This disease is no joking matter and it can make a victim out of anyone either rich or poor, old or young.



If you suspect a friend or another family member to have a problem with an opiate addiction, then you should try to help that person seek treatment as soon as possible.

Dependency or misuse of opiate pills may start innocently with the person is taking them for injuries or chronic pain. Some people also start taking them on weekends when they go out to the bars and to parties and such because it puts you in a super good mood and makes your body feel great.

As time passes, the person will no longer take the medication for their agony, but instead use the it for any reason they can think of. This is because the abuse of pain killers will basically lead that person to lose control over his own actions.

He will find himself taking the pills more then the number of times recommended by the doctor, many times over. The person would feel weird and frantic if he failed to take the opiates several times a day. This stage is called dependency.

Now enters tolerance. After the initial stage, a person will find himself building tolerance from the effects of the opiates. He will increase the dosage and if this does not work, he will eventually mix the with alcohol to increase the effects of the drug.

For some, the misapplication becomes so bad that they get additional prescriptions by "shopping" for them. They will lie to everyone they know just to get their hands on these prescriptions and even steal their family's or friend's prescriptions and or money and things to pawn. In this stage, the person will deny vehemently his problem by citing stress or personal problems as reasons why they are addicted.

Next is withdrawal. If the person with the addiction tries to stop, he will suffer from withdrawal symptoms that include nausea, chills, sweating and stomach pain.

Other individuals who are victims to this disease may realize their problem and seek professional help.

They would check themselves into a rehab facility where they will undergo treatment for their addiction to opiates. These facilities will be fully-equipped with the know-how to stop the suffering without putting the persons health at risk.

A relapse is something that a person with a history of misuse of pain killers and or heroin should watch out for. Support groups that include family members and friends should be around to monitor the person constantly. Some of these individuals manage to continue with their life drug free, while most fall back into their habit.

This is why it is so important to educate yourself on this disease BEFORE you get addicted. People just don't realize how strong the addiction is until they fall victim. Then it is too late, and most people never fully get out of it.

This disease, just like any other addiction, can be treated though. It does take a very strong will and desire to lead a healthier life and get off of the opiates. It may be difficult at first but after beating this, you will feel stronger as a person.