Oxycontin Addiction

OxyContin addiction has come to the attention of Drug Abuse watchdog groups nationwide as OxyContin addiction has increased many times over in recent years. OxyContin addiction is a new phenomenon in that OxyContin was approved by the Food and Drug Administration(FDA) only 7 years ago in 1995. OxyContin addiction is as severe as heroin addiction because they are both derived from opium. Although man-made by the pharmaceutical company Purdue Pharma, OxyContin addiction is no less severe just because it is a synthetic drug. Like heroin, Percodan or Percocet, OxyContin addiction must be treated in a facility like Spencer Recovery Center where doctors can aide withdrawal with medications and licensed counselors can address new behavioral skills.

OxyContin is the brand name for oxycodone hydrochloride which is used as a mild to severe pain reliever for patients with chronic pain. Individuals with a legitimate need for OxyContin include cancer patients and the drug has been praised for it's long lasting pain reliving qualities. However, the manufacturer has been criticised for not properly informing doctors and patients of the high potential of OxyContin addiction. Thousands of prescriptions are handed out every year and abuse, crime and fatal overdoses have since all been linked to OxyContin addiction. Though formulated as a 12 hour time release pill, OxyContin addiction becomes more likely as individuals abuse the drug. This is done by disabeling the time release structure of the pill by chewing, crushing or dissolving the pill into liquid form and then eating, snorting or injecting the solution.

When taken orally or injected in this powder form, the time-release structure is by-passed and the user experiences a rush similar to heroin. The mind and body easily become obsessed with this pleasurable rush and a physical craving can develop causing addiction. OxyContin addiction manifests through chronic use and increasing tolerance so that more of the drug is needed to feel the same effects smaller doses once provided.

Opioids like OxyContin and heroin block pain messengers to the brain and central nervous system. They also increase the amount of dopamine in the brain which causes increased feelings of pleasure and euphoria. Consequences result as the body seeks a balance and compensates for the increased dopamine and increased pleasure. Tolerance develops when the body compensates and the individual soon needs more and more OxyContin to get the same pleasurable feelings that one or two doses used to provide. OxyContin addiction creeps up on the individual until acquiring the drug becomes a full time obsession affecting friends, family, career, kids, finances and possibly involving the police.

Spencer Recovery Centers has helped hundreds of clients overcome their opioid addiction using proven techniques and effective medical procedures. Overcoming OxyContin addiction begins with medically supervised detoxification followed by individual and group therapy facilitated by a licensed counselor. Treatment plans are customized to the individual and a wide variety of services are available from inpatient residential to outpatient treatment online.

Give Spencer Recovery Centers a call today to explore your options and treat your OxyContin addiction today.

Facts and figures related to OxyContin were found at The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.