Addiction Recovery

OxyContin Addiction and Dependence – How Do I Know if I Need Treatment?

August 15th, 2007 Filed under: Uncategorized — Addiction Recovery Author

The recent news stories regarding Purdue Pharma misleading the public about the potential for OxyContin addiction has probably left tens of thousands of people wondering if they are addicted to OxyContin or in danger of becoming so. For some, the possibility might not be easy to face. Most of you are fine, upstanding people who wouldnt even consider taking drugs under non-medical circumstances, nevermind actually get yourself into the position of having to worry about OxyContin addiction, or addiction to any other drug for that matter.

Nevertheless, if youve been taking OxyContin for a while, it is possible that you are addicted or, at least, physically dependent. And you may need outside help to resolve the problem. How do you know if you have a problem with OxyContin addiction or dependency?

Taking OxyContin changes the way the body works. Without going into detail, understand this if you try to stop taking OxyContin and have any symptoms other than the pain youre taking the drug to relieve, you should look into the possibility of going through a medically-supervised OxyContin detox. While those symptoms are not necessarily an indication of addiction, they do mean you are probably physically dependent.

Determining whether or not you are addicted is a little more complex. However, if you have an urge to take the drug even when youre not in pain, or if youre fighting the urge to take it, or the idea of life without OxyContin is somewhat unbearable, theres a good possibility you have an addiction problem.

By the way, this is not an assessment you should make while youre taking the drug. When youre addicted to a drug, and youre currently taking it, frankly, just about anything looks possible. Just like smokers or drinkers who say they can quit anytime, the story changes when theyve gone for a while without having a cigarette or a drink and the urge sets in.

If someone agrees that they shouldnt drink or smoke so much, and has said they can quit anytime, and then they give in to that urge even with logical excuses its just one drink, I dont need a drink, I just feel like having one, it wont hurt to have one drink while were at dinner with friends for crying out loud – theyve got a problem.

Truthfully, its sometimes hard to tell if youre addicted until youve actually gone through a drug detox and are no longer taking the drug.

If you have any doubts about whether or not you are suffering from OxyContin addiction or dependency, and you are delaying finding out about it, remember this: OxyContin is a dangerous drug. Some drug detox and rehab centers admit more people for OxyContin addiction than for all other drugs combined. And in just the first few years after its release 30,000 people visited hospital emergency rooms because of OxyContin.

Dont take the risk of the situation getting out of hand. If, in the back of your mind, youre wondering if you have a problem with OxyContin addiction or physical dependency, contact a drug detox center that can answer your questions and help you through the problem if needed.