Prescription Drug Addiction and the Pain of Relapsing Again and Again

There was a recent story on NPR that followed the life of a prescription pill addict. He had been addicted to alcohol and opioids (in the form of prescription pain pills) as a teen. However, he wanted to get out of his addiction when he turned 19. To do so, he joined the Marines, thinking that the discipline and hard work will knock the addiction out of him.

But sadly that's not how addiction works. As many articles describe it, addiction (especially to pain medicine and heroin) hijacks the brain. In order to un-hijack the brain, a person needs to rely upon the expertise of medical and mental health professionals. In this case, after only 13 weeks of being a Marine, he started using Percocet again, the brand name for oxycodone. This medication does a great job of relieving someone's pain but it can ruin a person's ability to work and function well - not to mention it's highly addictive.

And it's not this 19-year old who knows the pain of relapsing on prescription pain pills, but much of the nation does too.  According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, there is an estimated 2.5 million Americans addicted to opioids (prescription pain medication) and heroin. Both heroin and prescription drugs like Percocet are opiates. It is often the case that someone with a prescription pain addiction runs out of money and prescriptions and they begin to look for alternatives. Because heroin and painkillers are of the same family, they may turn to heroin as a way to get a fix.

As mentioned in the NPR article, both heroin and prescription pain pills slowly make it more and more difficult for a person to break from the addiction. Over the next three years of his life, the 19-year old detoxed and relapsed from prescription painkillers as well as heroin over 20 times. A user of opiates will develop a strong physical and psychological dependency on the drug. creating compulsory drug-seeking behavior. The continued use of heroin or prescription pain pills will eventually stimulate the cycle of addiction in the brain. When the brain identifies the pleasure of pain relief and/or euphoria, a strong dependence can continue to grow until opiates become the central focus of one’s life. And this is precisely what causes relapsing again and again.

Fortunately, it's possible to recover as did the young man in the article. There are treatment options for anyone who wants to end their addiction to opiates. Drug addiction treatment may include medical and psychological treatment of the addiction, including working with a physical doctor to address the physiological effects of opiate detox and withdrawal. In addition to a doctor, a psychologist can address a person's underlying emotional needs, and a drug counselor can teach the fundamentals of addiction and how to stay clean. Drug addiction treatment will include many facets in order to provide the support a person needs to change their life.

Today, the young man in the NPR story is living and working at a residential treatment center in Dover, New Hampshire. If it was possible for him, it is possible for anyone to end their addiction to prescription pain pills and heroin. To get started, contact a mental health professional today.

Common Reasons Why People Relapse

There are so many factors that go into successful recovery from addiction. In fact, there can be such a long list of circumstances that a person needs to have to stay sober that most experts know a person is going to relapse at least once in their recovery. Those who go through detoxification and begin their recovery, even if they have a strong commitment to change, might still relapse because of old coping patterns, familiar environments, and unhealthy thinking. 

Research shows that 85% of those in treatment for addiction will relapse at least once.

This articles includes this information not to give a person an excuse to relapse. Rather, it's meant to help a person recognize that relapse is common and that there's no need to beat yourself up for relapsing, if you have. Instead, relapse can be seen as a learning experience (recognizing what might have contributed to the relapse) and as an opportunity to boost recovery in the areas where it needs strengthening.

Here is a list of the circumstances that can commonly contribute to relapse: 

·         still feeling hooked by the glamour of drugs and alcohol

·         feeling afraid that life will be boring without drugs and alcohol

·         identifying with being an addict or a rebel

·         level of maturity

·         not hitting rock bottom yet - not yet understanding the seriousness of addiction

·         spending time with friends or peers after or during treatment who are still drinking or using drugs

·         weak networks of support

·         having an underlying psychological illness

·         unresolved trauma

·         beginning drug use early in life or having a long history of substance use

·         poor coping skills

·         abusing multiple forms of substances

·         not knowing how to live a sober life

If a person relapses, the benefit of the experience is exploring which of the above factors might have contributed to it. As mentioned above, once a person can identify the reason behind the relapse, he or she can then take the steps to prevent relapse in the future. Typically, learning new coping mechanisms, healing unresolved issues, and creating strong support networks can facilitate sobriety. In most cases, however, recovering addicts need professionals in their life. They need to be working with a therapist (ideally one that specializes in addiction), a doctor (to ensure a safe and healthy detox), and possibly a psychiatrist if there are also psychological illnesses present. Support group as well as 12-step meetings can also help a person feel strong in their sobriety.

If you or someone you know is struggling in their recovery, contact a mental health provider. You might also attend 12-step meetings more frequently, get a sponsor, and begin work with a therapist. Therapy can help resolve early trauma as well as address poor coping tools.

Although relapse is common, it's doesn't have to be frequent. In fact, ultimately the goal is to have sobriety take the place of relapse in your recovery vocabulary.