Opioid addiction is a real disease
Opioids are a class of drugs that include the illegal drug heroin and prescription pain relievers available legally, such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, and morphine. In the body, opioids interact with specific receptors on nerve cells in the brain and nervous system, working to block pain, slow breathing and heart rate, and create a general euphoric feeling. Unfortunately, because of the way they work in the body, opioids are highly addictive.
Opioid addiction is a chronic brain disease in which a person regularly finds and uses opioids, despite harmful consequences to themselves and those around them. Like all forms of addictions, it is characterized by the inability to consistently abstain, impairment in behavioral control, craving, diminished recognition of significant problems with one’s behaviors and interpersonal relationships, and a dysfunctional emotional response. This often results in drug-related crime, homelessness, as well as law enforcement and health care costs that often put a strain on the community.
Both the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) stress that opioid addiction is a disease because it can change how the brain works.
Opioid addiction is a chronic disease, like diabetes or heart disease, meaning there is no cure. But addiction can be managed, and people with addiction can, and do, recover. With the care of doctors and trained professionals, treatment helps people with opioid addiction stop using opioids, supports them through withdrawal and cravings, and helps them move away from other harmful behaviors. Without treatment and recovery, addiction can worsen and result in disability or premature death.
Treatment for opioid addiction may include medication.
Like other chronic diseases, treatment for opioid addiction may include the use of medication alongside counseling and other support – this is referred to as medication-assisted treatment. There are three main choices for medication to treat opioid addiction: methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone.
These medications, which are FDA-approved, work to stabilize brain chemistry, block the euphoric effects of opioids, relieve physiological cravings, and normalize body functions. They have been proven to be safe and cost-effective, and are recognized as evidence-based approaches for the treatment of opioid addiction by the ASAM, SAMHSA, National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Because of its effectiveness, medication-assisted treatment is often the best choice for opioid addiction.
Is addiction a real disease?
Addiction is a real disease. It is a chronic brain disease where individuals pathologically pursue reward and/or relief by substance use and other behaviors. Like all forms of addictions, opioid addiction is characterized by the inability to consistently abstain, impairment in behavioral control, craving, diminished recognition of significant problems with one’s behaviors and interpersonal relationships, and a dysfunctional emotional response.
Both the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) stress that opioid addiction is a disease because it can change how the brain works.
Is medication just a substitute for drug abuse?
Because methadone and buprenorphine are themselves opioids, some people view these treatments as just substitutions of one addictive drug for another. But the goal of medication-assisted treatment is to recover from addiction by providing a safe, controlled level of medication to overcome the use of a problem opioid. As noted by the National Institute of Drug Abuse, taking these medications as prescribed allows patients to hold jobs, avoid street crime and violence, and reduce their exposure to HIV by stopping or decreasing injection drug use and drug-related high-risk sexual behavior. Patients stabilized on these medications can also engage more readily in counseling and other behavioral interventions essential to recovery.
Is the opioid epidemic really as bad as people say?
The United States is currently amid an opioid overdose epidemic. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), use of opioids have risen to epidemic levels with rates that are continuing to soar. Deaths from opioid overdose have tripled since 1990, with 20,101 overdose deaths related to prescription pain relievers, and 12,990 overdose deaths related to heroin in 2015 alone.
What are the benefits of medication-assisted treatment on the community as a whole?
Beyond the individual patients, treating opioid addiction has immense health and public safety value, and both direct and indirect economic benefits. Numerous studies have shown that medication-assisted treatment reduces drug use, disease rates, and criminal activity among opioid addicted persons – which ultimately translates into healthier and safer communities. Reductions in drug-related crime and homelessness relieves the community and public service systems of these costs.
I’ve heard that medication-assisted treatment also decreases health care costs overall. How does that work?
Medication-assisted treatment for opioid addiction is extremely cost-effective. Methadone and buprenorphine treatment have been associated with $153-$223 lower total health care expenditures per month than other non-medication behavioral health treatment. This is because patients are less likely to relapse when treated with methadone or buprenorphine than if they receive treatment without medication. This also takes into account the lifetime impact of unemployment, potential incarceration, criminal activity, and health care utilization. (Source: ASAM)
