Blocking the High Helps Addicts Start Over
If you have ever found yourself on a search for affordable drug rehab, you likely know the pain of addiction. It may not be your addiction, but you know well the heartbreak that comes with it. No one makes it a goal in life to become an addict and, though many people don’t realize it, there really is no stereotype. Addiction knows no social or economic bounds. What starts as a search for an initial high or relief from pain often ends up in a downward spiral toward a life that was never sought out. Thankfully, new treatments exist that can help combat addiction from reputable providers such as Yellowstone Recovery.
How Drug Addiction Begins
There was never a small child who said, “One day, I’d like to live in one of the low-cost drug rehab centers,” or anything remotely like that. It may be that they start out trying one thing or another with friends as a way to be more social or have fun. Others actively seek out some sort of relief from an existing mental illness. And then there are those who experienced some kind of injury that caused them to seek relief from opiates. In some cases, when the doctor stopped prescribing the pain killers, they turned to street drugs, like heroin.
From Relief to Addiction
Those who look harshly on addicts only see someone who wants to get high. The truth of the matter is that, once the addiction sets in, there is very little high to experience. Instead, there is only illness and pain to avoid. Yet every addict seeks out that first high.
Treatment Methods
Behavioral therapy is one of the most popular treatments methods, and it involves substituting one behavior for another, more positive behavior. In theory, it sounds ideal and, in reality, it definitely helps people learn new coping skills. Yet, there is that high that you can’t get from behavior alone, and it is this very thing that drives addicts to keep going back.
Methadone has been a popular medication for decades now. Since it is opiate-based, it relieves the pain of addiction to things like heroin, so that, in some situations, the addict simply trades one medication for another. Recently, a new medication, Vivitrol, has been used to treat addiction, and it does something unexpected. It prevents the high. Those who use the monthly injections can’t experience any kind of opiate high, no matter how much they take.
Vivitrol is one of the more expensive treatment tools, but it’s very effective, and no-one on the street wants to buy it. Since it’s injected once a month, addicts can’t skip a pill or avoid taking it. Some authorities now use it as part of a mandatory treatment plan. This may very well be the perfect treatment to couple with behavior therapy, because those who suffer from opiate addictions have no potential to get high and are, therefore, forced to learn new coping skills. If you want to know more about Vivitrol or other addiction treatment methods for yourself or a loved one, contact Yellowstone Recovery today for more information.
