Hope for the Future: Ohio’s Fentanyl Addiction Treatment Center Offers a Path to Recovery

Addiction’s Ravaging of the Mind

Addiction is a tough topic to tackle for many, especially considering the common consensus to look away from people who are struggling. There is a large public stigma around addiction, and it becomes difficult for people to ask for help when they feel that they’re alone.

Because the reality of the situation is, addiction is a highly isolating disease that can become even more isolating if not treated early on. 

 

It’s easy for addicts to believe that they’re alone and no one can help them, because most people around them don’t feel the dependency they feel on substances. 

However, addicts aren’t alone, and unfortunately, the statistics for opioid and fentanyl use are a very staggering reality. 

And even though it seems despairing, there is always hope for people who are struggling. 

The Reality of Fentanyl: The Opioid Crisis’ Impact on the World and Individuals

Drugs and alcohol are the most well-known influences on addiction and their rampaging impact on others, and the opioid crisis is something at least vaguely about by many.But how deep does the opioid crisis go?

The reality is, very deep. In Ohio alone, the rate of drug overdose multiplied by 25% in 2020. Further, Ohio has the fourth-highest opiates-related overdose rate in the United States.

Why are opiates so dangerous? Why are they the leading cause of overdose deaths, despite alcohol having a much higher rate of addiction?

The culprit? Fentanyl. 

What is Fentanyl?

Fentanyl, in simple terms, is a highly potent pain-relieving drug. However, it takes very little to achieve a high with it, and very little more to risk an overdose. To make matters worse, it is very common for drug dealers to lace other drugs with fentanyl, and if taken unknowingly, creates a very high chance of overdose for the user.

As addicts continue to use and their using becomes more reckless is when fentanyl has a higher chance of making its way into the drugs they consume and creating the risk of overdose.

If It’s Dangerous to Use Fentanyl, How Do You Quit?

Most of the stigma around fentanyl addiction treatment comes from the impression that quitting should be easy, and addicts should just be able to stop at the drop of a hat. People uneducated about addiction often don’t understand the need for the best treatment for fentanyl addiction. 

Unfortunately, the reality isn’t that simple. 

 

Quitting cold turkey can lead to dangerous withdrawal symptoms and extreme pain, which is the reality of how truly difficult it is to quit in the first place. It is possible to quit alone, but is often not the best or safest option for many individuals, due to the severity of withdrawal and the dependency on substances. 

Is it Worth Quitting?

The answer to this question varies from person to person, but the answer is often a resounding yes.

While it is difficult and addiction is a lifelong battle, getting sober is often the best thing an addict can do for themselves to live a long, healthy life. Withdrawal can cause flu-like symptoms and even weeks-long mental setbacks such as anxiety or depression and is not an easy thing to tackle alone. However, progress in addiction recovery isn’t on a linear scale, and the only way through is forward. 

And, as always, there are always helping hands to guide you from the darkness into the light.

How Do I Ask for Help?

Realizing that you need help and feeling the strength to ask for it is the most crucial step in the addiction recovery process. It’s not uncommon for family members to attempt to help addicts, yet they refused to accept the help, as they deemed it unnecessary. 

Realizing that help is needed is often the first stepping stone in the sobriety process.

 

Finding help can be a little bit more difficult, though. Seeking the rehab that is right for you can be an intimidating process for many, especially if it involves traveling as well as in-patient care.

 

Getting Help Is Key

Though it does seem daunting, there are many resources available in the US (and worldwide) that provide filtered searches for rehab centers in the area. 

Rehabs are filled with highly trained, medical professionals that truly care for your well-being and want to see you succeed in your journey to sobriety. When searching for a rehab or medical facility, it’s important to ask these questions:

• What do I want out of rehab?
• How do I want to live my life without a substance I’ve relied on for so long?
• How do I want this treatment to impact my future?

And so on. Rehab can help you answer all of these questions and more: they want you to build a better future for yourself and live a life without the constant overcast of fentanyl shadowing every aspect of your life. 

It’s just about taking that step to ask for help and finding the right treatment center that aligns with your goals.

What Does Rehab Entail?

First is the admissions process, which is fairly straightforward. Medical professionals evaluate the patient based on their addiction type and individual needs, and move forward with their treatment with the necessary steps for that particular person.

Next is the detox stage, which is where rehab becomes a much more vital role for sobriety. Being that withdrawal is such an intensive and painful process for many, rehab offers all the tools and resources necessary to ensure that relapse isn’t an option, while the patients are made as comfortable as possible throughout the days or weeks of their detox.After that, patients often remain in inpatient care for 30 to 90 days. Many rehabs offer different types of therapy, including individualized and group therapy, which offer different benefits to the sobering mind.

Some patients do outpatient care, which entails continuing the therapy and recovery process from their own homes. Most rehabs recommend inpatient care, as the risk of relapse is higher when an individual is isolated, but every case is different for every person.

How Rehab Remains Even When You Leave

Many rehabs keep their former patients in contact with their therapists for weekly or biweekly sessions, and provide many resources for recovered addicts to continue a healthy lifestyle outside of rehab. 

 

Further, many addicts report that once they leave rehab, they have the people they met while staying there, who have experienced similar things to them and can empathize with their struggles.

Addiction feels a lot less lonely when there’s a circle of people who understand exactly what you’re going through.

The benefits of rehab, for this reason, often last a lifetime.

Post-Recovery Lifestyle

To maintain a healthy mind and body, many addicts report that they practice self-care and healthy living once they leave the recovery centers. Many work out, eat healthily, meditate, or find some other forms of self-care that maintain a happy, healthy mind and keep the temptation of addiction away.

Further, there are often Anonymous meetings in the area, which can further connect someone to the community around them and build friendships that are built on commonality. 

Closing Words

Addiction isn’t going anywhere, but that doesn’t mean you should have to lie down and let it control you for the rest of your life. It seems hopeless and despairing, yes, but there are always avenues of help that can guide you forward and allow you to build a better life for yourself. 

Help is always available: the best thing you can do for yourself is to ask for it.