The Middle-Aged and the Opioid Addiction

Opioid Addiction and The Growing Middle Aged

It is no secret that opioid addiction in the middle-aged population is growing.

Often when you think of drug addiction, it brings up visions of a shadowy life with illegal drug dealers and late night clandestine meetings. Surprisingly, that is not the reality. Most often, especially with opiates, your drug dealer may be your physician and the meeting may be your doctor’s appointment or a hospital stay, and it is all legal and innocent.

Middle age opioid addiction is rapidly rising. Recreational street drugs like heroin are not the problem, opiates are. These come to you disguised as prescription pain pills, sleep aids, anti-anxiety, or weight loss aids. Often, what is not known, is how addictive they are.

The worst part is, most of the time the patient is not made aware of how addictive, dangerous, and how much of a gateway drug they are.

Being an addict carries a personal and social stigma. Often it is perceived as a character flaw or other personal weakness. The person taking the medications may not be aware that they are becoming addicted. They follow the medication directions as they were prescribed. The physician is dosing as he was informed to address the symptoms.

The patient soon finds they now need the drug to function. It takes a while to realize that they are an addict and the life in a shadowy world begins. The stigma kicks in, the addiction can go on for years, and it can leave a path of destruction. The patient can lose a job, become broken financially, fall out of a marriage, or get seriously injured in a car accident.

There are Solutions to the Opiate Problem

As a community, it is our job to support people who have this problem with an understanding of the cause. Addicts can be your neighbors, friends, relatives and personal families. Addicts are people in distress, caught in a web of chemical dependency. Education of this problem needs more exposure, there are common personality traits of an addict, you can learn more here.

Often a type of intervention is used to make an addict aware of their problem. They are confronted by those who are affected by the addict’s choices and behaviors. The addict is often advised to agree to go through a recovery program, often times an opioid addiction clinic. The addiction cannot be cured but it can be managed and opioid addiction recovery is possible.

Recovery programs are usually planned on a case-to-case basis taking into account the addicts history, personality, and the drug they are addicted to. These facilities focus on structured and stress relieving environments designed to help the addicts remove the stigma they have about their condition. The addict is educated about their condition while sharing with others who have a similar battle. Most commonly today MAT treatment is used to help an addict recover, learn more about MAT treatment here.

We Need to Help Those in Need of Opioid Addiction Recovery

The medical community could provide more information about the addictive effects of the drugs they are prescribing.

Family members need to be educated about additive types of behaviors so the problem can be addressed early.

The community, as a whole, needs to understand the problem and offer proper support. This includes police, courts, social services, and health civil service workers.

The middle age drug problem is real and silently growing. Anyone can help with removing the social stigma by not condemning but instead educating those around you. We can help those in need.

We’re here to help…

Whether treatment is for you, a family member or a friend, we are happy to speak with you about our outpatient drug treatment program, and how AOC can help patients with their opioid addiction recovery. Since 2007, AOC has helped thousands of patients on their path to recovery.

Please read more about AOC, or call us at 330-259-4849, or email to schedule an appointment – it’s fast, easy and confidential.

Sources:
http://sobercollege.com