Dealing With Cravings for Opiates

Dealing With Cravings for Opiates

Cravings for opiates are common when you’re in early recovery. You can take steps to minimize cravings to help you avoid a relapse.

Opiates are narcotic painkillers that alter the way your brain responds to pain. They make the user feel temporarily relaxed or pain-free. Your body has natural endorphins to help you recognize, reduce, and cope with physical pain. When someone continues to use opiates long-term, the natural process decreases and eventually stops. When the body stops producing these natural endorphins, higher and higher doses of opiates are required to prevent uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms.

Once someone has become addicted to opiates, quitting is incredibly difficult due to their terrible withdrawals and intense cravings. Cravings are a burning desire or drive to use a substance; they are initiated out of your consciousness. Cravings will cause a person to take extreme measures to obtain the drug. It often feels like your life depends on it, and nothing else matters at that moment.

According to the National Institutes of Health:

 Opioid addiction is characterized by a powerful, compulsive urge to use opioid drugs, even when they are no longer required medically. Opioids have a high potential for causing addiction in some people, even when the medications are prescribed appropriately and taken as directed. Many prescription opioids are misused or diverted to others. Individuals who become addicted may prioritize getting and using these drugs over other activities in their lives, often negatively impacting their professional and personal relationships. It is unknown why some people are more likely to become addicted than others. (NIH)

Often the fear of severely uncomfortable withdrawal prevents a person from getting off opiates. Overcoming the intense cravings and successfully recovering from opiate addiction is a difficult process, but there is hope. There are different ways to deal with cravings for opiates, and it’s important to remember that everyone is different, so treatment must take an individualized approach.

Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT)

One of the ways to deal with opiate cravings is medication-assisted treatment. For some individuals, the mere thought of withdrawal from opiates causes debilitating anxiety. Others may have tried to recover but cannot quit successfully and are in a vicious cycle of relapse. Medications like Methadone and Suboxone or Subutex are available to help those people deal with the cravings and prevent the uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms. Unfortunately, these medications are opioids, so some people in the recovery community believe that if an individual is on MAT, they are switching one drug for another and aren’t sober. However, medication-assisted treatment has saved many lives and enabled many to regain their lives.

For those that wish to avoid all mood and mind-altering substances but still may need the help of medication, there is also an abstinence medication available. Naltrexone is an opioid blocker. It works by blocking the opioid centers in the brain. Naltrexone doesn’t satisfy cravings like other medications but may reduce cravings. If a person is “blocked” from using or feeling an opioid, cravings tend to subside.

Coping Skills to Deal With Opiate Cravings

Cravings can last anywhere from 20 minutes to 2 hours. Cravings are time-limited and will eventually subside after time. One can use a few coping skills to help deal with cravings. The first one is distraction techniques. People can occupy their minds with focused activity, and the mental energy devoted to the craving is removed. Some different distraction techniques are:

• Reading a book or magazine
• Going for a walk or exercising briefly
• Listening to music
• Eating a snack

Another coping skill an individual can use to help deal with cravings is talking. You can either talk to yourself (self-talk) or talk with others. Communication is so important in recovery. You must talk to someone in your support group when you are experiencing cravings or on the verge of a relapse. It is so important. Self-talk can also be effective. Telling yourself that this is normal and the cravings will subside.

The last coping skill one can use to deal with cravings is to practice mindfulness techniques. Mindfulness includes staying present with how you feel, avoiding judgments about your emotions and thoughts, and remaining “still.” You can practice mindfulness while exercising or being physically active. You are just accepting the cravings without trying to change them. The more you let go and accept what it is, the less control it will have over you, and the sooner it will be gone. You can close your eyes and visualize being at the beach or ocean and listening to the waves.

Overcome Opiate Addiction

A couple other things a person can do to deal with opiate cravings are attending meetings and establishing a healthy environment. Living in a healthy environment that supports sober living can be a very effective approach against cravings and relapse. Also, when you’ve got other people around you going through the same things that you are, it helps you make better choices. Especially if the environment you came from had others around you using or potentially enabling old behaviors.

Support groups such as AA and NA or group meetings can also help; they are a big part of recovery. As I said above, surround yourself with positive and supportive people that understand what you are going through. Also, you can develop lasting relationships with people that want the same thing as you, recovery. You can also maybe find a sponsor to help provide accountability and support.

If you or someone you love is struggling with an addiction, our addiction specialists are available around the clock to assist you. Absolute Awakenings is here to help you obtain long-term recovery. We understand that treatment is not a one size fits all approach, so each client has a unique, individualized experience. So call us today to begin a new journey!

References

1. Opioid addiction: MedlinePlus Genetics. Accessed January 17, 2023. https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/condition/opioid-addiction/
2. Opioids. In: LiverTox: Clinical and Research Information on Drug-Induced Liver Injury. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; 2012. Accessed January 17, 2023. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK547864/
3. Durrani M, Bansal K. Methadone. In: StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing; 2022. Accessed January 17, 2023. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK562216/
4. Suboxone Uses, Dosage, Side Effects & Warnings. Drugs.com. Published August 1, 2022. Accessed January 17, 2023. https://www.drugs.com/suboxone.html
5. Naltrexone: MedlinePlus Drug Information. Accessed January 17, 2023. https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a685041.html