Painkiller addiction is a very real and dangerous problem in the United States. The ever-growing trend claimed more than 20,000 lives in 2015. These rates have tripled in recent years, and are only expected to climb. Learn how painkiller addiction rehab at Crestview Recovery in Portland, Oregon can help you kick your addiction and move on to a life you can be proud of.
Painkillers and Dependency
Doctors commonly prescribe opioid prescription drugs, or painkillers, to help with pain relief following surgery and injuries. In fact, physicians will sometimes prescribe these drugs to help ease symptoms for cancer patients. Opioids work by altering the brain’s dopamine levels and changing the brain’s reward centers. 
When users take these drugs as their physician prescribes, opioid painkillers are a relatively safe and effective method of short-term, round-the-clock pain management. However, when users take these medications against their doctor’s orders or in larger doses than prescribed, the risk of developing a dependency rises sharply. This is also true when individuals use painkillers for an extended period of time.
Some of the most highly addictive painkillers we offer treatment for include:
- Hydrocodone addiction rehab
- Methadone addiction rehab
- Morphine addiction rehab
- Oxycodone addiction rehab
Signs of Painkiller Addiction
Opioid painkillers are chemically related to heroin and produce similar effects, including the following:
- Trouble balancing
- Slurred speech
- Euphoria when using
- Dysphoria and anger when not using
- Trouble urinating
- Extreme lethargy
- Unexplained mood swings and personality changes
- Social withdrawal
Heroin is cheaper in most areas than prescription painkillers, leading many people to switch to heroin when their financial situation becomes strained or their doctor will not prescribe more medication. As many as 80% of people who have a heroin addiction first experimented with prescription painkillers.
Effects of Painkiller Addiction
Overdosing on prescription medications can cause breathing to slow or stop altogether. For this reason, they’re not safe to take with alcohol or any other medication that can also slow breathing. Depressants are especially dangerous to combine with opioids. When individuals use them together, the risk of fatal overdose sharply increases.
In addition to pain relief and feelings of euphoria, painkillers also cause:
- Drowsiness
- Confusion
- Nausea
- Constipation
How to Overcome Addiction
Addiction is never easy to overcome, but painkiller addiction can be especially rough. For most people, the desire to get clean isn’t enough. This isn’t because they don’t genuinely want to get sober, but because addiction is a chronic and relapsing disease. Like other diseases, professional substance use treatment is oftentimes necessary for successful results.
At our Oregon rehab center, we can help you beat your addiction to painkillers through hard work and dedication. We design our addiction treatment programs to help each of our guests address and identify their problems. We then go on to teach them how to replace toxic behaviors with healthier, more positive coping mechanisms. Life-lasting change is attainable, and we can help you take the first step towards making it happen.
We understand how overwhelming it can be to make the decision to seek help for addiction. Our serene and therapeutic drug and alcohol rehab center is the perfect place to seek solace and focus on your recovery, away from the judgment and stress of everyday life. We can take the complication out of your recovery so that you can be free to rest, heal, and overcome your active addiction for good.
Get More Information About Painkiller Addiction
If you or a loved one needs help beating addiction, Crestview Recovery offers a safe and supportive refuge where you will find compassionate and quality care. We can help you get sober and teach you how to put an end to addictive behaviors. For more information about how our programs such as our men’s drug rehab and women’s drug rehab in Portland can work for you, contact Crestview Recovery today.
Since 2016, Dr. Merle Williamson, a graduate of Oregon Health Sciences University, has been the Medical Director at Crestview Recovery, bringing a rich background in addiction medicine from his time at Hazelden Treatment Center. He oversees outpatient drug and alcohol treatments, providing medical care, setting policies, detox protocols, and quality assurance measures. Before specializing in addiction medicine, he spent 25 years in anesthesiology, serving as Chair of Hospital Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee and Chief of Anesthesia at Kaiser Permanente. This experience gives him a unique perspective on treating prescription drug addiction.