9781422274323

Dependence and tolerance aren’t related to a person’s “willpower” in any way. Opioids change the way that the body’s central and peripheral nervous systems work, and this causes the drug dependency. This is why opioid drugs relieve pain, but also cause side effects, including constipation, dry mouth, and serious symptoms like body tremors. “Brain abnormalities resulting from chronic use of heroin, oxycodone, and other morphine-derived drugs are underlying causes of opioid dependence,” according to doctors Thomas Kosten and Tony George, who wrote an overview of how opioid dependence results from physical changes that the drugs make in the body and brain.

An opioid drug user who tries to stop taking the drug will experience unpleasant and powerful withdrawal symptoms, including strong cramps and muscle tremors, headaches and dizziness, difficulty breathing, sweating or skin-tingling sensations, and nausea or diarrhea. These occur because the body has become dependent on the drug in order to function properly.

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Treatments for Opioid Addiction