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Covert Action Treatment Facility
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Opiate Abuse Disorder
Opiate Abuse Disorder
- The abuse of opiates and opioids (*see disclaimer below*) such as heroin, morphine, and narcotic pain-killers is a serious problem that affects your health, social and economic well being.
- Prolonged use changes the way nerve receptors work in the brain and makes individuals dependent on the drug to function. Increased tolerance, craving and dependence are only the beginning of the brain changes that result from opioid abuse
- Continued abuse also depletes your brain’s natural “feel-good” chemicals such as serotonin, dopamine and endorphins. Opiates release up to 10 times the amount of dopamine that your brain produces naturally. After a few weeks your brain slowly stops producing these critical “feel-good” chemicals furthering dependence.
- Another known consequence of long term opioid use is Opioid-Induced Hyperalgesia. Hyperalgesia is a condition in which you experience an enhanced sensitivity to pain caused by specific nerve receptors in your body becoming more sensitive. In more than half the patients who stop their short acting meds and start on one of our medications, their pain level is greatly improved AND often no longer exists. You will get some relief from any residual pain from our medications as well. please note: We are not a pain clinic and do not treat chronic pain. You must have opioid dependence to be treated here.
Take Back Control of your Life
Take Back Control of your Life
- Addiction wreaks havoc on one’s physical, mental and financial health. Substance abuse also causes strained relationships with loved ones, employment problems and a whole host of potential health hazards.
- While the continued abuse is the cause, an addict's dependence is often such that they would be physically and psychologically unable to adequately function if they were to stop using.
- Addiction is a complex issue that often leaves addicts feeling alone and hopeless, suffering in silence, as their disease deepens their struggles in life
- Covert Action understands the unique struggles that addicts face and can help you design a treatment plan that will allow you to regain the balance needed to properly address this disease.
Medication Assisted Treatment
Medication Assisted Treatment
- Methadone and Suboxone are “essential medicines” according to the World Health Organization and should be combined with behavioral counseling for a “whole patient” approach, known as Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT)
- These medications work through the same receptors as the addict’s drug of choice, but have been proven to be safer, and enter and leave the brain at a slower rate thereby helping to restore balance to the brain circuits affected by drug abuse.
- MAT allows the patient's brain to heal and eases withdrawal as they work with their counselor towards recovery. This approach has been rigorously studied over more than five decades, and is widely considered the most effective way to treat opioid use disorder.