Melissa Etheridge’s Tragic Loss

In May 2020, Melissa Etheridge and her former spouse, Julie Cypher, lost their son to opioid addiction.

Melissa Etheridge announced their loss on Twitter: “Today I joined hundreds of thousands of families who have lost loved ones to opioid addiction.

My son Beckett, who was just 21, struggled to overcome his addiction and finally succumbed to it today.

He will be missed by those who loved him, his family, and friends.”

Unfortunately, Beckett Cypher was lost to an epidemic that has plagued our country for years. From 2010 to 2017, opioid-related overdose deaths rose from 21,088 to 47,600. In 2018 alone, there were 46,802.

Opioid Addiction and Dependence

Each year, thousands of lives are lost to opioid addictions including those to prescription opioids, heroin, and synthetics.

Fentanyl is a common example of a dangerous synthetic opioid.

Natural opioids grow inside opium poppy plants.

The flowers are harvested to make prescription opioid pills.

Synthetics are created in a lab to mimic their effects.

They can be made with entirely artificial ingredients or a combination of natural and synthetic.

Through prescriptions, opioids are meant to relieve moderate to severe pain unresponsive to other pain relief methods.

For chronic or severe pains, over-the-counter medications may fall short.

Both prescription and illicit opioids relieve pain and promote relaxation.

For individuals with persistent pains and anxieties, these effects are appealing.

It’s important to remember that opioids are highly addictive and linked to many overdoses.

Our Best Rehabs In Arizona opioid addiction treatment programs can help you turn the tables on your addiction.

 

Prescription Opioid Addiction

Prescription painkiller misuse is the second most common form of illicit drug use.

Unfortunately, it is difficult to avoid, and it rarely stops when the prescription does.

Most people who abuse prescription opioids will graduate to a stronger substance.

Most heroin users begin with prescription opioids that they took for a genuine medical need.

With strong and potent substances like opioids, physical tolerance can build quickly.

Once physical tolerance builds, the opioid becomes less effective.

If you have chronic pain or injuries, this tolerance can be difficult to overcome.

The pain relief and relaxation that comes with prescription opioid use initially become much more difficult to achieve again.

This is where opioid addiction begins.

We can help you end this abusive cycle before you take the next step.

Heroin addiction can be harder to overcome. But, the good news is that we can help you with this addiction too to get you to a happier, healthier life.

 

Illicit Opioid Addiction

Researches have spent years studying the links between heroin and opioid abuse.

One study revealed that 86% of those surveyed had used opioid painkillers prior to using heroin. The effects that heroin creates are similar, but they are stronger, faster, and more potent. Sometimes, heroin is cheaper and easier to obtain than a prescription.

This transition is a troubling and dangerous one.

This drug alters your brain chemistry in important ways. It makes it difficult for you to quit even when you are ready and willing to.

But, we know what it takes to end opioid and heroin addictions.

We have spent many years developing the best treatment methods available.

Our methods are research-based, proven, customizable, and comprehensive.

Reasons for Prescription Opioid Use

Opioids block your body’s pain receptors. This signals to your brain that you are no longer in pain.

That is why prescription opioids are given to patients with severe and persistent pains unresponsive to normal medications.

Typically, a doctor will want to exhaust alternatives before prescribing opioids.

However, this is not always the case.

A dehydration headache or a bumped shin may be treated with a heating pad or a dose of aspirin.

However, when you need to have a tooth pulled, break one of your bones, or give birth to a child, your doctor may prescribe an opioid for the pain.

Even when they are prescribed, they are addictive and habit-forming.

With this information in mind, doctors tend to stick to short-term prescriptions. Unfortunately, this is difficult to monitor.

Common Opioids

Some of the most common opioids include:

• Vicodin (Hydrocodone)
• Percocet / OxyContin (Oxycodone)
• Morphine
• Codeine

Morphine is available through prescription and is often used in monitored medical settings like hospitals.

However, the illicit use of morphine is more common.

Heroin is another popular opioid, but it is one that has no approved medical uses. No amount of heroin use is safe.

Prescription opioid use should be limited to as little as a few weeks at a time.

Sometimes, though, chronic pains can lead to extended prescriptions, illicit purchases, drug swaps, and transitions to stronger drugs.

Overcoming opioid addiction requires dedicated treatment.

Over time, it becomes easier to manage.

Opioid Withdrawal Symptoms

Most patients who are addicted to something as strong as prescription opioids will start their treatment program with medical detox.

Opioid withdrawal symptoms scare many people off before they even begin.

However, withdrawal symptoms and overwhelming drug cravings can be eased in our opioid addiction treatment centers.

Quitting at home may lead to relapse, but here, we will eliminate temptations, distractions, and discomforts.

We will set you up for success.

There is a wide range of withdrawal symptoms associated with opioids.

Your symptoms may vary depending on specific individual factors, like the type of opioids you use, the amount, and how often.

Some of the most common withdrawal symptoms associated with opioids include:

• Agitation and anxiety
• Muscle aches
• Insomnia
• Increased sweating and runny nose
• Abdominal cramps
• Nausea and vomiting

Starting with a detox will help you through some of the worst parts of the recovery process.

Enforcing early sobriety and restoring your strength and confidence will give you what you need moving forward.

Trust our dedicated medical team to place you firmly on the path to recovery.

 

Opioid Addiction Treatment Settings

At Best Rehabs In Arizona, we offer treatment settings to meet a variety of unique addictions and needs.

We will work with you to choose the program that will benefit you the most.

Our primary treatment settings include:

• Residential rehab
• Partial hospitalization programs
• Intensive outpatient programs
• Long-term rehab

Residential rehab offers the highest levels of care, support, and guidance, with 24-hour access to our dedicated team.

Our other programs offer unique benefits, high-level care, and convenient flexibility.

Each program offers proven care methods, various therapies, support groups, and so much more.

Call our addiction counselor for more information. They are available 24/7, and they will work you through your options and next steps. They will also verify your insurance for you or outline alternative options.

 

 

Best Rehabs In Arizona’ Opioid Addiction Treatment Centers

Choosing the right opioid addiction treatment center does not have to be complicated.

Help is waiting for you right here at Best Rehabs In Arizona.

We customize each treatment program to suit the needs of the person entering it.

We will treat you like an individual, not a number.

Trust us to walk this path with you and help you build a new life based on health and sobriety.

Leave your addiction in the past.

Call Best Rehabs In Arizona today, and we will walk you into your future.