    It’s a common fact that an opiate addiction can be difficult to treat. Opiates can be found in prescription painkillers, such as Oxycontin and Vicodin, also, street drugs, like heroin and opium, which are commonly found in many areas. Sufferers often find it difficult to break away from the addiction problem as the symptoms of withdrawal can be quite intense. There are many different strategies and methods to treat people with opiate addiction in rehabilitation centers, but successful treatment centers use many of the following steps to treat an opiate addiction:
How an Opiate Addiction is Treated in Rehab:
A pledge to stay clean: This is the basic starting point for any rehabilitation program. Addicts must consciously have the desire to finally stay clean. This is mandatory, because if addicts don’t have a strong will to change, they won’t change. Breaking away from addiction problem can be a monumental task, so it is important that addicts need to have more involvement in the program.
Drug therapy medication: This is a common way to overcome the opiate addiction problem. Addicts could be given substitution drugs, such as Suboxone and Methadone. These can help to minimize the feeling of craving for opiate substances.
Inpatient treatment: This takes places in the hospital or treatment facility and involves a supervised detoxification process by a qualified medical team. Traditionally, this lasts for about one month, but latest advances in treatment methods may allow for shorter stays, but still depending on the severity of the case. People who need to undergo inpatient treatments usually have freebased opioids, have psychiatric issues, failed at previous outpatient treatment and are using other illegal substances.
Contingency management: This method is based on rewarding people who failed the drug screening test, by offering prizes if they are able to stop the use of illegal drugs. Tangible prizes like cash and vouchers could actually further motivate some people to stop using illegal drugs and opioids. The value of the rewards can be small at first, but they could increase over time. This method is a complementary component that can improve attendance to treatment programs.
Ultra-rapid detoxification: In general, detox isn’t a complete treatment, but ultra-rapid detoxification could be quite successful in many cases. Patients are given opioid antagonist, such as Naltrexone and general anaesthetic sedation. This could help in speeding up withdrawal symptoms and skip various side effects.
    Ultimately, the best way for treating opioid abuse is by combining various effective therapies. Detox programs, therapies, inpatient services and community support may help in freeing people from their opioid addictions.
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