Addiction Canada Treatment Network Now Specializes in Prescription Drug and Opioid Recovery

No one is immune to opioid dependence. It affects men and women of all ages, races, ethnic groups, and educational levels. Addiction Canada Treatment Network explains the addiction cycle and opioids and how there is relief and recovery at their centers. End Quote

(1888PressRelease) December 09, 2012 - "Opioid dependence is more common than many people think" says the Director of Addiction Canada Treatment Network . He further states, "Every year, thousands of people become dependent on prescription opioid pain medication after their medical need for pain relief has passed. Others become dependent from the recreational use of opioids, such as heroin. Addiction Canada Treatment Network has become the leader in Detoxification and Treatment all in one Network." "No one is immune to opioid dependence. It affects men and women of all ages, races, ethnic groups, and educational levels and this is why we are so diversified in our care of clients", says the Director.

According to a National Survey on Drug Use:
- 470,000 people aged 12 and older were misusing pain relievers.
- 3.2 million people aged 12 and over had misused pain relievers in their lifetime.
- Approximately 300,000 people used heroin in 2010.
- Prescription drug abuse killed more than 2,500 Canadians in 2010.
The RCMP reports that "opioid painkillers now cause more overdose deaths than cocaine and heroin combined."

Frequent and persistent use of opioids can cause brain cells to change the way they work. The brain can be "reset" to think the drug is necessary for survival. In other words, the brain of a person dependent on opioids can cause them to feel as though they cannot live without this drug-and eventually may cause them to adopt compulsive drug-seeking behaviour, and at Addiction Canada Treatment Network this is where the focus on re-training through psych counseling and therapy becomes very effective in the fight for survival in the world of addiction and to get "clean".

Robin the Director says that the need for behaviour modification is needed and says that at Addiction Canada Treatment Network we go to those lengths to achieve the desired results, he explains, "The need to satisfy cravings or avoid withdrawal can be so intense that even people who want to stop taking opioids find this difficult. Consequently, they may find themselves doing things they wouldn't ordinarily do in order to obtain more of the drug they crave. For this reason, even though opioid dependence is a medical condition and not a moral failing, it can drive behavior."

Addiction Canada Treatment Network is fully aware of the "Stigma" associated with opioid dependency and says that many of the clients they treat and help recover are those that became addicted do to the dependence on their medication first for relief of the pain they were first prescribed opiates in the first place and then the physical and psychological dependency that comes with this addiction. This dependency should not be confused with outright drug addiction. Yet unlike other addictions, opioid dependence carries a powerful stigma. For example: Imagine you're interviewing for a new job. You wouldn't think twice before asking whether the company's health plan covers the cost of insulin to treat your diabetes. But would you be as quick to ask about coverage of costs related to your opioid dependence?

This stigma is rooted in the long-held belief that drug dependence is a moral failure. Only within the last 20 years have researchers realized that drug dependence is a medical condition caused by changes in the brain. Today, opioid dependence in Canada is growing at a fast rate. Says Robin, "Sadly this stigma of opioid dependency com[pared to outright drug addiction and what people think about it, deters many people from seeking help."

Removing the stigma of opioid dependence is critical to helping people get proper care. A key part of achieving this goal is wider recognition that opioid dependency and the offering of the kind of help Addiction Canada Treatment Network provides and not to just discount it as a "moral failing." It's not about being a good or a bad person, it's about embracing treatment, including both detox with medically supervised withdrawal coupled with therapy and counseling, and going forward, this is exactly what Addiction Canada Treatment Network and its services provide.

http://www.addictioncanada.ca

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