Rehab, Detox, and Managing Withdrawal

Opioid dependence or addiction is a challenging and complex condition. The first step is to understand that you are addicted to opiates. Once you’re diagnosed, your opioid dependence or substance abuse problem can be treated in an inpatient addiction center, outpatient rehab, a methadone clinic, or in the privacy of a doctor's office.

The goal of any treatment for opioid dependence or addiction is to enable you to manage your disease and gain control of your addiction, so you can begin to focus on the things that are important to you. A treatment plan that addresses the three critical elements of dependence—the physical, psychological, and behavioral—is more likely to be successful in helping you reach your treatment goals.

If you’re struggling with a painkiller addiction, you may be considering a combination of several options, including rapid detox, a drug rehabilitation clinic, a 12-step program, or counseling.

The wide variety of treatment options available today means you can choose the one (or ones) that best fits your life and needs. Some people fighting addiction find that private rehab centers or methadone clinics provide the support they need. Others may prefer treatment in the privacy of a doctor's office over residential rehab or visits to a methadone clinic.

You may be surprised to find that a doctor near you is certified to treat drug addiction. Treatment for substance abuse may even be covered by your health insurance.

Find a doctor near you. Use the Physician Locator to find a doctor certified to treat opioid dependence in the privacy of his or her office.

Hear real-life stories Learn from others who've been there—and worked to get their lives back on track.

According to the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment and the National Institute on Drug Abuse, treatment for substance abuse is typically more effective when:

• You remain in treatment for drug addiction for an adequate period of time
• You engage in counseling and other behavioral therapies. Like people with diabetes or heart disease, people in treatment for drug addiction need to change their behavior to adopt a healthy lifestyle
• You find a counselor or therapist with whom you can develop a strong therapeutic relationship as you fight addiction
• You engage in services that can help you take care of the different aspects of your life that are all affected by substance abuse. For instance, if you have another medical or psychological condition, you receive treatment for that as well. It could also mean that you receive help with employment or housing, if needed
• You and your family understand that substance abuse or opioid addiction is a chronic illness and not something that just goes away after a brief period of rehab or treatment
• Your support network is involved in your recovery, from friends and family to addiction support groups like those you can find through the Recovery Community Services Program
• Your treatment providers work closely with each other, communicating clearly and coordinating their efforts to help you overcome substance abuse
• Your progress is objectively monitored by your treatment providers, through the use of urine drug tests and check-ups to confirm your progress toward recovery

Whether or not to get a specific medical treatment for an addiction problem is a decision each person needs to make with his or her doctor. For many people, though, medication can be an important part of managing both the short-term and long-term effects of dependence on painkillers or addiction.

Using medication-assisted treatment for opioid dependence or substance abuse addiction is much like using medication for other chronic illnesses, such as asthma and heart disease. Taking medication can help you stay healthy and successfully engaged in your addiction treatment plan, including counseling and other services that address your medical and psychological needs as you work toward recovery.

Find a doctor near you. Use the Physician Locator to find a doctor certified to treat opioid dependence and addiction in the privacy of his or her office.

People who want to stop taking opioid prescription painkillers or heroin can find it extremely difficult to “get clean” or “kick the habit.” Their need to satisfy drug cravings or avoid withdrawal can be so intense that they feel desperate and overwhelmed.

Medication—assisted treatment for substance abuse—combined with support from a trained counselor—can help suppress opioid withdrawal symptoms and cravings and increase the likelihood you remain in rehab treatment and avoid the misuse of prescription painkillers.

Find a doctor near you. Use the Physician Locator to find a doctor certified to treat opioid dependence and addiction in the privacy of his or her office.

Counseling can be very helpful to almost anyone who is dependent or addicted to opioid painkillers. There are many kinds of inpatient and outpatient counseling for people who are in recovery from addiction, including:

Individual, or one-on-one, counseling
This is generally considered the best setting for addressing confidential issues that may be part of addiction. Private sessions with a psychiatrist, psychologist, or certified mental health counselor are recommended for patients being treated for depression, anxiety, or other mental health conditions that may be contributing to their problems with substance abuse.

Group therapy
Many patients find group therapy to be particularly effective as part of treatment for opioid addiction because it provides a support network they would otherwise lack. Support groups are available through many services, including drug and alcohol counseling centers, mental health centers, faith-based groups, e-mail support, telephone support, and online addiction support services. Benefits of group therapy include

• Peer support and acceptance
• Real-world examples of people experiencing recovery
• Forum for sharing personal experiences and contributing to the recovery of others
• Positive feedback to help improve patients' self-image
• Family-like environment

A recent review of research indicates that a major predictor of whether someone remained abstinent after the first year of treatment for addiction was their level of participation in a self-help group.

12-step programs
So-called 12-step programs, also known as “the program,” have become so numerous and widespread that many of the words and phrases used by members—like “one day at a time,” “I’m an addict,” “the Big Book,” “easy does it,” “keep it simple,” “first things first,” “the program,” and “a friend of Bill W.”—have entered the popular culture. While these terms are meant to empower people fighting addiction by making recovery seem within reach, 12-step programs are realistic about the discipline, commitment, and support needed to overcome substance abuse and addiction by dealing with both the physical and psychological aspects of dependence and addiction.

There are many different kinds of 12-step programs, some sure to be active in your area. Most of these popular groups are modeled after Alcoholics Anonymous^®, a worldwide program co-founded in the 1930s by two Americans, Bill W. and Dr. Bob, as they preferred to be known.

The idea is that people who suffer from a similar problem understand and can help one another. By coming together to share experiences at regular meetings, people who are in recovery can try and help guide each other out of addiction through a structured 12-step program.

Many people have used 12-step programs to achieve abstinence, or what they refer to as “drug-free lives.” For others, medication-assisted treatment is a better fit.

Two helpful 12-step program websites are Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous.

Hear real-life stories
Find out what others have faced—and how treatment for addiction helped.