Signs that YOU Are an Opiate Addict

We all have an image in our heads of what an addict looks like. Addicts are miserable, skinny, pockmarked people; they steal to fund their habit. They can't cope with life, and are frequently unemployed.

That may be the case for some addicts, but there is another group of addicts: addicts to prescription opiate medications. It is estimated that up to 36 million people abuse opiate medications worldwide, with 2.1 million people in the United States being addicted to prescription opiate medication (including morphine, codeine, oxycodone, and hydrocodone).

Myth: It's impossible to be addicted to a medicine

Fact: Prescription opiates trigger the same areas of the brain as heroin, and triggers the release of pain-relieving endorphins. They make you feel relaxed and may cause a feeling of being "high". Due to this euphoria, there is the unique potential for opiate medication to cause addiction, especially if opiates are misused (for example crushed, or taken at a higher dose than prescribed) or used when you are not in appropriately strong pain.

Myth: Everyone who takes opiates becomes addicted

Fact: 100 million people take opiate medication in the US every year for chronic pain (mostly for chronic back pain, or osteoarthritis). Of those 100 million, only 2.1 million will develop an addiction (not including the people who develop physical dependence or tolerance). While that is statistically significant, it does show that - if taken responsibly - not everyone who uses opiates will develop an addiction.

Myth: Tolerance, dependence and addiction are the same thing

Fact: These are three different physiological mechanisms.

Tolerance: Due to using a drug for a prolonged period of time, as can be the case with chronic pain, its effectiveness has declined and a higher dose can be required to achieve the same effect.

Physical dependence: Often accompanying tolerance, physical dependence often occurs in people who take a medication (not only opiates, but also sedatives, antidepressants, anti-epileptic medications, certain anti-psychotics) for a long period of time. This can occur even if you take medication as you should. With opiate use, your body becomes dependent on external opiates to trigger your natural pain-killing endorphins. When those external opiates are removed, you may feel physically unwell. A managed withdrawal can help manage symptoms and trigger your natural endorphins. This sounds a lot like addiction, but it's not. This is merely a natural physical reaction that can occur with the withdrawal of any substance, including caffeine.

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Psychological Addiction: Addiction is a disease. It is characterised by cravings (there is no addiction without cravings), obsessive thoughts about drug use (including counting down the time until you can take your next dose), taking your opiate dangerously so to achieve a higher sensation (more than the maximum dose, crushing your pills, etc), and using the drug compulsively despite any harm you may be doing to yourself or others. In addiction, not only do you feel unwell, as you might with physical dependence, you will feel you cannot cope without the drug.

Are YOU An Opiate Addict: Signs And What To Do

Before you scoff, "No, of course not, I use my opiates only for serious and legitimate pain", have a look at the signs and symptoms below. How many of them apply to you? If more than four or five of them do, you may have a serious problem.

Signs that YOU are an opiate addict

1. Do you habitually visit different doctors, to ensure that you have enough of your opiate medication? This is a practice known as "Doctor Shopping".
2. Do you find yourself becoming short-tempered, impatient, angry, etc when you haven't taken your opiate medication for awhile? Do your relatives or friends tell you that you have changing moods?
3. Do you find that the maximum amount of opiates isn't enough? Do you ever take more than prescribed?
4. Do you find yourself thinking about opiates between doses? Do you count-down the minutes until your next dose?
5. Do you have trouble sleeping?
6. Do you feel you cannot cope without taking opiates (be honest)?
7. Are you frequently constipated?
8. Do you frequently feel mentally confused? Do people tell you you're not making sense?
9. Do your friends or family tell you that you keep nodding off/falling asleep at strange moments?
10. Do you have a decreased appetite? Do you not want to eat?
11. Do friends or relatives tell you that you seem strange/ oddly euphoric?
12. Do you feel more anxious than usual?
13. Have you been told you have high blood pressure?
14. Have you been told you have a slow heartbeat?
15. Do you ever have difficulty breathing?
16. Are your senses (smell, taste, touch) heightened?
17. If you miss a dose or two of your opiate do you get any of the following: nausea; headache; sweating; diarrhoea; insomnia; feel nervous and jittery)?

Did You Score More Than Four Out of Seventeen?

If you scored more than four out of seventeen questions, it could be a sign that you are an opiate addict, especially if you have symptoms when you miss doses, if you take more than you should or don't take your medication as you should, or if you obsess about your opiates.

Why does opiate addiction matter?

Opiate misuse is partly responsible for the rising number of poisoning-related deaths. In 2010, there were 13, 652 unintentional deaths from opiate use (that's a huge 82.8% of all unintentional deaths caused by prescription medication). In fact, deaths from opiate medication outnumber deaths from all illegal drugs combined.

There has also been a threefold rise in the number of drivers dying in car-crashes where their own opiate use was a factor.

Opiate misuse also causes many long-term problems for the user:

• A weakened-immune system, leading to a rise in infections
• Gastric problems, ranging from minor (constipation) to severe (bowel perforation)
• Respiratory depression, leading to potential brain damage, organ injury, and death.

Don't want to be another statistic?

If you've realised you have an opiate addiction, and need some help there are three main choices for you: detox, inpatient rehabilitation or outpatient treatment. Before you can embark on any treatment option, you need to find a specialist who treats addiction. If you're in the US, use the Find a Physician feature of the American Society of Addiction Medicine. Your therapist will work with you to find the most appropriate programme for your circumstances. If you're in the UK, have a chat with your GP. Your doctor will be able work to find you a psychiatrist or treatment programme.

READ Options In Drug And Alcohol Detox

Conclusion

If you're not an addict, don't fear taking opioid painkillers if you're in severe pain. Taken appropriately, as prescribed, and as needed for pain, opiate medication is an effective and safe treatment. Taken correctly, the risks can be minimised, and opiates can be used as they were intended: to support your return to health, without condemning you to years of side-effects, ill-health and the risk of death.

And, even if you do think you are an addict, try to be reassured. Although the rise in opiate deaths is alarming, you need not be condemned to the same fate. With treatment, care and support, addiction need not be a life, or a death, sentence. Up to 60% of drug addicts get off the drugs and never relapse. That's incredible! You have every chance of recovering and going onto live and full, healthy life.