Addiction comes in many forms. People can be addicted to sex or food or gambling, but these are psychological addictions. People can become physically addicted to psychoactive substances, such as tobacco, alcohol and drugs. Being physically addicted means your body needs that substance in order to function normally. If you suddenly discontinue use of the substance, unpleasant withdrawal symptoms will occur.
Opioids are a notoriously addictive class of drugs derived or synthesized from the opium poppy plant. Heroin falls into the opioid class and is perhaps the most infamously addictive of all drugs. When you become strongly addicted to a drug such as heroin, nothing else in your life matters but getting your next “fix.” It becomes impossible to hold down a job, stay in school, care for your family, or maintain relationships. Things which you used to care about no longer matter and pursuits you once found enjoyable cannot compare to the high. You put yourself at risk of death from overdose, and the use of intravenous needles puts you at risk of hepatitis, HIV, and endocarditis.
Overcoming a physical addiction to heroin and other opiods is extremely difficult, but can be done with the proper help. One method which has been around for a long time is methadone treatment. Methadone is an opioid itself, so it produces a similar effect on the body and can prevent or ease the withdrawal symptoms that would occur if one were to quit “cold turkey.” It can also be used long term for maintenance therapy. The side effects of methadone are also similar to those produced by other opioids and include constipation, skin rash, sweating, drowsiness and dizziness. To receive methadone, one generally must be enrolled in a government approved drug treatment facility and report daily to take the drug under staff supervision.
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