US Veterans Being Pumped Full of Addictive Opiates

The US consumes 80% of the world's painkillers and more die from them than heroin and cocaine combined. Fatal overdoses among war veterans are twice the national average: so why are they being fed so many drugs?

Understanding Opiate Addiction & Opiate Detox Treatments

Opiate is the other name provided for any narcotic alkaloids sourced from opium and other kinds of derivatives of the alkaloid types. They are found in opium and taken from the latex sap of opium poppies, also known as Palaver somniferum. 

Opiate is not to be regarded as a demonic substance, it is not highly synthetic like meth, however it is a natural substance that has a medicinal value. Opiate as a medicine offers an aesthetic effect much like painkillers and were used by our ancient ancestors from Greece, Syria, and Sumeria for their medical and or surgical operations.

But, the human indiscretion has led to the abuse of opiates. People get hooked to it after they have abused, poorly used, or overused the drug. Some like the sense of calm they experience, while there are those that were sadly born addict as a result of opiate-dependent parents.

The ancient China has been notorious for heavy opium use, they have established opium dens where they party and use opium as drugs. The evils of the drug has lived through ages. Until today, it is a major drug produced in the war torn areas of Afghanistan. Opiate addiction is one of the world’s second most difficult to break in terms of addiction, in fact it is second to alcoholism.

However, like any forms of substance abuse which can be treated, opiate addiction like any substance can also be detoxified. But, the withdrawal symptoms can be a problem not only to the addict himself, but also to his loved one. The symptoms are seizures, shortness of breath, sensitivity of the muscles and nerves, fatigue, dizziness, diarrhea, vomiting and more.

Aside from that, detoxifying is just the beginning; it never does end with the intake of these opiate neutralizers. The campaign against this highly addictive substance continues for a lifetime. The detoxification is not the end of everything, it is just a start of living a new and clean life. But the urges remain controllable.

These signs and symptoms will seem less fatal than those of other drugs like meth and alcohol but it's the rehabilitation procedure that proves tricky. Detoxification for opiate dependence is a lot worrisome. The detoxifying agents include heroin, suboxone, naltrexone, methadone, and other pain meds, and any wrong or prolonged dosage of these substances will expose the patient to another batch of complicated and dreadful experiences, instead of weaning him from opium. In several cases, total withdrawal from opiate is achieved with the support and the assistance of the people around the victim.