What is OxyContin?

OxyContin addiction is a serious illness that evokes both the short-term and long-term changes in the way your brain works as well as changes in your behavior, your emotions, and your psychological state of mind. OxyContin addiction, like all addictions, is recognizable by the continued use of the drug regardless of health problems, financial worries, relationship troubles, or problems keeping up with work, school or community obligations; all components that recognize the need for detox. Should you unsuccessfully attempt to stop taking the drug repeatedly or experience withdrawal symptoms if you miss a dose or quit ‘cold turkey,’ these, too, are signs that you are in the throes of addiction and need detox.

Through your doctor, you can determine the best avenue of treatment. Things to consider are the level of treatment one may need (inpatient vs. outpatient program) and medical detox vs. behavioral therapy. By treating both the physical and psychological effects of addiction, you increase your chances of a successful recovery.

Why Detox?

Detox can be a very “taboo” word to the addict, thus recognizing they have an addiction. It is not something to be ashamed of and ultimately can restore the quality of life to the addict. Completion of the detox process provides three important achievements to the recovering addict:

• Overcoming the physical addiction to OxyContin.
  Although a great deal of work still remains (as the individual moves forward into counseling to address the psychological component of addiction) detox helps the individual accomplish this key component of recovery.
• Reducing the chance of relapse.
  Once the individual has completed drug detox, the chance that they will succumb to relapse is significantly lower than before they started the process. This is extremely important because of the increased risk of overdose for those who relapse after embarking upon the detox process.
• A real sense of accomplishment.
  Detox is just one of the first steps in the recovery process, but getting through the withdrawal symptoms and detoxifying to the point where rehab can begin is a huge accomplishment and arguably one of the more physically taxing steps to sobriety.

After OxyContin Detox

Once the patient is physically stable and detoxification is complete, the individual can turn their attention to the psychological aspect of addiction and the corresponding therapies that address this level of addiction. The next step for most patients is counseling and other therapeutic options, in which the recovering addict is given a chance to meet with counselors and fellow patients (in group counseling) to discuss the root causes of addiction and learn how to replace negative behavior with positive choices.

OxyContin Help

If you or someone you know is struggling with an OxyContin addiction, we can help. Please call our toll free number at (866) 872-6492. We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to answer your questions on OxyContin addiction and treatment.