Oxycontin Addiction:
Oxycontin is a prescription painkiller used for moderate to high pain relief associated with injuries, bursitis, dislocations, fractures, neuralgia, arthritis, lower back pain and pain associated with cancer. It contains oxycodone, an opium derivative and is produced in a time released tablet. Oxycontin commonly referred to as OC, OX, Oxy, Oxycotton and kicker, was introduced in 1996 and has had a rapid escalation of abuse. The tablets can be chewed, crushed and snorted like cocaine, crushed and dissolved in water and then injected like heroin. The most serious side effect is respiratory depression, particularly dangerous for the elderly. Oxycontin addiction and demand has resulted in pharmacy robberies and forged prescriptions. The estimated number of people aged 12 or older with an oxycontin addiction has increased from 1.9 million in 2002, to 3.1 million in 2004. The largest increase occurred among young adults aged 18 to 25.Drug Rehabilitation Drug Rehabilitation is an umbrella term for a variety of processes by which a person addicted to a drug stops using that drug. These processes can vary from cold turkey to the use of substitute drugs which do not have the same action upon the state of consciousness as the original drug to which the person was addicted. Residential Treatment is a level of care that entails that the client live (resides) within a treatment facility for a specified duration of care; most often 28 days. Residential Treatment Programs and Centers usually include group and individual therapy sessions and span the confinement continuum from open campus to lock down facilities.Addiction Addiction implies that a drug dependency has developed to such an extent that it has serious detrimental effects on the user (referred to as an addict). They may be chronically intoxicated, have great difficulty stopping the drug use, and be determined to obtain the drug by almost any means. The term addiction is inextricably linked to society's reaction to the user, and so medical experts try to avoid using it, preferring dependence instead. Inpatient Treatment is most often residential in that they require that the client live within the facility during treatment. Inpatient treatment centers and programs are a higher level of care than outpatient programs and provide more intensive services and treatment than lower levels of the care continuum.Oxycodone Addiction Oxycodone works by stimulating certain opoid receptors that are located throughout the central nervous system, in the brain and along the spinal cord. When the oxycodone binds to the opoid receptors, a variety of physiologic responses can occur ranging from pain relief, to slowed breathing to euphoria. Withdrawal reactions include anxiety, irritability, sweating, trouble sleeping and diarrhea. Substance Abuse Substance abuse has a range of definitions related to disaproval over use or overuse of mood altering substances. These fall into four main categories: Substance abuse may lead to addiction or substance dependence. Medicaly, dependence requires the development of tolerance leading to withdrawal symptoms. Heroin Rapid Detox As an Opioid heroin use escalates as the body’s tolerance for the drug increases. The increased tolerance is the cause of many overdose deaths given that the heroin user may be injecting 3 to 5 times the lethal dose in order to maintain their high. Rapid detoxification from high tolerance heroin use is extremely dangerous and can be fatal. Relapse for a heroin user after some period of absence can also be fatal as their tolerance level is no longer present and the same amount used during their last episode prior to a period abstinence will often kill the user. |
Alternatives Regional Chemical Abuse Program in Pennsylvania
