By Dr Mark Agresti

Treating opiate addiction (Oxycodone, Roxycodone dependency) since 1988 has taught me a few things.  Opiate dependency is all consuming.  Individuals become consumed with getting money for opiates, obtaining opiates and having time to use opiates.  All this mental energy is pulled from other activities.  Resources are taken from loved ones, leisure activities and business.  Individuals using opiates spend discretionary income on opiates (i.e. oxycontin), instead of going out to dinners, dating and playing.  Once on opiates the range of activities that individual engages in decrease.  Hobbies and sports fall to the side.  These individuals lack time and money to do fun things, but also lack desire to have fun.  There is no desire to have sex and desire to socialize decrease.  These individuals can maintain jobs and relations with a few close others.

They usually become depressed, crave sugar, and gain weight.  Their complexion changes to a grayscale cancer looking color.  They develop strange eating habits and sleeping habits.  Their sense of self worth and self-esteem decline.  They have feeling of emptiness and detachment from others.  One patient said she looked in the mirror and she saw a skeleton.  She no longer existed.  The opiate becomes everything.

The opiate becomes an individual’s lover and family.  The fear of going into withdrawal is so powerful.  When the possibility that the individual may be cut off from drugs, the beast comes out. (more…)

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Different drugs affect your body in different ways.  An opiate is one of the most common types of abused drugs in existence.  While some drugs or substances may slow you down or change how you see things, an opiate will can make you experience what you might think are good feelings.  However, taking an opiate, no matter how good it feels, can be extremely dangerous to your body.  You need to learn how an opiate will affect your body, why taking an opiate is dangerous and what drug might be an opiate so that you know what to stay away from.  If you have already taken an opiate and are considering doing so again, this article may help shed some light on why continued use of an opiate is dangerous to your health and can lead you on a downward spiral that could end in death if you’re not careful. (more…)

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