No one says that oxycodone detox is easy. It is really tough, as is recovery from any opiate. It may be comforting to learn that even The National Institute on Drug Abuse recognizes the challenges you face with treatment and recovery during oxycodone detox, heroin detox, or other opioid substances.
So what’s the big deal? Why is it so dangerous to relapse while in oxycodone detox? Here are four reasons:
- You can die from an overdose. Your lungs stop working, and your heart can’t take the intensity of a sudden rush of the drugs.
- Your body can’t handle a sudden dose after a period of going without. Whatever you take goes straight to your brain, and your brain can’t handle it.
- There is a tendency to take a higher than normal dose. You’ve been without the drugs while you’re in oxycodone detox, and the psychological response is to ‘go big’ because the cravings are so intense.
- You’re not ready yet for the changes that are about to happen. Oxycodone detox is just the beginning. Recovery is a process. What’s important is to get through the detox phase to go to a maintenance phase. You need support along that path.
Now what? You’re in this. You decided that you want to break free of your addiction. You’re ‘sick and tired of being sick and tired.’ The drugs that once gave you that great feeling of life without pain – physical or emotional – now rule your life. You know that addiction is a disease and that you have that disease. The good news is that the disease is treatable. There’s not a cure. But you can manage the disease for life. The first step is to ask for help. You can’t do it alone.
How to Manage Cravings in Oxycodone Detox
Methadone and buprenorphine (Suboxone) are effective substances that help people transition away from all types of opioids by helping to manage or reduce cravings. When you enter the program, the doctor will prescribe you a dose of methadone to make you comfortable. Over a period of 21 days, with medical supervision, the dosage will be decreased until it reaches zero. This type of BAART treatment is unique to California and is a great way to start your new life.
Life After Oxycodone Detox
When you enter recovery from pain pills, you find a new path for life. With the support of counseling and sometimes groups, you go through the process of learning and dealing with the fact that you have to get away from the people you used to hang out with and use. Your counselor at the medication-assisted treatment center is also available for you and has resources that help you on your journey to a new life. Never forget that the longer you resist relapse, the better your chances are for a totally effective recovery. You’ll hear ‘one day at a time’ a lot. Take these words to heart and know that recovery is possible.
