For those who don't know what opium is, they should know that it's a narcotic that is derived from the seeds of poppy flowers. People who will take this drug will have three ways of getting it in their bodies and they can do that by injecting it, smoking it or even eating it. The sad part about people who will use opium is that it will create a tolerance in the individual's body, so in the end, people will need to take more and more so that they will get the effects they want. Individuals who will want to get their addiction with opium treated will have to go through many painful times and many ties addicts will use more of it in order to avoid the pain. Comparing opium with drugs like codeine and cocaine, this drug is the least potent and also the crudest, yet like other opiate addictions, those who will want to defeat their addiction will in more than ninety percent of cases require a professional intervention.
Detoxification
When the individual has decided that he or she needs to actually get help in order to be helped with the opium dependency, the first stage of the process is the detoxification. This means that the user will have to get the drug out of his body to quit the dependence over it. In the majority of cases this will be done as quickly as possible, yet in some cases this is a process that can even last for several days. Some of the side effects of doing so is that people will be let in on physical pain, muscle spasms, vomiting, diarrhea, insomnia, hallucinations and they may experience chills. It's really a very painful process and the family and / or friends of the individual will have to be with him to support him emotionally.
Yet even after the drug has been cleared out from the individual's body, there will still be the psychological addiction for the drug. Opium addicts who will go through the process of recovery will in some cases have to stay in the treatment centers for up to 3 months where they will be let in on intense counseling. These types of programs are actually very much used in these types of situations and it involves addicts talking about their problems in front of a group of people who is dealing with the same problems as they are.
They will thus discuss about the problems they are facing in their lives when they are sober and will also receive possible solutions and advice from the other members. The role of these meetings is to actually make the individuals feel like they are not alone in this nightmare and that many other people like them share the same sad story. It empowers them with hope and thus gives them the energy to push on forward with their recovery.
Therapy
In regards to counseling, this might also involve some 1 on 1 therapy like cognitive behavioral education, a process in which addicts will learn to have their addictive patterns changed. In this type of therapy it's assumed that the patient's thinking is the one that is responsible for the socially inadequate behavior, rather than the external circumstances. Thus, the therapist will try to know the patient as much as possible in order to eventually teach him new ways of approaching his old problems and managing stress. So basically what happens in these meetings is that the addicts will set their future goals and the therapists will help them to achieve them.
Long-Term Support
The truth is that there are many opium addicts who just need that extra helping hand in order to get back to their regular lives. While some of them will have legal problems they will not be able to sort out on their own, others will require more training or certification and education in order to finally be able to get a job. The successful treatment of opium addiction actually means that the patient will have to be supported in the long run.
Thus, the addict will have to feel he is the one that is controlling his life and he must not be overwhelmed by the things he cannot do. And this is what the twelve steps programs actually do. They will offer the patient log term support and will support him whenever he will find himself in the old circumstances that in the past, led him to using opium in the first place. Whenever he will feel that urge again, these programs will come into play and help him get control over his life.
Defeating the opium addiction
It's vital that people who are suffering from this addiction will admit they have a problem and accept to be admitted in a program that will in the end help them get over it and get their life back on track. The only way these people can be treated is if they will not only get professional support, but if they will also get to be supported by their friends and family, as going through such tough times, emotional support is what matters the most. They will thus feel determined to get over their addiction and to do the best they can in order to recover.
Self understanding
The patient will also need to be aware that there will be times when he will be drawn back to the past and will feel like starting taking opium again. When this happens, he will need to look for help in either his family (emotional support) or if the situation is more complicated than that and require extra help, professional help should be considered.
A new life
Getting rid of opiate addiction is a painful process, yet it's not impossible for individuals to actually start leading a normal life again. With a bit of help from their families and a great deal of professional help, they can overcome their addiction and get their old lives back.