Opiate use has been upfront and present on the news lately. What exactly is an Opiate addiction? Are opiates legal drugs or aren’t they? What do we need to know?

Opiates such as heroin, morphine and methadone were all once touted by medical professionals as non-addictive, but now account for more than 80 percent of all treatment admissions for drug addictions.

Today, opiates are the most commonly prescribed drug in the U.S. Sales of prescription opioids in the U.S. nearly quadrupled from 1999 to 2014, but there has not been an overall change in the amount of pain Americans report. An estimated 1 out of 5 patients with non-cancer pain or pain-related diagnoses are prescribed opioids in office-based settings. Although prescription opioids can help manage some types of pain, there is not enough evidence that opioids improve chronic pain, function and quality of life.

More than 3 million people in the U.S. and Europe alone are addicted to some kind of opiates. Most of these addictions begin with and often continue with prescription drugs. In fact, opiates killed more than 28,000 people in 2014, more than any year on record. At least half of all opioid overdose deaths involve a prescription opioid.

Opiate addiction is a painful and difficult dependence that often requires professional treatment to overcome. Prolonged opiate use can lead to addiction, nerve damage, an inability for the body to detect pain, overdose and potentially death from respiratory failure, cardiac arrest or coma.

Some of the visible signs of addiction might be a change in appearance such as weight loss and dilated eyes. Many users have little appetite or desire to sleep, trouble with memory and lost interest in the activities they once enjoyed. Changes in their personality might even manifest as paranoia.

First, anyone that has an addiction needs to detox off the drug. The addict may choose an inpatient treatment or outpatient treatment with a closely monitored detox protocol utilizing a medical doctor, psychiatrist or naturopath. Many doctors will use Methadone or a Suboxone protocol. Methadone, still considered an opiate, is administered at specific clinics and is closely monitored. Suboxone is a synthetic opiate drug that is administered by a medical doctor or psychiatrist. Both help control the cravings for the drug and the withdrawal symptoms, yet some people find they become highly dependent on the drug since they are still addictive, and this fact often leads to relapse.

There are several totally natural, much safer protocols for detoxing off the drug. Usually this protocol is administered via specific herbs, supplements and/or intravenous therapies. This protocol too needs to be monitored, usually by a Naturopathic Physician. Treatment would include neurotransmitter and hormone tests to restore balance to the body. Some natural treatments include aerobics, energy work, meditation and yoga. These may be the safest and most effective treatments in the long term. The best part of natural detox is it comes without the cost of dependence on a drug.

Jodi Hardy, M.A. LPC, is a co-owner of Transformational Concepts PLLC, a Holistic Outpatient Treatment Center in Tucson. For more information, call 520-209-1755 or visit TransformationalConceptsPLLC.com or AddictionToConnection.com. See ads, pages 3 and 6.