing weight among other reasons.

How Prescription Drugs Can Become Addictive

Opioid prescription drugs can be helpful following a difficult surgery or to help calm severe anxiety.  However, without proper medical supervision, it can be easy for the body to start craving more and more.  The body produces neurotransmitters such as endorphins and adrenaline naturally in the body.  These and other biochemicals are the body’s natural responses to pain, a “fight or flight” trigger, a pleasurable stimulus, and more.  They lock on to neurotransmitter receptor on the tips of nerve cells. 

Opioid painkillers act much like these neurotransmitters but surge through the body in much greater amounts than the body produces.  The opioid molecules are “sticky”, which means that they block the naturally produced neurotransmitters from locking on.  The body adapts to the larger amounts, needing those just to function normally.  The withdrawal process is the body’s reaction to having what it thinks is not enough neurotransmitters. 

The body produces chills, tremors, anxiety, nausea, and many other uncomfortable sensations during withdrawal.  The symptoms are often so powerful, the person goes back to using the drugs quickly.  This is why it can be so difficult to get off opioid prescription drugs without a professional detox process and drug rehab.

Medications Used For Prescription Drug Detox

Methadone and buprenorphine are two common types of prescribed medications used to assist a person during drug detox.  They work to replace the prescription drug in the neurotransmitter receptors without being strong enough to produce addictive effects.  This helps the body calm down from cravings and reduce the overall toxicity.  Eventually, the body gets weaned off the detox drugs as well.  Usually, the detox drugs are used like a cast would be for a broken leg, or a bandage over a large cut.  They aren’t the complete solution, but they support body through the difficult parts of the healing process.

Helping the Body Recover During Detox

Nutritional counseling and fitness therapy are required to build a healthy body during addiction recovery.  Addicts typically don’t take good care of their bodies while they are addicted.  Opioids do a lot of damage to various systems in the body, and good exercise helps to restore them.  Exercise not only builds muscle strength, but it also rebuilds natural pathways for endorphins.  Endorphins give a person a natural sense of well-being and uplifted mood after exercise.  Exercise also helps to regulate involuntary muscle functions like digestion.  Running, Tai Chi, and yoga are among the types of exercise available at The Orchid. 

Good nutrition can be a challenge for many people, especially someone with a drug addiction.  Vitamins and minerals are best absorbed by the body from healthy fresh foods prepared the most nutritious ways.  Along with the exercise, an improved diet helps damaged tissue repair itself and protect against infections.  Many women with addiction also need education about how to create a healthy diet for themselves once treatment is completed.   

Detox First Step of Holistic Treatment

Detox is an important part of the drug treatment process.  The process helps the body to rid itself of the toxic addictive drugs.  Once the body is free of the drugs’ addictive influence, the more in-depth drug treatment process begins.  The supportive staff and other treatment residents will help you make the transition from drug addict to woman in recovery.

Tags: Prescription Drug Addiction, Prescription Drug Detox For Women, Women Drug Detox

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This entry was posted on Thursday, July 31st, 2008 at 12:11 pm and is filed under Addiction and Recovery, Drug Rehab. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.