Morphine was the very first drug to be successfully extracted from a plant, more specifically the opium plant, according to Dickinson College. This discovery paved the way for the various plant-derived medications in existence today. While morphine does hold certain medicinal, pain-killing properties, it also carries an extremely high risk for addiction.

Morphine addiction treatment centers specialize in treating the complex physical and psychological problems that drive a morphine addiction. As everyone’s circumstances are different, the various approaches used by morphine addiction treatment centers can meet most anyone’s treatment needs.

Morphine Addiction

As an organic-type, plant-based medication, morphine addiction affects both brain and body processes. The brain itself contains actual opiate receptor cells that secrete morphine-like chemicals on their own. In effect, when someone ingests morphine, the brain doesn’t differentiate between morphine and its own chemical secretions, so it accepts morphine as a natural material.

While this seemingly natural exchange may seem fine and good, the brain actually starts to depend on morphine to function normally the more a person uses. As opiate receptor cells exist all throughout the body, similar effects take place wherever opiate receptor cells operate. These cells play a vital role in managing nerve cell communications and regulating pain response. Once they become dependent on morphine, stopping the drug brings about excruciating withdrawal effects.

These processes combined with the drug-seeking behaviors a person develops as dependency grows makes for a potentially severe addiction problem. Morphine addiction treatment addresses both the physical and psychological imbalances caused by the misuse of morphine. Considering how severe these addictions can be, morphine addiction treatment offers the best chance a person has of recovery.

Medically-Supervised Detoxification

Medically-supervised detoxification is one of the many benefits of going through an accredited morphine addiction treatment program. Detoxification, or clearing out all traces of morphine from the body can be a painful process. Morphine addiction treatment centers use various medications to help wean the body off the effects of the drug.

Medications, such as buprenorphine and methadone actually mimic the effects of morphine without placing a person at risk of addiction. Dosage amounts are gradually tapered down to a point where a person’s body can function without the medication’s effects. The use of medically-supervised detoxification as a part of morphine addiction treatment greatly reduces the likelihood of relapse as withdrawal effects often become too much for a people to bear on their own.

Residential & Outpatient Treatment Options

Once a person completes a detoxification program, morphine addiction treatment centers offer different levels of treatment that help better prepare a person for the challenges recovery brings. For someone who’s used morphine for a long time, inpatient treatment helps a person develop the coping skills needed to maintain abstinence. Inpatient treatment programs can run anywhere from three to six months where a person lives at the facility while receiving psychotherapy and group counseling.

As morphine addiction, in and of itself, maintains a strong hold over a person’s body and will, most recovering addicts at the very least require outpatient morphine addiction treatment. Rather than living at a facility, outpatient participants attend therapy sessions and receive group counseling support on a scheduled basis throughout the week. This way participants can still meet work and family obligation while getting the help they need.

Medication Treatment

Morphine, whether abused or taken as prescribed, acts as a central nervous system depressant. Morphine’s overall effects work to slow down physiological functions throughout the body. This includes heart, respiratory, digestive and cognitive functions. Over time, a morphine addiction throws all of these processes out of balance.

As part of a morphine addiction treatment process, many people require ongoing medication treatment to counteract ongoing withdrawal effects and maintain abstinence. Doctors prescribe medications, such as buprenorphine and naloxone for as long as a person experiences withdrawal symptoms. Buprenorphine works by creating the same effects as morphine without the potential for addiction, while naloxone eliminates the effects of morphine on the body altogether.

Aftercare Treatment & Supports

Detoxification, inpatient and outpatient programs lay the foundation for the morphine addiction treatment process. Once a person completes these programs, the need to have ongoing supports in place is essential to maintaining what progress has been made. Aftercare treatment services and 12-step programs offer the types of support systems that help keep recovering addicts drug free.

For some people, housing may be an issue after completing a morphine addiction treatment program. Sober living programs offer recovering addicts housing as well as ongoing treatment services designed to get them back on their feet.

For all recovering morphine addicts, 12-step program meetings can provide the guidance and support needed to develop a lifestyle of abstinence.