Opioid Treatment Rural Addiction
Drug abuse often leads to addiction. Nobody wants an addiction controlling every part of their life.
But it happens far too often. Addiction hurts the individual and everyone around them. It tears apart families and friends because it is self-destructive in every way.
Often, it is also a truly lonely and difficult path for any individual that is stuck obeying the demands of his or her addiction. It becomes lonely because those whom the individual cares for will likely cut connections with him or her eventually because of the nature of addiction.
But while the individual’s family and friends are still in his or her life, he or she will experience an abundance of judgment in all forms.
When an individual experiences judgment, it is counterproductive to the goal of recovery.
It may only overwhelm the individual and lead him or her toward further deterioration of their life.
However, the person making judgments may feel they are justified in their actions because a social stigma surrounds drug addiction.
Understanding the opioid epidemic will elucidate why this addiction continues to grow.
Immediate Placement in Rehab
Substance Abuse in Rural Areas
Substance abuse affects 23 million Americans, both in cities and country areas.
Many people have a preconceived notion that substance abuse occurs mostly in the city and urban areas. However, that is not always the case. Country areas have a higher prevalence of substance abuse than the city, with a rate of 17.0% per 100,000 people. The typical age of substance use in country areas is 11-14. If you or someone you know in a country area is struggling with substance abuse, consider seeking help at our alcohol rehab facility Los Angeles.
They begin using alcohol and other substances that are readily available for use, such as huffing paint thinner and drinking moonshine, a homemade high-proof distilled spirit.
In the country, people of lower socioeconomic classes comprise a major portion of the population.
Therefore, alcohol and cheap drugs are their primary choices for substance abuse.
People in the country abuse opioid drugs, such as Oxycontin. It is known colloquially and derogatorily as “hillbilly heroin.”
Learn More About Rehab
What are Opioids?
Opioids are a class of psychoactive substances that provide pain relief.
Some opioids are prescribed by a physician to relieve moderate to severe pain and to relieve symptoms of a severe cough. Opioids work by binding to opioid receptors in the brain, as well as the spinal cord, stomach, and other parts of the body. The opioid receptors then block signals from the brain to the body and release a great amount of dopamine. For more information, visit alcohol rehab facility Palo Alto.
Short-term effects include increased pain tolerance, euphoria, drowsiness, calmness, nausea, constipation, and slowed breathing. Long-term effects include brain damage, liver damage, and coma. It can also lead to death.
Opioids are an extremely hard drug to stop using, especially when it is abused.
The withdrawal symptoms of opioid addiction are intense, which compels an individual to avoid these unpleasant symptoms by continuing to use the drug.
Commonly used opioids include:
- Prescription pain medications such as Oxycodone, Hydrocodone, and Codeine
- Heroin
- Fentanyl
- Morphine
The Opioid Epidemic
Since 2010, opioid use, hospitalizations, and deaths from overdose have been increasing throughout the U.S.
This is referred to as the opioid epidemic or opioid crisis. The opioid epidemic is now the number one cause of preventable and accidental deaths in the U.S.
Approximately, 40,000 people die each year from an opioid-related overdose. This is equivalent to 115 deaths from opioids per day. Opioid drugs include substances such as heroin, oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, fentanyl, and morphine. Opioid addiction does not only target one demographic in particular but rather it is prevalent among the entirety of the population.
This includes urban, rural, and upper-class communities, teenagers, veterans, and people with preexisting mental health conditions. The opioid epidemic does not only affect the individual using opioids, but it also detrimentally affects all of the individual’s loved ones. There are a plethora of reasons as to why an individual decides to use opioids.
A common trend among prescription opioid abuse and addiction is how an individual develops dependency.
Often, an individual has been prescribed an opioid medication such as hydrocodone or oxycodone to treat moderate to severe pain. However, opioids carry a high potential for dependency due to the powerful recreational effects it produces in the body.
Tolerance is easily developed, which causes the individual to use more than his or her prescribed dosage. This leads to opioid addiction.
The Neurobiology of Opioids
Opioids are highly addictive; the reason for this is because of the way opioids work in the brain, and also how it eventually alters brain chemistry, resulting in brain damage. During the early stages of opioid abuse, the compulsion to consume the drug increases due to tolerance and physical and psychological dependence.
When opioids are consumed, it enters the bloodstream and reaches the brain. It then binds to the specialized proteins mu-opioid receptors, which are located on the surfaces of brain cells sensitive and susceptible to opioids.
When these chemicals are linked, stimulation of the biochemical brain activity occurs, which produces feelings of intense pleasure and euphoria, as well as reduces pain.
Opioids also release the neurotransmitter dopamine in the nucleus accumbens, a part of the brain that dictates the user’s desire to keep ingesting the drug, to maintain pleasure, and to avoid withdrawal symptoms. Prolonged use of opioids on its own will result in brain damage.
Immediate Placement in Rehab
Treatment Options for Opioid Addiction in Rural Areas
Drug abuse must be treated no matter where you live—city or country. It is much easier and convenient for people in cities to find treatment for drug abuse.
This is because many of the treatment centers are located in the city or just outside of them. The primary reason for not receiving treatment for drug abuse is the lack of access to services in rural areas.
It is estimated that 82% of residents in country areas do not have treatment centers with medical detoxification services within a reasonable distance of their residence.
If a country resident chooses to receive treatment, he or she must be able to travel to the city. Some may not have that kind of access, especially if he or she must attend treatment sessions multiple times a week. It is not feasible.
In the city, you can usually find a treatment center equidistant from your residence. So, citizens in the city have a much more advantageous method of receiving treatment.
However, this does not mean that country residents should remain to abuse drugs because of a lack of resources.
Governmental efforts have addressed this issue and have attempted to provide a viable solution to this problem plaguing the countryside.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services, a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has created an online facility locator designed for primary care providers to find treatment options for rural residents.
Additionally, country law enforcement and emergency departments provide initial detoxification.
Payment for Treatment and Our Free Insurance Verification
Seeking treatment for your dependency is one of the bravest things you can do for yourself.
Do not let your situation stop you from contacting Resurgence Behavioral Health.
We provide honest and accurate pricing information for all of our treatment options.
We offer free insurance verification. Call us today to see if you qualify.
Free Insurance Verification for Rehab
Reach Out and Receive Treatment Today
Do not wait any further! Help is available to you when you need it. You are not alone in this struggle.
The trained professionals at Resurgence Behavioral Health genuinely care about you and dedicate their lives to make sure you can live yours. To overcome substance addiction, proper drug therapy treatment is required.
It is not an easy walk, but our treatment is the best option when it comes to your health.
We provide the most professional treatment to give you a fighting chance in a rough battle.
Let today be the day you reach out to Resurgence Behavioral Health so that you can begin to reclaim the life you have been missing!
