5 Ways Methadone Treatment Helps You Overcome Fentanyl Addiction
As far as prescription opioid drugs go, fentanyl exists as one of the most powerful pain-relieving medications on the market. When it comes to pain medications in general, the stronger the effect the more addictive the drug.
Fentanyl addiction exerts a tremendous hold over a person’s thinking and behaviors to the point where he or she doesn’t even notice the negative consequences of drug abuse, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. With continued use, fentanyl’s damaging effects on brain functioning make stopping drug use all but impossible on one’s own.
Methadone treatment addresses the harmful effects of fentanyl addiction on a person’s health and well-being while providing you with the tools needed to manage addiction-based behaviors in your daily life.
Methadone Treatment Benefits
1. Provides Relief from Withdrawal Effects
During the course of fentanyl abuse, withdrawal episodes play an active role in driving continued drug use. Once a person stops using altogether, residual withdrawal effects, such as insomnia, feelings of depression and anxiety can persist for months or even years thereafter.
Methadone’s effects provide much needed relief from withdrawal effects while promoting an overall feeling of well-being.
2. Eliminates Drug Cravings
For people recovering from severe addiction, drug cravings and withdrawal effects pose the biggest obstacles to maintaining long-term abstinence. Much like methadone works to relieve withdrawal symptoms, it also provides considerable relief from persistent drug cravings.
Methadone’s ability to eliminate drug cravings goes a long way towards helping you focus on recovery.
Call our helpline at 800-678-5931(Paid Advertiser) to see if your insurance will help pay your rehab costs.
3. Feeling “Normal” Again
Severe opiate addiction leaves the brain in an unstable state, which often has a person feeling emotionally stunted, physically drained and mentally exhausted. Methadone’s overall effect works to help a person feel “normal” again in terms of his or her overall physical and emotional health.
This benefit in particular enables you to more fully engage in the treatment process and also provides motivation to get well and stay well.
4. Behavioral Treatments
Methadone treatment programs provide behavior-based interventions as part of the overall treatment process. In effect, behavior-based interventions enable you to replace compulsive drug-using behaviors with habits and routines that promote a drug-free lifestyle.
According to the National Academies Press, behavior-based treatments typically take the form of:
- Relapse prevention techniques
- Individual psychotherapy
- 12 Step support groups
- Group therapy
5. Social Supports
A big part of the methadone treatment process entails interacting with like-minded individuals, most of whom face the same daily pressures and temptations. Since methadone treatment programs require patients to frequent the facility on a daily basis, these programs offer a type of built-in support system.
As building a new lifestyle becomes the overall goal in addiction recovery, the social supports provided by methadone treatment programs enable you to form healthy, genuine relationships with people who share similar goals and interests.
If you or someone you know are considering methadone treatment and have more questions, or need help finding a program that meets your needs, please feel free to call our toll-free helpline at 800-678-5931(Paid Advertiser) to speak with one of our addiction specialists.