Treatment For Opioid Addiction Begins With The Facts

NC – Canada is in the midst of a public health crisis with rising rates of addiction to prescription opioids (pain relievers like OxyContin).

Here, Dr. Bordman, a physician with a practice in addiction and pain, shares the myths and facts.

Myth: Opioid addiction is not an actual disease.

Fact: Opioid addiction is a chronic medical condition affecting the brain that can be fatal if left untreated. While there is no cure, it can be successfully treated. Counselling, other behavioural therapies and medication-assisted therapies are the most commonly used forms of opioid addiction treatment.

Myth: Opioid addiction only happens to people who are homeless or living on the margins of society.

Fact: Addiction knows no borders—it is an equal opportunity condition affecting Canadians from all walks of life, no matter their level of education, profession or geographic location. Opioid addiction can start from a prescription for pain management, a legitimate medical condition, and spiral quickly into an out of control addiction.

Myth: Opioid addiction is self-inflicted—people who use drugs want to be using them.

Fact: Voluntary choice to take a legitimate prescription can easily spiral into a horrible addiction. People who are addicted use prescription opioids because they feel they need to, in order to survive. It is a vicious cycle of unwanted and intense cravings to use. Without using opioids regularly, they can experience a severe withdrawal syndrome of nausea, vomiting, chills, fever, and crippling pain. They often live with constant fear of going into withdrawal.

Myth: If someone with an opioid addiction wanted to stop using, they would.

Fact: It’s extremely difficult for someone with an addiction to stop using drugs on their own—the intense cravings cause most people to do just about anything to use opioids again. Even when someone wants help, the social stigma causes many people to stay in the shadows, ashamed or afraid, feeling alone and unsure of how or where to get help.

Help is available and it can make a difference. Opioidrecovery.ca is a good place to start. From helping to determine if there’s a problem, to finding support services close to home; the website provides valuable information about what opioid addiction is, where and how to seek help, what different forms of treatment are available, and what the journey of recovery could look like.