Opioids are drugs used to reduce pain. When opioids are consumed, they attach to opioid receptors in the brain, and trigger the release of signals that increase pleasure and decrease feelings of pain.
As a result, people who take opioids may experience reduced pain, or no pain at all.
Sometimes, we refer to natural opioids (made from the poppy plant) as opiates, to distinguish them from synthetic opioids.
Some examples of opiates are codeine, morphine, heroin, and opium. Common synthetic opioids include methadone, hydromorphone, hydrocodone, oxymorphone, oxycodone, fentanyl, and tramadol.
However, opiates are commonly included under the umbrella of opioids, as they can still lead to opioid use disorder.
Some people become addicted to opioids through illegal use, whereas others develop a dependency after taking prescription opioids.
If you would like help with an addiction issue, then call our helpline on: 0800 140 4690.
Opioid use disorder is characterised by a dependency or addiction that centres around one or multiple opioids.
It is more likely for someone with pre-existing mental health problems, including addiction, to develop an opioid use disorder. However, due to the highly addictive nature of opioids, addiction can creep up on anyone.
Men tend to be more affected by opioid addiction than women. In the UK, 72.4% of people in treatment for opioid use disorder are male (1).
This is consistent with general trends of drug use; though the risk of developing a disorder is the same for both sexes, men use illegal drugs more than women (2).
The age group that is the most affected by opioid use disorder is 35-44 years old (3). This is a higher average age than certain substances, such as cannabis (which is most prevalent among people aged 18-25) (4).
The principal explanation for this is that young people are less likely to be prescribed opioids for pain relief, so their access to these drugs is more limited.
In terms of which countries are the most affected, people living in the US and Canada are most at risk of becoming addicted to opioids. In 2020, almost three-quarters of the 91,799 drug overdose deaths in the US involved an opioid (5).
In Canada, there are 20 deaths per day caused by opioid toxicity (6).
Though Europe is not facing a crisis as severe as the US, there are still plenty of European countries suffering with this problem – especially the UK.
England has a significant problem with opioids in general, while Ireland is plagued with a heroin and methadone problem, and Scotland faces the highest rates of opioid-related deaths in Europe (7).
The reasons behind the opioid crisis are complex; there are many different factors that influence an individual’s vulnerability to addiction.
Some explanations of the opioid crisis can be applied to any addictive substance. When someone consumes an addictive drug, they can become addicted to the way it makes them feel, and they can also become physically addicted to the substance.
As opioids are highly addictive, this problem can develop very quickly.
However, one of the main reasons for the opioid crisis is that opioids are so widely available in the US and the UK, amongst other countries.
Many people begin taking opioids for acute pain, and they quickly find themselves unable to stop using them without professional help.
Though there is some regulation of opioid prescription in the US and UK, someone with a painful condition may see opioids as the best option for dealing with the pain.
If they do not follow the doctor’s advice regarding the safe use of opioids, or if their doctor does not provide adequate information about the dangers of opioids, they could end up using the drug more frequently, or in higher doses, than they should.
The main sign to look out for when someone is using opioids is dependency. If they are increasing their use of opioids against doctor’s advice, or they are unable to stop taking the drug, this is an indicator that they are suffering from opioid use disorder.
Difficulty ending the use of opioids could mean that the user experiences significant psychological or physical distress when they attempt to get sober.
These are known as withdrawal symptoms, and they may consist of:
The DSM-5 criteria for opioid use disorder can be summarised as:
People with six or more of these signs may have a severe opioid use disorder. 4-5 signs possibly indicate a moderate problem, and 2-3 signs can be a sign of a mild issue.
If you would like help with an addiction issue, then call our helpline on: 0800 140 4690.
As demonstrated by the list of possible signs, opioid use disorder can cause significant physical and psychological damage. If the disorder goes untreated, it is very likely that the user will struggle to maintain a good quality of life.
What’s more, the risk of death is significantly increased. Opioid users are 15 times more likely to pass away prematurely than non-opioid users (8).
When opioid use disorder is treated, users often recover from the dangerous effects.
However, this does not always happen; ongoing effects are present in some patients. Examples of potential long-term illnesses include immune system dysfunction, endocrine abnormalities, and opioid-induced hyperalgesia (abnormal pain sensitivity) (9).
That being said, it is still much safer to get sober via opioid addiction treatment than to stay undiagnosed and/or untreated.
Without treatment, withdrawal symptoms will remain and potentially worsen, the symptoms of addiction will continue to plague you, and it is likely that you will develop more dangerous symptoms as you continue to use opioids.
To avoid opioid-related mortality and severe health conditions, we recommend getting professional help as soon as possible.
If you have opioid use disorder, you can get high-quality treatment at drug and alcohol rehab. Both inpatients and outpatients will be offered an opioid detox, followed by a therapeutic treatment plan designed to help people recover from a wide range of addictions, including opioid addiction.
Following this, some patients will be prescribed medication to prevent the opioid use disorder from recurring.
Behavioural therapy is an effective way to treat opioid use disorder. When opioid user addresses their psychological desire to use opioids, they can begin to understand why they are prone to addiction, and how their issues can be dealt with in a healthier way.
Therapy looks different for everyone with an opioid disorder, as each patient’s experience with the drug will be unique.
The causes can range from genetics and family history to traumatic experiences and simple exposure.
This means one patient may need to spend a great deal of time unpacking a damaging childhood, while another needs to look into the way they were exposed to opioids by their friendship group.
Every patient will analyse their life to some extent, as drug use is closely correlated with mental health, but the main focus of these discussions will vary from patient to patient.
Something else that is different for each patient is the personal relationship with opioids. Certain users develop a physical dependency first, and they have been suffering from dangerous physical symptoms for many years.
Other patients have experienced more difficulty with the psychological side of addiction, and they need to focus on this in therapy.
Finally, patients may have issues that are not directly related to their opioid use disorder, or in fact not at all related. These issues will not all be resolved or improved by the same type of therapy.
This is why it’s essential for each opioid user to find the right type of therapy for their individual situation, which often involves seeing a range of therapists.
At rehab, it is common to treat opioid addiction with cognitive behavioural therapy, dialectical behavioural therapy, group therapy, and trauma therapy, but treatment plans are often not limited to these evidence-based addiction therapies.
Detoxing is essential to the patient’s recovery. If they do not withdraw from opioids, their body will continue to crave the substance, and the psychological desire for opioids is also likely to be stronger.
This cannot be the sole treatment for opioid addiction, as it does not find the root cause of the problem. However, it is a valuable treatment for the start of opioid addiction recovery, which is why many private rehabs provide medically-assisted detoxes before commencing therapy sessions.
Medication is not necessary for everyone who is recovering from opioid use disorder. However, it is used in cases where relapse is very likely, in order to maintain long-term sobriety for the patient’s well-being.
Medications such as methadone, extended-release naltrexone and buprenorphine are the most effective when they are administered alongside behavioural therapy. This is known as Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) (9).
It is proven that MAT increases the chances of a patient remaining in addiction recovery, improves social functioning, decreases criminal activity, reduces instances of opioid use, and prevents deaths by opioid overdose (7).
Methadone, which is also an opioid, can be used to treat addiction to stronger opioids. It can be prescribed in the detox phase as a tool to reduce withdrawal symptoms, which makes it easier for the patient to successfully complete this phase of treatment.
Extended-release naltrexone can also be used to reduce withdrawal symptoms, as well as prevent the patient from feeling high. This makes opioids less attractive to the person in recovery, as they are no longer chasing the rush of energy and joy they get when they take the drug.
Finally, buprenorphine is another way of controlling cravings and withdrawal symptoms in someone with opioid addiction. This substance can even reverse the effects of opioid overdose.
Some drugs used to treat opioid addiction do have the potential for abuse. However, patients are educated on the substances before they take them, and their experience is carefully monitored to ensure dependency is identified soon before an addiction develops.
For people recovering from severe opioid addiction, it is often much safer to take the aforementioned drugs, despite the small risk of abuse.
This is especially true if the patient was addicted to opioids for many years, is addicted to multiple substances, and/or is diagnosed with a serious medical condition that interferes with their opioid use disorder.
In other words, the highest-risk patients are more likely to take medication to prevent opioid use cravings, withdrawals, relapse, and overdose.
If you would like help with an addiction issue, then call our helpline on: 0800 140 4690.
It goes without saying that people who never use opioids will not become dependent on them. However, it is not always possible to avoid opioid use.
It would be naïve to assume that no one would ever end up taking opioids in an attempt to heal their trauma, fit in with others, or simply because they are curious.
What’s more, plenty of people avoid recreational opioid use, but they end up developing an addiction after being prescribed opioids by a doctor. This is even harder to avoid, as sometimes opioids are the best type of medical treatment for certain conditions, e.g., post-surgery pain, and cancer pain.
Consequently, we cannot solely rely on people avoiding opioid use to resolve the opioid crisis. We need to work on the factors that lead to opioid use disorder.
For example, mental health must be prioritised by healthcare professionals, authorities, and employers, and opioids must be prescribed with great care and only when other options are not suitable.
There is no denying that living with opioid addiction is incredibly challenging, but with the right support, lifelong sobriety is achievable.
Anyone who struggles to regulate their opioid use, or is using opioids recreationally, should find professional opioid treatment in their area — sooner rather than later. If you are dependent on, or addicted to, opioids, the best option would be to attend drug and alcohol rehab as an inpatient.
This will kickstart your sober lifestyle, as you will have to withdraw from opioid drugs completely when you enter residential rehab. You will also get a great introduction to therapy, as the daily sessions allow for an in-depth treatment of your mental health.
After rehab, your aftercare plan will help you to adjust to a sober lifestyle.
Though you will not be immersed in recovery as you were at rehab, you can still make recovery an important part of your life by going to therapy regularly, reaching out to the rehab when you are struggling, attending self-help groups, and following specific advice given to you at rehab.
The importance of meeting like-minded people cannot be underestimated when it comes to recovering from opioid addiction. This is the reason that self-help meetings are often included in relapse prevention plans.
It is an opportunity to connect with others over a difficult shared experience, which can boost self-esteem, encourage friendship, and ultimately prevent relapse.
Living with opioid addiction may sound overwhelming, as you have to be proactive about staying sober, which is undoubtedly exhausting. However, to put it bluntly, the alternative to living with opioid addiction is dying from opioid addiction.
With the wide range of resources that are now available to people with opioid use disorder, there has never been a better time to withdraw from opioids and embrace sobriety. It will not be easy, but it will be possible.
If you would like help with an addiction issue, then call our helpline on: 0800 140 4690.
We work directly with opioid users to facilitate referrals to treatment centres. Most of our recommended rehab facilities are in the UK, but we also make referrals to clinics in the US, South Africa, Spain, Luxembourg, and various other countries.
Get in touch on 0800 140 4690 to find out whether we work in your chosen area.
If you live in the UK and you would like to get treatment in another country, we can also facilitate this. You would have to arrange transport and hotel accommodation, but we can provide you with advice on how to plan a trip to rehab in another country, to make this as easy as possible.
Some of our clients are hesitant to agree to rehab, as they don’t want to detox from opioid drugs due to the strong cravings that they have.
Please be assured that your cravings can be reduced by detox medication. What’s more, as hard as it will be to stop using opioids, there will be a huge amount of support for you.
A team of healthcare professionals will work on your treatment plan and keep your relapse risk as low as possible.
[1] Adult substance misuse treatment statistics 2021 to 2022: report https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/substance-misuse-treatment-for-adults-statistics-2021-to-2022/adult-substance-misuse-treatment-statistics-2021-to-2022-report
[2] Sex and Gender Differences in Substance Use https://nida.nih.gov/publications/research-reports/substance-use-in-women/sex-gender-differences-in-substance-use
[3] Drug Overdoses https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/home-and-community/safety-topics/drugoverdoses/#:~:text=The%2035%2D%20to%2044%2Dyear,and%20older%20is%20growing%20rapidly.
[4] Use of Opioids Increases With Age in Older Adults: An Observational Study (2005–2017) https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2020.00648/full
[5] Understanding the Opioid Overdose Epidemic https://www.cdc.gov/opioids/basics/epidemic.html
[6] Opioid- and stimulant-related harms https://health-infobase.canada.ca/substance-related-harms/opioids-stimulants#:~:text=A%20total%20of%205%2C360%20apparent,peak%20of%2021%20in%202021.
[7] Is Europe facing an opioid crisis like the United States? An analysis of opioid use and related adverse effects in 19 European countries between 2010 and 2018 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8316471/
[8] Mortality and causes of death among patients with opioid use disorder receiving opioid agonist treatment: a national register study https://bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12913-019-4282-z#:~:text=Opioid%20use%20disorder%20(OUD)%20is,the%20general%20population%20%5B2%5D.
[11] Information about Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) https://www.fda.gov/drugs/information-drug-class/information-about-medication-assisted-treatment-mat#:~:text=Medication%2Dassisted%20treatment%20(MAT)%20is%20the%20use%20of%20medications,some%20people%20to%20sustain%20recovery.
[12] Effective Treatments For Opioid Addiction https://nida.nih.gov/publications/effective-treatments-opioid-addiction#:~:text=Medications%2C%20including%20buprenorphine%20(Suboxone%C2%AE,to%20the%20World%20Health%20Organization.
