If you've used opioids for a time, you're well aware that what goes up must come down. This means that once the opioids' effects have worn off, you'll have to deal with the agonizing consequences of opioid withdrawal.
Withdrawal occurs as a result of your body receiving opioids, which alter your brain chemistry. The dopamine in your brain is flooded, and your brain adjusts to this new amount of dopamine. It produces new "gates" throughout your brain where dopamine travels to counteract the effects.
When you quit using opioids, your brain no longer receives dopamine, and even worse, the gates that your brain has erected remain open. Many of these gates, thankfully, shut after opiate usage has stopped.
So, what can you do while your brain is rewiring and you're detoxing from opioids? If you're undertaking a home detox and don't have access to a detox clinic, you'll have to become inventive. Here are seven ideas to consider.
1. Regularly take hot showers or baths
When you're going through withdrawal, you'll feel extremely chilly. It's the type of cold that makes your bones ache. Hot showers and baths can assist with this, and they can also help you relax.
2. Wrap up warm
You'll be freezing once more. It's a good idea to prepare for this by ensuring you have lots of warm clothing and bedding. It might also assist if you can be in a residence with enough warmth. Of course, when you're in withdrawal, your body temperature might go wacky, so be aware that once you've got everything ready, you could get a bit too hot!
3. Exercise
While exercise may be the last thing on your mind while detoxing from opioids, it is one of the most effective ways to make yourself feel better.
To feel better, you don't need to perform a lot of activity; a simple walk around the block or some push-ups will assist to release endorphins.
4. Talk to a friend
While communication may be tough while detoxing from opioids, it is one of the things that will help you feel better. Having someone who can listen to you without passing judgment can make you feel better.
There will be counsellors on site who can listen to you if you are at a detox program.
5. Do something to distract yourself
Minutes might feel like hours when you're in withdrawal. Having television and maybe a video game system might assist to reduce boredom.
6. Listen to music
As the opioids leave your system, you may discover that you have a new appreciation for music that you didn't have before. You may use this time to try listening to music you haven't heard in a long time. Even if you're detoxing, you could surprise yourself by finding this delightful.
7. Medication
When you're detoxing, some drugs can aid. Suboxone and methadone are two of them. If you wish to use them to help you detox, make sure you do so under the supervision of a doctor who is licensed to prescribe them, as they may be harmful and addictive.
If you're thinking about using these or any other pills to help you detox, you should consider going to a detox clinic, which normally has meds like these on hand to make the withdrawal process go more smoothly.
8. Herbal remedies
If you are certain that you will be completing an opiate detox at home, there are herbal medicines that can help you sleep and relieve discomfort. Ashwagandha has been used in Ayurveda for hundreds of years as a pain reliever and can also aid sleep. Essential oils can also be used to help you sleep.
Kratom addictive?
Kratom is another herbal medicine that has been used to help patients wean themselves off opioids, but it is not advised because it is equally addictive. Many addicts who have tried to wean themselves off opioids have become addicted to kratom.