Morphine - Treatment for Habitual Users

Treatment for Habitual Users

Morphine use can lead to addiction. Even after years of not using the drug, opiate users can still crave the drug because they remember how they felt when they were taking it. Withdrawal from morphine and other opiates is a difficult task that lasts three to five days, if the user quits "cold turkey." More commonly, addicts seek treatment with methadone or buprenorphine, medications that will curb the withdrawal symptoms and block the effects of morphine in the brain. (An entry on methadone is available in this encyclopedia.) A morphine overdose that has caused breathing to stop can be treated with naloxone (Narcan), a drug that quickly rids the body of opiates. However, many opiate deaths occur in private settings. The user stops breathing, and no one is present to call for emergency care.

Health professionals advise anyone wishing to end morphine dependency to work closely with doctors and a psychiatrist or other therapist. If the dependency was brought about by morphine's use as a painkiller, a doctor may taper the dose so that the patient gradually becomes free of the drug. If the dependency comes from recreational use, the addict must learn strategies to live free of the drug's influence, often including finding new friends and staying away from the people and places associated with the drug use. Doctors and nurses who take opiates recreationally often lose their jobs—jobs they had trained for over many years.

Narcotics Anonymous (NA) is a self-help group that allows recovering addicts to meet and obtain assistance from other people who have lived through drug abuse. The nonprofit organization has a telephone helpline and group meetings in most cities and towns in the United States. Opiate dependency is one of the toughest addictions to beat, and the support of a group of peers is extremely helpful during moments of cravingOverwhelming urges to do something, such as take an illegal drug., anxiety, or depression.