One of the most likely reasons people seek medical treatment is for pain. Then, doctors often prescribe various forms of medications to relieve pain.

The most common and strongest forms are narcotics also known as opiates or opioids. Yet, narcotics can become addicting and, and many physicians believe suboxone is an effective treatment, along with natural therapies, counseling, and rehabilitation.

Keep reading to learn more.

Addiction Rewires Your Brain

Addiction can change the neurons in the brain, modifying how they transmit and receive information. This doesn’t happen with all drugs, but it does happen with addictive drugs.

Acute and chronic pain is bad. This is why proper pain management is an essential part of treatment without full dependence on narcotics. In general, addictive drugs affect the “pleasure pathways” of the brain.

They can make pleasure-producing things seem less pleasurable. As a result, the person wants to take more of the drug in question. Other parts of the brain are also affected such as those that control motivation, decision-making skills, the memory-making process and emotional responses.

Then, the brain is overwhelmed by cravings that take priority over the addict’s normal sense of values.

Risk Factors

Of course, not everyone who drinks alcohol or takes drugs gets addicted. In fact, there are a wide variety of factors that play a role in who becomes addicted and who doesn’t.

While there are still numerous studies being conducted, and many questions to answer–there are certain risk factors. To illustrate, one might have psychological problems such as people who experience feelings including:

• Depression
• Mood disorders
• ADHD
• Post-traumatic stress disorder
• Feelings of loneliness

Sometimes, people use drugs to cope with these issues. Another risk includes the social environment and peer pressure. Living in and working in an environment where drug use is prevalent can influence the potential for addiction.

Moreover, research has found that children of alcoholics are four times more likely to develop alcoholism. It may be because they learn to see alcohol as a coping mechanism. Get in touch with a Tampa alcoholics anonymous group and get information on how you can turn things around.

In addition, children who have suffered neglect and abuse are more likely to develop an addiction. Not to mention, addiction doesn’t happen overnight.

Treatment is a Lifetime Process

Even after addiction is treated, there are still uphill battles to overcome. You will have a lot to do such as:

• Work out the issues that led to addictions such as your family, friends, job or something else.
• You have to make new friends with people who don’t use drugs.
• You may need treatment for anxiety, depression or other mental health problems.
• You need to learn how to live without drugs.

Then, you have to deal with triggers that may lead you back to the urge of using drugs. It can be anything from a person to a memory or a place. It may also be something that causes you stress. So, it’s very important to stay away from triggers.

Final Thought

Addiction can happen to anyone, especially when people are in physical and emotional pain. The important thing is to get help, and commit to a life that is free of drug dependency.

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