How To Support A Loved One During Their Opioid Addiction Treatment In Ocala

Addiction is a medical condition. Opioid addiction, also known as opioid use disorder or OUD is a chronic, highly complex disease that can affect anyone, regardless of age, life stage, gender, culture, religion, or race. Addiction plagues the lives of millions of Americans each year. A devastating condition characterized by the compulsive use of opioid drugs, opioid addiction can destroy the lives of the person with the disease as well as those surrounding them, including friends and loved ones. Is someone you care about or a loved one addicted to opioids, such as painkillers or heroin?

Here, our Subutex and Suboxone doctors in Ocala, FL, discuss common signs of opioid addiction and how you can best support your loved one during their recovery process at our Ocala addiction treatment center. Contact us today to get help!

Common Signs Of Opioid Addiction

Before you thought about the possibility of your loved one having opioid use disorder or opioid addiction, it’s likely that you felt concerned about your loved one. You may have noticed common signs that indicate addiction, such as poor hygiene, spending time with different people while avoiding longtime relationships, loss of interest in favorite activities, changes in eating or sleeping habits, nervousness and irritability, sudden and extreme mood changes, irregular attendance at work or school, issues with the law, and financial problems.

For loved ones of a person struggling with an addiction to opiates, knowing how to be helpful can be overwhelming, or you may find yourself thinking you couldn’t possibly help your loved one. Unfortunately, no aspect of opioid use disorder is simple or easy. Fortunately, however, there are ways to enact positive change, and though finding your way on the path of supporting your loved one will be unique to you, help is available, and opioid addiction recovery is possible.

Exercise Compassion

Oftentimes, individuals with substance use disorders or SUD act in such a way that upsets and frustrates their family members and loved ones, pushing them away. Individuals affected with SUD can betray their loved ones, steal from them to purchase illegal substances, or threaten their loved ones. While the situations you encounter with your loved one may conjure up feelings of betrayal, anger, and hurt, and while you may feel as though tough love is the only way to address their condition, it’s not necessarily the best approach.

Exercising tough love means allowing your loved one to hit rock bottom, which is an extremely dangerous state in the current opioid crisis, increasing the potential for a fatal overdose. Addiction is a disease, not an issue concerning character. Reminding yourself of this may assist you in cultivating empathy and compassion for your loved one through this substantial life challenge.

Learn About Opioid Use Disorder

Opioid use disorder is a complex and complicated disease characterized by the compulsive use of opioid drugs. One of the best ways to help a loved one struggling with this disease is to learn about the condition and gain a comprehensive understanding of it. Through your journey of learning about OUD, you should also learn about potential options for treatment. At Buprenorphine Treatment Centers, Inc, we use a comprehensive recovery program model to help patients find an opioid use disorder treatment that works for them and heals their mind, body, and spirit.

One of the most significant components of treatment for OUD is medication-assisted treatment, which uses buprenorphine, such as Suboxone® or Subutex®, in a manner customized to the needs of each patient in order to stabilize the physical body, prevent cravings, decrease the likelihood of use and overdoses, and promote a tangible path toward recovery. In addition to buprenorphine treatment, we offer a complete range of services, including group therapy and drug screens, designed to help your loved one achieve and sustain a drug-free, healthy lifestyle.

Don’t Wait To Seek Help

When it comes to helping your loved one through this time, you shouldn’t wait to respond or seek help. After educating yourself about opioid use disorder and available treatment options, you should be proactive so as to help them avoid further harm or damage to their work life, personal life, and health. Seeking help for your loved one’s OUD now can make the process of entering treatment less shocking and disruptive for them.

You should speak with a doctor, addiction specialist, or another professional with the training and experience required to help. Discuss the type and amount of opioids your loved one is using, how long they have been using, what personal, work, and legal issues they may have, and be open to their recommendations for helping your loved one. Throughout this process, it’s important that you ensure you care for yourself so that you can best support your loved one.

Don’t Give Up On Your Loved One

Ignoring your loved one’s addiction or putting off intervening can have dangerous and even life-threatening consequences. Getting them the help they need with a comprehensive treatment plan individualized for them from a reputable, certified institution can help improve their chances of recovery and a successful outcome. If you believe your loved one has OUD or you suspect they are addicted to opiates, reach out to a professional for prompt help.

When your loved one is in treatment, ask their treatment provider how you can best support them during each step of their recovery process. Addiction is a highly isolating disease, so maintaining contact with your loved one and providing them with support is crucial. It’s common for the loved ones of patients to require some degree of support as they support their loved ones. Remember that you aren’t alone. Reach out for help whenever you need it!

Call Our Ocala Addiction Treatment Center

At Buprenorphine Treatment Centers, Inc, our providers are board-certified in addiction medicine and offer fully individualized, complete addiction treatment and behavioral health services to patients in Ocala and throughout the State of Florida. Our Ocala opioid treatment center takes a holistic approach to treatment for OUD, with medication-assisted treatment using buprenorphine, like Suboxone and Subutex, plus behavioral health and telehealth services for comprehensive treatment that encourages optimal results for your loved one.

Our hybrid approach reduces the potential for harm and stops cravings and withdrawal from opiate addiction, allowing us to help your loved one manage their disease of opioid use disorder. For more information about our available treatments and to get help for your loved one, please contact Buprenorphine Treatment Centers, Inc.