Opiate Articles, Blogs and Resources

What are Opiates?

Opiates for pain management Opioids are a collection of potent narcotics derived from the poppy plant, and that consists of opium or a natural or synthetic derivative of opium. Normally, opioids are used to induce sleep or relieve pain since they work as a depressant in the central nervous system.

Opiates work in the body by connecting to opioid receptors, which are located in the brain, spinal cord, and gastrointestinal tract. In doing so, opiates are able to prevent the release of pain messages and can change the way a person encounters pain.

Opioids also stimulate the neurotransmitters in the brain’s reward system, the results are euphoric like effects. All medicines that are opiate-based must be prescribed by a physician. Usually, these prescriptions are provided with purposes of controlling pain and alleviating the effects of pain.

Due to the fact that the pain-relieving effects of opioids are short-lived and a strong euphoric experience is encountered, the concern of developing an addiction is greatly increased. Opiates can be derived naturally, or they can be man-made.

Naturally occurring opioids include Morphine, Codeine, heroin and opium. Synthetic opioids, which are man-made drugs that simulate opiates, include medications such as Hydromorphone, Oxycodone, Fentanyl, Hydrocodone, Methadone, Demerol, Darvon, and Vicodin.

These are some of the most common types of natural and synthetic opioids:

Codeine
Morphine
Oxycodone
Percocet
OxyContin,
Percodan
Hydromorphone
Palladone
Dilaudid
Hydrocodone
Lorcet
Forten
Vicodin
Heroin
Methadone

Opioids are accessible in many forms, including capsules, pills, tablets, and liquids. Typically, opiates are ground and snorted or inhaled, swallowed, or injected when used recreationally.

Opiates do offer a lot of benefits as they can provide relief to pain, and therefore enhancing the quality of life for a person enduring bodily illnesses. However, they can quickly be misused. All kinds of opiates and opioids can be addictive, some with greater potential for addiction than others.

Please continue reading below to see our latest blog posts on opioids. Under the “Substance Abuse Navigation” menu, you can click on the drop-down arrow to see evergreen, general information on abusing opiates.

HHS Releases $487 Million to Increase Access to Effective Opioid Treatment

Man working on his alcoholism during the holidays

Last month, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources (HHS) issued an additional $487 million in adjunction to the first-year funding through its State Opioid Response (SOR) grant program. These awards to states and territories are a component of HHS’s Five-Point Opioid Strategy. The U.S. opioid epidemic In the late 1990s, increased prescription of [...]
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Life & Death Reality of Opioids & Teenagers

At this point, the opioid crisis is well-covered in the media, and it should be. Teenagers abusing opioids and the true reality of death are well documented. After all, a staggering and heartbreaking 130 irreplaceable individuals die from opioid overdoses per day in America [1]. Sadly, these numbers are only rising, as opioid addiction impacts the [...]
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Marijuana Instead of Opioids: Is This a Solution?

The nation’s opioid epidemic has become more and more worrisome as opioid use, misuse (or use disorder), and overdose has vastly increased in the past several years. Every day, more than 130 people in the United States die after overdosing on opioids and projections find that this number will only increase over the next several [...]
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Understanding Chronic Pain and the Role of Opioids

Data encompassing the past two decades revealed an overall increase in Chronic Pain trends and opioid use among American adults. Freely prescribed and mindlessly consumed, the opioid consumption trends have taken an epidemic turn. Rising pain trends and opioid use Research shows that American adults, aged 18 years and older, were increasingly experiencing at least [...]
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The Process of Medical Stabilization for Opiate Addiction

Woman thinking about how Substance abuse can cause COVID vulnerability

Contributor: Staff of Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center It is so easy to become addicted to opiates and so very difficult to break that addiction. Opiate drugs, this includes heroin, impact an individual on every level, physically, mentally and emotionally. Medical stabilization for opiate addiction and detox from opioid drugs is not quick nor easy. [...]
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