Achieving sobriety is likely to be one of the toughest challenges ever faced for a person who is addicted to heroin or prescription pain medications such as OxyContin, Percocet, and Vicodin. Much like addiction to alcohol, cocaine, or any other drug,  people who struggle with opioid addiction are always telling themselves “this will be the last time I use drugs, I am going to get my life together after this one more time.” Untreated, opioid addiction can be lethal. The number of accidental overdoses and emergency room visits throughout the country continues to rise steadily on a yearly basis. In order to overcome heroin or prescription drug addiction, some form of drug rehab, oftentimes long term, is going to be needed. Individuals who struggle with opioid addiction need to change their thought process through extensive addiction therapy programs.

Even though addicts don’t want to continue abusing drugs and alcohol, they need to re-teach themselves how to handle various situations that occur in everyday life without having to resort to abusing drugs and alcohol to cope with their emotions. For an addict, a mere argument with a family member, problems at work, or simply waking up on the wrong side of the bed can trigger them to abuse drugs and alcohol. The addicted mind will use any excuse to abuse drugs and alcohol. Like other chronic illnesses, addiction needs to be treated carefully and treatment needs to be ongoing.

Addiction treatment centers have the professional knowledge and capabilities of helping addicts to get sober and stay sober by providing them aftercare and relapse prevention plans. Addiction is a powerful disease that is both psychological and physiological. Without comprehensive and extensive treatment, relapse is highly likely and an individual will suffer severe negative consequences that may be irreversible.