Conditions involving chronic pain symptoms can make life miserable and exhausting. Prescription pain pill treatments provide much needed relief from distressing symptoms, but still carry abuse and addiction risks.

While methadone’s use as an opiate addiction treatment medication is fairly well known, this drug is also used to treat conditions involving moderate to severe pain symptoms. As one of the more powerful opiate-based drugs, methadone’s use as a pain treatment carries a high risk of abuse and addiction.

With frequent or ongoing use, the need for methadone addiction treatment becomes increasingly apparent within a person’s daily life. Knowing what types of signs to watch for can help you determine when the time has come to seek out methadone addiction treatment.

If you need help finding a treatment program that meets your needs, call our toll-free helpline at 800-934-1582(Who Answers?) .

The Damaging Effects of Methadone Abuse

As a group, opiate drugs work by binding to key cell receptor sites in the brain and forcing the release of endorphin chemicals, which act as the body’s own “feel-good” agents. According to the U. S. National Library of Medicine, the stronger the opiate the more forceful the effect. Methadone exerts a tremendous effect on the brain’s endorphin chemical system.

After so many weeks of methadone abuse, the drug’s effects start to warp areas of the brain that regulate motivations, emotions and thought processes. Before long, getting and using methadone becomes the focus of most everything a person thinks, feels or does.

Signs of Methadone Addiction

Methadone addiction develops gradually over time as the drug’s effects wear down brain cell structures and weakens their ability to produce endorphin supplies in the absence of methadone. According to the National Drug Intelligence Center, frequent methadone abuse soon gives way to rising tolerance levels, physical dependence and eventual addiction.

The need for methadone addiction treatment becomes apparent once the following signs develop:

• Severe drug cravings
• Severe withdrawal episodes
• Loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities
• Withdrawing from friends and family
• Financial difficulties
• Missed days at work or job loss

The Need for Methadone Addiction Treatment

With methadone’s high potency level, an addiction problem can develop fairly quickly with regular drug use. Likewise, addiction severity can progress at a fast rate as well.

In the absence of needed methadone addiction treatment, the damaging effects of the drug continue to diminish the brain’s overall functional capacity to the point where a shell of person is left. As a person’s physical, emotional and psychological well-being continue to decline, the conditions of a person’s everyday life start to reflect the destructive effects of addiction in his or her life.

Methadone addiction treatment provides a person with the physical and emotional supports needed to stop abusing the drug and take steps towards building a lifestyle that can support a drug-free existence. While the treatment process can take time, for most people, seeking needed treatment help is the only way to take back control of one’s life from addiction’s hold.

If you’re considering methadone addiction treatment and need help finding a program that’s right for you, call our toll-free helpline at 800-934-1582(Who Answers?) to speak with one of our addiction specialists.