Opioid addiction is often misunderstood
There are a lot of myths and misinformation about opioid addiction and its treatment. Here’s the truth:
What are opioids?
Opioids are a class of drugs that include the illegal drug heroin and prescription pain relievers available legally, such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, and morphine. In the body, opioids interact with specific receptors on nerve cells in the brain and nervous system, working to block pain, slow breathing and heart rate, and create a general euphoric feeling. Unfortunately, because of the way they work in the body, opioids are highly addictive.
What is opioid addiction?
Opioid addiction is a complex chronic disease with specific diagnosable characteristics. In simple terms, it is a chronic brain disease characterized by the inability to consistently abstain from opioid use. To learn more, check out our opioid addiction information page.
Is addiction a real disease?
Addiction is real. It is a chronic brain disease where individuals pathologically pursue reward and/or relief by substance use and other behaviors. Like all forms of addictions, opioid addiction is characterized by the inability to consistently abstain, impairment in behavioral control, craving, diminished recognition of significant problems with one’s behaviors and interpersonal relationships, and a dysfunctional emotional response.
Both the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) stress that opioid addiction is a disease because it can change how the brain works.
What is “medication-assisted treatment”?
Medication-assisted treatment refers to the use of medication to treat opioid addiction, alongside counseling and other support. There are three main choices for medication to treat opioid addiction: methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone.
These medications, which are FDA-approved, work to stabilize brain chemistry, block the euphoric effects of opioids, relieve physiological cravings, and normalize body functions. They have been proven to be safe and cost-effective, and are recognized as evidence-based approaches for the treatment of opioid addiction by the ASAM, SAMHSA, National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
What are the benefits of medication-assisted treatment on the community as a whole?
Beyond the individual patients, treating opioid addiction has immense health and public safety value, and both direct and indirect economic benefits. Numerous studies have shown that medication-assisted treatment reduces drug use, disease rates, and criminal activity among opioid addicted persons – which ultimately translates into healthier and safer communities. Reductions in drug-related crime and homelessness relieves the community and public service systems of these costs.
Is medication just a substitute for drug abuse?
Because methadone and buprenorphine are themselves opioids, some people view these treatments as just substitutions of one addictive drug for another. But the goal of medication-assisted treatment is to recover from addiction by providing a safe, controlled level of medication to overcome the use of a problem opioid. As noted by the National Institute of Drug Abuse, taking these medications as prescribed allows patients to hold jobs, avoid street crime and violence, and reduce their exposure to HIV by stopping or decreasing injection drug use and drug-related high-risk sexual behavior. Patients stabilized on these medications can also engage more readily in counseling and other behavioral interventions essential to recovery.
Is the opioid epidemic really as bad as people say?
The United States is currently amid an opioid overdose epidemic. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), use of opioids have risen to epidemic levels with rates that are continuing to soar. Deaths from opioid overdose have tripled since 1990, with 20,101 overdose deaths related to prescription pain relievers, and 12,990 overdose deaths related to heroin in 2015 alone.
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Myth: Addiction isn’t a real disease
The Truth: Opioid addiction is a disease. Opioid addiction is a chronic brain disease in which a person regularly finds and uses opioids, despite harmful consequences to themselves and those around them. Like all forms of addictions, it is characterized by the inability to consistently abstain, impairment in behavioral control, craving, diminished recognition of significant problems with one’s behaviors and interpersonal relationships, and a dysfunctional emotional response. This often results in drug-related crime, homelessness, as well as law enforcement and health care costs that often put a strain on the community.
Both the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) stress that opioid addiction is a disease because it can change how the brain works.
Myth: Medication-assisted treatment is just a substitute for the drug of abuse.
The Truth: Medication assisted treatment is a safe, effective way to manage and treat opioid addiction. Because methadone and buprenorphine are themselves opioids, some people view these treatments as just substitutions of one addictive drug for another. But the goal of medication-assisted treatment is to recover from addiction by providing a safe, controlled level of medication to overcome the use of a problem opioid. As noted by the NIDA, taking these medications as prescribed allows patients to hold jobs, avoid street crime and violence, and reduce their exposure to HIV by stopping or decreasing injection drug use and drug-related high-risk sexual behavior. Patients stabilized on these medications can also engage more readily in counseling and other behavioral interventions essential to recovery.
Myth: The United States doesn’t have a problem with opioid abuse and addiction.
The Truth: The United States is currently amid an opioid overdose epidemic. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), use of opioids have risen to epidemic levels with rates that are continuing to soar. Deaths from opioid overdose have tripled since 1990, with 20,101 overdose deaths related to prescription pain relievers, and 12,990 overdose deaths related to heroin in 2015 alone.
Have more questions? Give us a call!
