What You Need to Know About Opioid Detox Programs in Arizona

Fentanyl. Oxycodone. Codeine. Percocet. What were once innocuous names of common prescription drugs have taken on different connotations in the public lexicon — key players in the opioid addiction epidemic, one of the most critical substance abuse challenges facing us today. 

In recent years, statistics show that more than 10 million people misused prescription opioids in a given year, with 1.6 million having an opioid abuse disorder. More distressingly, opioid abuse leads to a high risk of overdose — one of the highest compared to other narcotics.  

Oftentimes, this abuse starts off well-intentioned but can spiral out of control before one knows it, illustrating the need for professional intervention, care, and support to get you back to the center and free of opioids in your life. With opioid dependency, the first step along the journey to recovery begins with detoxification.  

Opioid detox programs in Arizona remain one such way to begin preparing you or a loved one struggling with addiction for long-term treatment, but what exactly does it involve, and how does it work? Detox plays a pivotal role in addressing both physical dependencies and gaining insight into the underlying emotional and psychological factors beneath opioid addiction in Arizona. 

What Are Opioids? 

Opioids are a category of drugs that interact with opioid receptors to relieve pain. In detail, they work to activate these nerve cells found in the brain, spinal cord, the gut, and various other parts of the body to reduce the perception of pain by blocking pain signals from the body to the brain.  

Opioids are naturally found in the opium poppy plant, itself a highly addictive substance that triggers the release of endorphins. Opioids act in a similar fashion, just one reason why their addictive potential was recognized from the start.   

During the Civil War, opioids — mainly morphine — were used to treat wounded soldiers. By the late 19th century, heroin came onto the scene as an over-the-counter pain reliever, but within the next several decades through the 20th century, federal restrictions were placed on opioids, categorizing them as controlled substances requiring that formal prescriptions be written in order to use them.  

Unfortunately, the over-prescription of opioids in the 1990s contributed to the current opioid epidemic in Arizona and across the nation. Once people began developing dependencies on opioid-derived medications, many of them turned to illicit opioids like heroin or more potent synthetic opioids like fentanyl. 

Types of Opioid Drugs  

Heroin 

More than 902,000 people use heroin annually, a semi-synthetic opioid chemically synthesized from morphine. Heroin produces its strongest, most addictive effects — a euphoric “rush” — from being injected, though many users also smoke or snort it.  

Tolerance to and dependency on heroin happens when users need to use more and more of the drug to achieve their desired effect, which can lead to addiction. “Both new and experienced users risk overdosing on heroin because it is impossible for them to know the purity of the heroin they are using,” notes the National Drug Intelligence Center. Fourteen thousand people die each year from heroin overdoses, making heroin treatment Arizona and morphine treatment Arizona so important for meeting the problem head-on. 

Oxycodone 

Another prescription opioid, oxycodone, first arrived on the market in 1995 and set off a first wave of overdose deaths. Ironically, though OxyContin pills were formulated so that people seeking pain relief didn’t need to take as much of the drug, it released itself into the body more rapidly when the pills were crushed and ingested, increasing both its effects and addiction risk. This became the accepted method to abuse the drug, either by sniffing or injecting it. 

“Euphoria and feelings of relaxation are the most common effects of oxycodone on the brain,” states the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, “which explains its high potential for abuse” and the urgent need for opioid detox in Arizona (and additionally, hydrocodone treatment in Arizona). 

Fentanyl  

Fentanyl is a semi-synthetic, lab-created opioid used to treat chronic severe pain or severe pain following surgery. Two types of fentanyl commonly exist: pharmaceutical fentanyl, which is about 100 times more potent than morphine, and illegal fentanyl.  

Fentanyl is also about 50 times stronger than heroin, making it that much easier to become addicted and to overdose since users of illegal fentanyl (usually sold as a powder or in pill form) may have difficulty gauging a “safe” dose. As such, proper fentanyl treatment in Arizona is targeted to address these nuances of potential abuse. 

Codeine  

Codeine is prescribed as an opioid pain reliever for mild to moderate pain and is sometimes used in tandem with other medications for coughing. Though it is less potent than drugs like morphine (which codeine, also opium-derived, is closely related to), it carries significant risks of dependency and abuse, especially when misused in higher doses. 

According to the Alcohol and Drug Foundation, non-prescribed codeine is often abused as a coping mechanism for chronic pain or mental health issues such as depression or anxiety or to get high.  

What Are the Dangers of Opioid Abuse?  

Used exactly as prescribed, opioids are especially effective for relieving pain that can disrupt your mobility, sleep, and overall quality of life. But if tolerance to fentanyl, codeine, or oxycodone begins to build, the scale can easily be tipped to the side of abuse and the far-reaching consequences it poses.  

High Potential for Overdose and Death 

One of the most alarming dangers of opioid abuse is the high risk of overdose. According to the Centers for Disease Control, nearly 108,000 people died from drug overdoses in 2022, and 76% of those were opioid-related. Higher doses — common in those with dependencies — can restrict one’s ability to breathe and contribute to fatal overdoses, notes Johns Hopkins Medicine.  

Synthetic opioids like fentanyl, in particular, are often mixed with other substances such as heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine, making them even deadlier. 

Opioids Are Extremely Addictive 

Pain medications have powerful euphoric effects, making them highly addictive, where, over time, users develop both physical and psychological dependencies. “Opioids have high addiction potential because they activate powerful reward centers in your brain,” says the Cleveland Clinic. 

Addiction (which can be treated with opioid addiction treatment in Arizona) is often a staggered process where people who abuse opioids graduate to other drugs. According to the American Medical Association (AMA), nearly 3% to 19% of people who take prescription pain medications develop an addiction to them — and those who may misuse opioids may try switching from prescription painkillers to heroin. The AMA notes that about 45% of people who use heroin started with a prescription opioid addiction. 

Building a Tolerance to the Drugs   

When you start using opioids regularly, your brain and its dopamine receptors begin adjusting and acclimating, so the same amount of the drug becomes less effective over time. In response, higher doses are required to match the same effect, creating an opioid dependence. 

This cycle of increasing use not only heightens the risk of an overdose but also makes withdrawal symptoms — like anxiety, chills, and fever, elevated heart rate and blood pressure, and intense drug cravings — more severe. 

Health Problems 

Opioid abuse, like other drug or substance abuse addictions, can lead to health issues. According to the Cleveland Clinic, abusing opioids for extended periods can worsen chronic pain — often the very thing opioids are meant to treat — because the long-term, toxic effects of opioids can harm their bodies’ pain-signaling abilities. 

Social Impact  

Beyond physical health problems, opioid abuse disorder can pose impacts to one’s mental health and, subsequently, social withdrawal and its associated effects as addiction creates hopelessness and users become preoccupied with abusing the drug. 

“Opioid use disorder is associated with feelings of social isolation, an increased risk of suicide and, at the community level, lower social capital,” notes a 2021 academic study.