Quitting drugs isn’t just a matter of willpower. Not only do you have to safely make it through the detox process, but you also have to contend with the post-acute withdrawal symptoms that come after. These include severe depression, anxiety, and malaise. They also include a lack of motivation, lack of incentive, and difficulty focusing. Going to an addiction treatment center Alexandria VA locals have access to is a far better choice. With prescription opiate addiction treatment, you’ll have a far lower likelihood of relapsing.

Recognized as a chronic mental health issue, substance use disorder (SUD) affects the brain and the brain’s chemistry. When people use opiates to achieve feelings of intense relaxation and euphoria, they are artificially stimulating the release of powerful chemicals from the brain’s reward center known as neurotransmitters. Getting high repeatedly wears these neurotransmitters out.

Going to an inpatient rehab, a partial hospitalization program, or an intensive outpatient rehab will give your brain ample time to heal. Within just 60 days, your brain will have made what is known as a dopamine recovery, and your motivation and willpower will have been restored.

Addiction treatment teaches people why they started using in the first place. It may be the result of low self-esteem and a low sense of self-worth, negative behavioral conditioning, a co-occurring mental health disorder, past or present trauma, or other other reasons. When the underlying causes of substance use disorder are known, people can establish relapse prevention plans that help them stay the course over the long-term.

Professional treatment at an opiate addiction treatment center also allows people to identify and manage co-occurring disorders. Opiate/opioid addiction often goes hand in hand with general anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia, and other like issues. Learning how to safely and successful treat the mental and emotional anguish that co-occurring disorders cause often eliminates the motivation to abuse substances. To find out more about the benefits of professional rehab, get in touch with Recovery Life Group today.