One of the country's biggest prescription drug problems is Vicodin addiction. Vicodin, like OxyContin, is an opiate-based painkiller, and is the cause of an alarming number of drug-related deaths each year. A recent study showed 10 percent of all American high school students admitted to using Vicodin to get high. Combine this statistic with the fact that this year there were over 100 million prescriptions for Vicodin and other similar drugs, and it is clear that there is an epidemic. Only available by prescription, Vicodin is used to treat severe pain. Vicodin addiction is an all-consuming one. The abuser is concerned with little more than feeding their habit and feeling that same feeling they felt the first time they used the drug. Unfortunately for the user, that same feeling requires a heightened dosage and frequency that far too often inflicts physical and psychological harm on the user. This is where the cycle begins, and the abuser opens themselves up to numerous potentially fatal physical and psychiatric liabilities. Vicodin abusers commonly break the law in an attempt to acquire more of the drug. Those who start out taking Vicodin for legitimate purposes commonly wind up falling into Vicodin addiction because they took higher doses against their doctor’s orders. This is strongly discouraged, yet it is the most common way for someone to get hooked.

Effects of Vicodin Addiction

Like its addictive counterparts, there are both immediate and long-term effects of Vicodin withdrawal. In many ways, the immediate symptoms are your body’s way of telling you that what you’re doing is incredibly dangerous and not at all conducive to a sustainable life. If the immediate messages go ignored and unheeded, the abuser leaves themselves open to a multitude of serious long-term health problems like heart failure, kidney failure, liver disease, muscular breakdown, blood pressure complications, coma, etc. Some of the immediate symptoms include: nausea, vomiting, extreme sweating, drowsiness, etc. There are also significant behavioral ramifications when battling a Vicodin addiction. Stubbornness and embarrassment are two common characteristics in Vicodin abusers. It’s not that they’re unaware of their condition, it’s that they don’t want to have to admit it to themselves or others. Other changes in behavior include heightened irritability extreme mood swings, and other inconsistent behavior, etc. An addict will often do things they would never do otherwise in search of their next dose.

What to Do About Vicodin Addiction: Seeking Recovery

The harmful toxins that Vicodin leaves in your body require an immediate purging before any other therapy can begin. Following cleansing of the system, time spent in a residential drug treatment program is highly recommended. Here the patient will get help physically and mentally, and be equipped with the tools they need to beat their Vicodin addiction. Upon successful completion of the program, the patient is encouraged to attend support groups and continued counseling to avoid relapse. The National Alcohol and Substance Abuse Information Center (NASAIC) maintains a continuously updated national database of Vicodin addiction treatment programs in your local area, as well as the leading recommended Vicodin addiction treatment centers in the United States and around the world.

Contact the National Alcohol and Substance Abuse Information Center anytime toll-free at (800)-784-6776 or through our online form, and we will recommend the best Vicodin addiction treatment program for you or your loved one.