Reminder: You Can’t Outsmart Addiction

All too often, smart people wind up in our Suboxone addiction treatment program because they believed that their high intelligence would ultimately protect them from addiction. But no one is too smart to be an addict. In fact, research suggests that smart people are more prone to addiction than people of average and low intelligence – according to one study, people who have higher IQs in childhood are more likely to drink heavily as adults.

Very intelligent people may be more likely to use drugs, and they’re also less able to assess their own risk of winding up in a program like our Suboxone addiction treatment program. When they do develop a problem, they’re less likely to admit it and get help. They’re also harder to treat when they do find their way into a program. Let’s take a look at some of the ways high IQ actually holds people back in our Suboxone addiction treatment program.

You Assume Your Intelligence Protects You

Very intelligent, well-educated people often assume that their intelligence and education protects them from the addictive effects of drugs. They think they know more about themselves, the drug in question and addiction in general than people of lower intelligence, so they talk themselves into believing that they won’t get hooked.

Highly intelligent addicts intellectualize; they spend their time over-analyzing meaningless details of their drug use and picking apart logical flaws in the treatment approach in an attempt to show that they don’t have a problem. Because very intelligent addicts are often well-educated and high-functioning, they are able to persist much longer in the belief that they have their addiction under control.

You Will Refuse to Follow the 12-Steps

It’s said that the 12-Step program isn’t for everyone, and it’s also said that that’s because some people are too smart for it. Very intelligent addicts struggle in treatment – whether it’s a 12-Step support group or our Suboxone addiction treatment program – because they don’t want to accept the knowledge and wisdom of others. They see themselves as intellectually superior to the other recovering addicts in their program, and they use that perspective to justify not taking the recommendations sponsors, treatment professionals and other addicts give.

Because of this, very smart people in recovery have to learn hard lessons – like avoiding old partying friends, for instance – for themselves. They must experience multiple relapses before they can accept that the recommendations they’re receiving in treatment are valid.

The very intelligent people we help in our Suboxone addiction treatment program over think every aspect of addiction. Because they are accustomed to relying on their own intelligence, logic and willpower, they really struggle with concepts like humility, which are necessary for recovery to occur.

Suboxone Addiction Treatment Helps the Intelligent Addict

None of this is to say that there’s no hope for the intelligent addict in our Suboxone addiction treatment program. These addicts can benefit from the support and fellowship of other professionals like themselves – people who they can respect and admire. Intelligent addicts need feedback from intelligent peers in order to recover.

Intelligent addicts can succeed in our Suboxone addiction treatment program by developing emotional regulation and emotional intelligence. These are often lacking in addicts, whether they are intelligent or not. Emotional intelligence helps improve relationships and interactions with other people, lowers stress levels, and protects against depression and addiction. Emotionally intelligent people are much happier with their lives in general.

No matter how smart you are, your intelligence alone can’t protect you from addiction. The most an intelligent addict can hope for is to maintain a high level of functioning due to his or her intelligence and advanced professional training. But addiction isn’t a disease you can think your way out of – you have to feel your way out of it, and that involves developing some emotional skills and being open to the wisdom and experiences of others.

If you or someone you love is struggling with opiate addiction, our Suboxone maintenance program can help. We offer affordable drug detox solutions that can get you back to living a normal life within days.

Call us now at 888-699-5679 now to learn more about our program and how it can help you, or someone close to you, reclaim a normal life.


Heroin Use Rising in Young Adults

Over the past 10 years, the United States has seen an 80 percent increase in teens seeking Suboxone addiction treatment for heroin abuse. In fact, heroin abuse is on the rise around the nation. Many addiction experts blame the prescription drug epidemic for rising heroin abuse rates, saying that the abundance of prescription painkillers begin abused have served as a gateway drug into opiate addiction for many of the five to 10 percent of the population who are born with a susceptibility to it. According to the premiere episode of Oprah Prime, heroin dealers are using subterfuge to get teens hooked on their product.

A String of Senseless Tragedies

Many teens who become addicted to heroin after being tricked into using it never recover. That’s what happened to a 20-year-old named John, who bought white powder at a party from a dealer who told him it was crushed OxyContin. It wasn’t. In fact, the powder John bought was pure heroin. John snorted the powder for four months before he realized it wasn’t what he thought it was. Though he tried to get clean, his efforts failed, and he lost his life to an overdose.

And John isn’t the only young person to have lost his life after being fooled into taking heroin. The same thing happened to 24-year-old Luis, and the countless other young people. For the teens and young adults who have succumbed to heroin overdose, Suboxone addiction treatment programs are too little, too late.

Kids of All Ages Doing Heroin, Says DEA Agent

According to Jack Riley, DEA Special Agent in Charge, dealers are getting kids in college, high school, middle school and even grade school hooked on heroin by telling them it’s something else. “We see heroin traffickers really trying to hook prospective new customers into the heroin addiction simply by not telling them what it is they’re selling,” he told Oprah.

Twenty-four-year-old Vincent, a recovering heroin addict and former college football player, explained to Oprah how he used to trick others into taking heroin so he would have someone to do it with. “I used to trick people into doing heroin so that they would do it with me. I would tell them it was OxyContin, Vicodin, cocaine – really, anything. Anything less than heroin.”

Twenty-three-year-old Gabriela was only a freshman in high school when she started doing drugs with her older friends. She told Oprah, “I thought I was getting myself involved with cocaine. A year later, I found out that I was actually doing heroin. By then, I didn’t know how to stop. I couldn’t stop.” Gabriela’s story explains why Suboxone addiction treatment programs for young people are in such high demand.

Recovery from Heroin Addiction Is Possible with Suboxone Addiction Treatment

If you or someone you love is addicted to heroin, Suboxone addiction treatment is the answer. Suboxone is an opiate maintenance medication that was approved by the FDA in 2002. Thousands of recovering heroin addicts have successfully used Suboxone addiction treatment to cope with withdrawal symptoms and return to a normal way of life.

Abusing opiate drugs like heroin and prescription painkillers literally rewires your brain. These drugs stimulate the brain’s pleasure and reward centers. Over time, they take the place of endorphins, serotonin, dopamine and other neurotransmitters associated with feelings of pleasure, reward and well-being. That’s why, when you stop taking heroin or other opiate drugs, the withdrawal symptoms are so painful. It’s also why recovering heroin addicts are prone to post-acute withdrawal syndrome, which can last for many months after they get clean. Symptoms of post-acute withdrawal syndrome include depression, anxiety, trouble sleeping and an inability to feel pleasure.

It takes time for your brain to heal from the effects of opiate addiction. For Suboxone addiction treatment to be effective, you must usually remain on the medication for at least two years if not longer. However, when you enter Suboxone treatment for opiate addiction you can take a supply of your medication home with you. You don’t have to come into a methadone clinic every day to receive your medication; you can take your medication when and where you see fit. Many recovering heroin addicts hold down jobs, earn degrees, and live rich, full and fulfilling lives while participating in a Suboxone opiate maintenance program.

If you or someone you love needs help for heroin addiction, don’t wait to ask for help. Call The Delray Center for Healing today at 888-699-5679.


Heroin Deaths Are Avoidable with Suboxone Addiction Treatment

The recent death of Philip Seymour Hoffman due to a heroin overdose has highlighted the heroin epidemic that is raging across this great nation. Law enforcement crackdowns on prescription painkiller abuse have only served to make the cheaper, more plentiful heroin more appealing to addicts who lack access to heroin addiction treatment. Potent heroin and heroin mixed with fentanyl have been to blame for a rash of overdose deaths that have claimed the lives of dozens in recent weeks.

But there’s a way to avoid all of these heroin-related overdose deaths – Suboxone addiction treatment.

Heroin Use Rates Have Doubled in Recent Years

Federal reports indicate that heroin abuse rates have doubled since 2007. 669,000 Americans are now using heroin. More than 100 people die from drug overdoses in this country every day.

Middle-class young people – adults in their 20s and 30s – are at the forefront of this addiction crisis. These are former prescription painkiller addicts who have moved on to heroin abuse now that prescription opiates are expensive and difficult to find.

As prescription painkiller abusers build tolerance for the drug, they need to use more and more to feel the same effects. Since these pills are harder to get on the black market than ever – and since Florida’s pill mills are a thing of the past and doctors are increasingly aware of the dangers of writing these prescriptions – heroin is the next best thing.

The jump from prescription painkiller use to heroin addiction can happen in a flash. Many addicts are hooked on opiates from the moment they first use them.

Heroin has the same effect on the brain as prescription painkillers. Both substances are opiate drugs; they work on the brain’s opiate receptors to stimulate euphoric feelings of pleasure and reward. Suboxone addiction treatment has been proven to be an effective treatment for opiate addictions across the board, whether they involve heroin or prescription painkillers.

Addicts Most Vulnerable to Overdose During Relapse, Experts Say

One reason why Suboxone addiction treatment is such a valuable tool to fight heroin addiction and prevent overdose deaths is that addicts are most likely to suffer a fatal overdose when they relapse after a period of abstinence. That’s because a recovering addict, who had been accustomed to using relatively high doses of heroin, will relapse after a period of abstinence and attempt to reprise the last dose he or she was accustomed to using.

After a few weeks or months of sobriety, however, the recovering addict no longer has the same high tolerance for the drug. The dose will invariably be too much. Overdose follows.

How does Suboxone addiction treatment help? Suboxone for opiate maintenance blocks the brain’s opioid receptors. It relieves opiate withdrawal symptoms, and prevents heroin or prescription painkillers from stimulating the receptors. Simply put, Suboxone stops heroin or other opiate drugs from working. The recovering addict can’t overdose – he or she can’t even get high.

For many recovering addicts, relapse is almost unavoidable. For an addict using Suboxone treatment, a slip fails to offer the same old familiar reward. That’s why recovering addicts using Suboxone for opiate rehab have fewer slip-ups and are more likely to maintain their recovery over the long term. Suboxone removes the motivation to use opiate drugs.

Suboxone Addiction Treatment Is the Best Option for Addicts

Suboxone treatment for opiate addiction protects recovering addicts from the risks of relapse, giving them a chance to truly recover and live full lives. For an addict who wants to get clean, Suboxone addiction treatment offers immediate relief from withdrawal symptoms and allows the addict to return to a normal lifestyle from the very first day of treatment. It’s a truly remarkable pharmaceutical intervention for opiate addiction.

Of course, Suboxone opiate maintenance is no substitute for addiction counseling. All addicts need substance abuse counseling to get to the root of their substance abuse issues and learn the coping skills necessary to bring about real long-term change. Opiate addicts are no exception; in fact, for them, counseling may be even more necessary because psychological cravings for opiate drugs can linger for years, even decades, after sobriety is achieved.

Heroin addiction is a deadly affliction, but Suboxone addiction treatment saves lives. If you or someone you love is using heroin or other opiate drugs, don’t wait any longer to seek help. Addiction kills without warning; don’t become another statistic. Call 888-699-5679 today.


How to Cope with Relapse Triggers During Suboxone Addiction Treatment

Suboxone addiction treatment is perhaps the most effective way to overcome opiate addiction and rebuild your life. Suboxone can manage your withdrawal symptoms and help you return to a normal way of life, but Suboxone addiction treatment should include counseling to address the emotional and psychological roots of addiction. It’s rare indeed that a person in Suboxone addiction treatment doesn’t need any form of counseling. Addiction is about far more than the physical dependence on drugs; it’s often the result of a combination of factors in a person’s life.

As a result, even with effective Suboxone addiction treatment, you’re still at risk of relapse, and you should do your best to avoid or mitigate relapse triggers – the people, places, things and situations that make you want to use opiates or that remind you of opiate use – while you’re going through Suboxone addiction treatment. Here are some of the most common relapse triggers that you’ll encounter during Suboxone addiction treatment, and how you can cope with them.

Change

For many people going through Suboxone addiction treatment, just as for many recovering alcoholics and non-opiate drug addicts, entering recover itself constitutes a relapse trigger. This is, of course, especially true when you first enter Suboxone addiction treatment. You’re used to living your life a certain way, and changing can be scary. Even though the way you’ll be feeling as you begin Suboxone addiction treatment is technically “normal,” it doesn’t feel normal to you. At this point, it’s important to remember that going through Suboxone addiction treatment is vastly preferable to continuing to live in active opiate addiction.

Daily Stress

As a recovering addict going through Suboxone addiction treatment, you probably don’t have the tools to cope with the normal stresses of daily life. As a result, every little thing may feel like a crisis, and you may have trouble stepping back and looking at stressful situations with a cool head. Don’t give up at the first sign of trouble. Work with a therapist who specializes in addiction to develop the coping skills you need to avoid relapse brought on by stress.

Lack of Self-Care

Self-care is a crucial part of what makes your Suboxone addiction treatment program a success. Self-care means eating well, exercising regularly, getting enough sleep, making time for the things you enjoy, and adhering to your Suboxone addiction treatment program. When you fail to take care of yourself properly, you set yourself up for failure in your Suboxone addiction treatment program.

You can avoid relapse most of the time by keeping yourself well-rested and well-fed. If you feel like using again, you should try eating or taking a nap instead. You might also be feeling lonely, overwhelmed, angry or frustrated. Remember that you have social and emotional needs as well as physical ones. Call a friend or make some time to spend with your family instead of taking drugs.

Inadequate Commitment to Your Suboxone Addiction Treatment Program

Recovering from addiction takes years of hard work. In order for your Suboxone addiction treatment program to work, you need to be willing to commit to it for the long haul. That means trusting your
Suboxone addiction treatment team to administer the best therapies. It means going to your counseling sessions and taking your maintenance medication. If you feel yourself beginning to lose faith in any aspect of your Suboxone addiction treatment program, it could signal an impending relapse. Better yet, ask a friend or relative to help you look out for signs that your commitment is lagging.

Hanging Out With Your Old Drug Buddies

It may be hard to accept that you can’t spend time with your old drug buddies anymore, but once you enter Suboxone addiction treatment, you need to restrict yourself to only hanging out with people who don’t use opiate drugs. You can hope that your old buddies will get clean, too, but hanging around with them will only tempt you to use opiates again and it will eventually derail your Suboxone addiction treatment.

If you’re ready to put your addiction to opiates in the past, Suboxone addiction treatment is the best way forward. Call The Delray Center for Healing today at 888-699-5679 to find out how easy and affordable Suboxone addiction treatment can be.