Recognizing the Signs of an Opioid Addiction
By Peg Rosen
Opioids are a family of drugs that are made from or mimic natural substances found in the opium poppy plant. The drugs act on nerve cells in the brain to block pain, leading to feelings of happiness and relaxation. That’s why opioids are very addictive.
Here’s what you should know about opioids, including the signs of opioid addiction and withdrawal.
Opioid Basics
Types of opioids:
- Street drugs:
- Heroin
- Fentanyl: Technically a prescription medication for surgery and cancer pain, fentanyl is now widely used to increase the strength of street drugs. Fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin, and it’s now the leading cause of accidental overdose in the US.
- Prescription medications:
- Methadone
- Morphine
- Oxymorphone
- Hydromorphone
- Oxycodone (OxyContin, Percocet)
- Hydrocodone (Vicodin)
- Codeine
- Fentanyl
Why Opioids Are Addictive
Your body makes its own natural opioids. When you get hurt or you’re feeling stressed, your brain releases a flood of these chemicals that attach to receptors in your brain to help control pain and make you feel better.
Your brain also releases these feel-good chemicals when you eat something tasty, have sex, exercise, or do other things your brain perceives as being good for survival. You’re rewarded with a kind of natural high.
Opioids are used in medication because they can ease pain for patients who are recovering from surgery or injury, or have osteoarthritis or pain from cancer. The drugs can improve quality of life for those individuals, and they’re generally safe when taken as prescribed for a short period of time.
Let’s say you take a drug that contains opioids. The chemicals travel through your bloodstream and attach to the same receptors in your brain. But instead of a mild high, like what you may feel after working out, a drug-induced high can be extremely intense.
Early on, using opioids can deliver mind-blowing euphoria and a temporary escape from physical and emotional pain. Some people can experiment a few times and move on, but many can’t resist the drugs’ pull.
You can get used to the high from opioids and not be able to imagine living without it. Your body changes too. As your body gets used to having opioids in its system, it begins demanding more drugs at larger doses to deliver a high like the original one. Without the amount of drugs your body demands, you begin to feel symptoms of withdrawal, which can range from irritating to very painful to potentially dangerous.
That “tolerance” is the beginning of what’s known as physical dependence. Eventually, tolerance becomes so high there is no feeling of euphoria — just the drive to keep using opioids so you can avoid feeling extremely uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms.
How Long Does It Take to Get Addicted to Opioids?
By definition, being addicted to a drug is a chronic disease of compulsive drug use that you cannot control, even though bad things are happening because of it.
Opioids are extremely addictive, and it can happen really quickly.
How quickly you become physically dependent is based on several things, including your genes (some people are biologically more likely to become dependent on substances), how frequently you’re using, and the strength of the drugs you’re using. If you are going through a hard time emotionally, opioids may provide such relief from your pain that they quickly become your go-to escape.
Signs of Addiction to Opioids
If you are using opioids, there are signs that you may be developing or already have an opioid use disorder.
- Getting and using opioids (or drugs that contain opioids) has become the most important thing in your life.
- You are no longer interested in activities you used to enjoy.
- You’re pulling away from your friends and family.
- You resort to stealing from strangers or loved ones in order to pay for drugs.
- You can’t concentrate.
- You’re chronically constipated.
- You’re having mood swings, losing emotional control, or feeling confused or disoriented.
When you are physically dependent and you don’t get the fix your body needs, you go through what’s known as withdrawal, a physical and psychological response that happens when you suddenly stop taking certain drugs or slow your use of them. It’s the clearest sign that your body is physically dependent on them.
Withdrawal can happen:
- If you don’t take enough opioids to satisfy your body’s cravings
- When the level of opioids in your blood begins to drop
- If you skip a dose
- If you decide to quit cold turkey
Signs of physical withdrawal from opioids include:
- Anxiety
- Restlessness
- Flu-like symptoms, such as body aches, fever, and runny nose
- Excessive sweating
- Rapid breathing
- Insomnia
- Frequent yawning
- Teary eyes
As withdrawal progresses, symptoms can become more intense, including:
- Diarrhea
- Racing heartbeat and high blood pressure
- Nausea and vomiting
- Abdominal cramping
- Goosebumps on the skin
- Enlarged pupils in the eyes and blurry vision
Opioid Addiction Treatment
Many people are afraid to stop taking opioids because they dread the distress of withdrawal. If that sounds like you, know that there are medications that can help your body withdraw safely without extreme discomfort. Medications such as methadone and buprenorphine (suboxone) can help some people manage cravings.
If you can’t quit now, protect yourself by using fentanyl test strips and carrying naloxone, a medication that can reverse an opioid overdose in seconds.
Inpatient and outpatient rehab programs can also help you begin to rebuild your life without opioids. Counseling can help you address any mental health issues that may be at the root of your addiction.
If you can, reach out to your parents or caregivers to work together to start your journey toward recovery. If that’s not an option, your college counseling center, primary-care provider, or the SAMHSA national helpline (1-800-662-HELP) and treatment finder can point you in the right direction.
There is hope and help for addiction, and you are not alone on your journey.
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