Opiate Addiction & Rehabilitation

What Are Opiates and Opioids?

Opiates are drugs (narcotic analgesics) containing or derived from opium. Opium is extracted from the Opium poppy, Papaver Somniferum. Opium and its derivatives have a long history of use by humans. Opiates are sometimes called “natural” since the active ingredient molecules are made by nature, not manufactured by chemical synthesis. Opiates tend to induce sleep and alleviate pain.

Common opiates include:

• morphine and
• codeine.

Opioid drugs have the same narcotic effects as opiates but are not derived from opium, they are synthetic or partly synthetic, meaning the active ingredients (molecules) are manufactured via chemical synthesis. Opioids may act just like opiates in the human body, because of the similar molecules.

Examples of opioids are:

• Methadone
• Heroin
• Oxycodone (e.g. OxyContin, Percocet)
• Hydrocodone (e.g. Vicodin)
• Hydromorphone (e.g. Dilaudid)

Opiates or opioids bind to receptors in the brain, the nervous system and the digestive tract. They numb pain and produce an euphoric feeling. This eupohoric side effect of pain killers has created numerous cases of addiction throughout our society.

Opiates/opioids bind to receptors all over the body, they are especially concentrated in areas of the brain that control breathing, pain and emotions. The body’s natural opiate is called “endorphin.” Endorphins are always present in the brain, but they are released in greater amounts when people are in pain or under stress.

Pain Medications

The Opiates/Opioids are extremely powerful pain medications. If undergoing surgery, or recovering from a painful car accident or self-medicating for psychic pain, the opiates will be effective in masking that pain wherever it might be.

Opiate Addiction

Prescription drug addiction including, opiate based pain killers, has become a growing social concern over recent years with more widespread recreational use of prescription medications. According to the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN), prescription drugs are the most abused substances in the United States. Benzodiazepines and painkillers rank highest on the list. Common opiate prescription addictions come from drugs like OxyContin, Vicodin, Norco, Dilaudid, and Methadone. These medications are synthetic opiates (opioids), and are intended to be used to relieve moderate to severe pain, but their euphoric side effects have created numerous cases of addiction throughout our society.

Opiate abuse is very common, especially these days when opiates are available in a wide array of forms, including prescription pills on the black market, such as Vicodin and OxyContin, Oxycodone and Hydrocodone.

OxyContin Abuse

The number of persons reporting use of Oxycontin for non-medical purposes at least once in their lifetime increased from 221,000 in 1999 to 399,000 in 2000 to 957,000 in 2001.
The annual number of new users of pain relievers non medically has also been increasing since the mid-1980s when there were roughly 400,000 initiates. In 2000, there were an estimated 2.0 million.

Opiate Abuse

Opiate abuse creates a serious physical addiction which, when stopped abruptly, can lead to abdominal pains, runny nose, nausea, insomnia, agitation, and many flu-like symptoms. It has been acknowledged that many opioid users have pre-existing anxiety or depressive disorder.

Very few fatal cases of opiate detox have been reported, however this is a substance that often requires medical detoxification. The severity of the addiction will determine the process of detox for the patient, as symptoms can be very severe and uncomfortable.

Methadone

Methadone is an opioid-based prescription drug like OxyContin, Codeine, Percodan and Percocet. Methadone is commonly prescribed for pain management and used as a substitute to heroin in the treatment of heroin addiction.

Methadone Is Very Addictive

Methadone drug maintenance programs allow individuals to function better socially, but continue feeding their addiction and dependence. Methadone is still a drug and a very addictive one with mental and physical health consequences!

Methadone Side Effects:

• breathing difficulties
• hallucinations
• confusion
• chest pain, dizziness, fast or pounding heartbeat;
• feeling light-headed or fainting
• anxiety, nervousness, restlessness
• insomnia
• feeling weak or drowsy
• dry mouth, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, loss of appetite
• decreased sex drive, impotence, or difficulty having an orgasm

Methadone Withdrawal Symptoms

Methadone chronic use creates a physical dependence and sudden withdrawal from the drug may cause the following symptoms:

• Bone and muscle pain
• Nausea and vomiting
• Insomnia and restlessness
• Irritability and panic
• Constipation or diarrhea

Conventional Opiate Detoxification

The main focus in conventional opiate detox consist of blocking the effects of the opiate in the brain and taper the presence of opiates in the body. Opiate detox may be performed under anesthesia for a faster initial detox process avoiding withdrawal symptoms. It is followed by administration of naltrexone an opioid antagonist. Naltrexone may be used orally or as an implant. There are many problems with the use of Naltrexone and studies have shown that it leads to dysphoria and suicidal despair.

Dysphoria is a psychological term describing a depressive or anxious mental emotional state or at least a state of lacking pleasure. The poor compliance with this drug has led to the use of another drug Buprenorphine. Compliance may be better, but why not use the natural resources of the body?

Generally, opiate detox involves the use of Buprenorphine, an opiate agonist medication which attaches to the opiate receptors in the brain, blocking the opiates of abuse from affecting the addict. This drug has recently been approved by the FDA as an effective method of detox from opiates such as heroin, methadone, oxycodone and hydrocodone. One common form of buprenophine is Subutex, also used in opiate addiction treatment as a sublingual treatment (under the tongue).

Suboxone is another FDA approved drug for the treatment of opioid dependence. Suboxone is a combination of the opioid antagonists, Naloxone, and Buprenorphine. Suboxone is not recommended for use during the induction period but as a second phase after initial treatment with Buprenorphine. It is used for maintenance and unsupervised therapy in a sublingual tablet.

Generally there are not very severe physical effects of this kind of opiate detox besides the –

• nausea,
• diarrhea,
• abdominal pains, and
• overall flu-like symptoms.

These symptoms are not usually life-threatening, but instead are very uncomfortable and generally unmanageable without medical care.

Generally there are not very severe physical effects of opiate detox besides the nausea, diarrhea, abdominal pains, and overall flu-like symptoms. These symptoms are not usually life-threatening, instead very uncomfortable and generally better to manage with medical care. Our natural detoxification procedure is very effective in treating the psychological and physiological cause of opioid addiction and in the management of opioid rehab.

Our detox procedure consists of:

Tapering Opioid Use Slowly

Increasing the endogenous production of natural opioids produced by the body in response to pleasurable activities such as exercise, laughter and creativity.
Flooding the body and the nervous system with nutrients from plant food in the form of juices and raw food
Provide the necessary amino acids, vitamins and minerals to restore brain chemistry and assist in detoxification. This is provided through nutrition, supplementation and intravenous (iv) therapy.

Our natural detoxification protocol is individually designed to exclude the use of any pharmaceutical medication.
Our program helps to reduce drug cravings, controls withdrawal symptoms and restores normal brain function. Our procedure consists of tapering the drug down slowly and supporting the natural production of endogenous opioids such as endorphins and enkephalins with exercise, laughter and our nutrient rich raw detox diet and juices.

Biochemical Rebalancing

A supplement regimen is individually designed to rebalance hormones and restore vitamins and minerals levels that may be depleted. This biochemical rebalancing is coupled with psychotherapy to identify issues or psychological conditions that led to drug abuse.

Easy Transition

After only a few days of our treatment, patients feel like they have not felt in a long time and are surprised at the easiness of the transition. Mental clarity is soon regained with the ability to perform mental and physical tasks with enthusiasm and joy.

Length of  Transition

The minimum length of time recommended for the treatment program is 6 weeks. Recommended treatment length is specific to each individual. In general, longer stay increase chances of long-term recovery.

Natural Detoxification Program

Our Natural Detoxification program controls all withdrawal symptoms very effectively without the use of pharmaceutical drugs. A conventional medical detox program is therefore not required before starting our program.

Length of stay recommended varies with individuals needs. Our prices decrease monthly the longer you stay. Long- term stay includes community activities such as working in the garden or helping with other tasks that are particularly attractive to each individual. Occupational therapy is recommended but optional. The hours are flexible and adapted to everyone’s ability. We also include classes on topics of interest such as raw food preparation, and gardening. Topics are chosen according to what is needed.

We encourage creativity and education and we provide material to play with. Our library contains books and DVD’s on raw food preparation and many health related topics. We are well stocked with games, puzzles, art supplies, and musical instruments. We have occasionally held dancing events in our facility or taken people to a nearby resorts for ecstatic free dancing on Sundays.

HAWAII NATURAL DRUG REHABILITATION                                       & RAW DETOXIFICATION CENTER