{"id":1330,"date":"2020-01-17T21:53:48","date_gmt":"2020-01-17T21:53:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.https:\/\/thebrandsmen.com\/principlesrecoverycenter\/?p=1330"},"modified":"2026-02-11T16:37:30","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T16:37:30","slug":"how-to-quit-painkillers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thebrandsmen.com\/principlesrecoverycenter\/how-to-quit-painkillers\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Quit Painkillers"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\">[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]It all started when your doctor prescribed a painkiller to make you feel more comfortable. Maybe you were in an accident or you were injured at work. Maybe you needed help recovering from surgery. But now you are dependent\u00a0on that prescription medication. You crave it and you know it\u2019s an addiction that you need to quit.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_86 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/thebrandsmen.com\/principlesrecoverycenter\/how-to-quit-painkillers\/#how-painkillers-work\" >How Painkillers Work<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/thebrandsmen.com\/principlesrecoverycenter\/how-to-quit-painkillers\/#how-to-quit\" >How to Quit<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/thebrandsmen.com\/principlesrecoverycenter\/how-to-quit-painkillers\/#healthy-habits\" >Healthy Habits<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/thebrandsmen.com\/principlesrecoverycenter\/how-to-quit-painkillers\/#counseling\" >Counseling<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/thebrandsmen.com\/principlesrecoverycenter\/how-to-quit-painkillers\/#principles-recovery-center\" >Principles Recovery Center<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"how-painkillers-work\"><\/span>How Painkillers Work<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Painkillers work by traveling to receptors in the brain and blocking the sensation of pain and inducing a euphoric state. Prescription painkillers actually alter the circuits that are responsible for mood and reward behavior.\u00a0\u00a0In the past decade, there has been a huge spike in the number of prescriptions written for opioids and now misuse of opioid painkillers is considered to be the fastest-growing drug problem in the United States. Opioid drugs either contain extract from the opium poppy or chemical compounds designed to mimic that extract. They are highly successful in treating severe pain but they also carry a high potential for addiction or abuse. Some common generic names for opioid painkillers are morphine, oxycodone, and fentanyl. Some of the brand names include Percocet, Vicodin, and Oxycontin.<\/p>\n<p>Opioids can be very dangerous when they are abused because the amount of the drug needed to feel its effects and the amount of the drug it takes to suppress breathing and kill a person are not that different.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"how-to-quit\"><\/span>How to Quit<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>So how do you quit taking these painkillers? The first step is to stop taking them completely but that is easier said than done. It can be dangerous to quit a painkiller \u201ccold turkey\u201d. The brain becomes used to having opioids and stopping all at once can lead to seizures or an irregular heart rate.\u00a0\u00a0Once you have committed to breaking the addiction, you will probably need a doctor\u2019s supervision to wean yourself from your painkillers. A doctor may gradually reduce the dosage of the painkiller, or taper it, to lessen the body\u2019s withdrawal symptoms.\u00a0\u00a0Those symptoms may include anxiety, irritability, depression,\u00a0runny nose, sweating, confusion, abdominal distress or enlarged pupils along with cravings for the drug. The symptoms aren\u2019t dangerous but they can be very unpleasant and uncomfortable.<\/p>\n<p>In some cases, doctors prescribe medications that help relieve symptoms as the body goes through detoxification. This is called Medication-Assisted Treatment, or MAT. Methadone is an example of a prescription drug used to help break the addiction. Along with MAT doctors employ behavioral therapy and other counseling as part of addiction treatment.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"healthy-habits\"><\/span>Healthy Habits<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Whether your doctor has decided to taper the amount of the painkiller or is using other medication to assist in detox, there are some healthy habits the patient can practice during treatment. This includes drinking more water, eating healthy meals, practicing deep breathing or other relaxation techniques, getting moderate amounts of activity and promoting positivity. You can break this addiction and you need to believe in yourself.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"counseling\"><\/span>Counseling<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Addiction treatment doesn\u2019t stop just because the substance is gone from your system. Counseling or therapy or some kind of behavioral support is necessary for long-term success free from addiction. Having a support system in place helps to eliminate or minimize relapse.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"principles-recovery-center\"><\/span>Principles Recovery Center<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>At Principles Recovery Center in Davie, Florida, our staff is expertly trained in breaking painkiller addiction. We offer inpatient and outpatient addiction treatment as the painkiller is eliminated from the patient\u2019s body and the patient\u2019s life. We follow that treatment with support including cognitive-behavioral therapy, multidimensional family therapy, motivational interviewing and contingency management.<\/p>\n<p>Quitting painkillers isn\u2019t easy. But at Principles Recovery Center we\u2019ll be with you every step of the way.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]It all started when your doctor prescribed a painkiller to make you feel more comfortable. Maybe you were in an accident or you were injured at work. Maybe you needed help recovering from surgery. But now you are dependent\u00a0on that prescription medication. You crave it and you know it\u2019s an addiction that you need [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":46871,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[16,49,47,50,20],"class_list":["post-1330","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-addiction-treatment","tag-addiction","tag-drug-addiction","tag-opioid-addiction","tag-painkillers","tag-substance-abuse"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebrandsmen.com\/principlesrecoverycenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1330","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebrandsmen.com\/principlesrecoverycenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebrandsmen.com\/principlesrecoverycenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebrandsmen.com\/principlesrecoverycenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebrandsmen.com\/principlesrecoverycenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1330"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/thebrandsmen.com\/principlesrecoverycenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1330\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47072,"href":"https:\/\/thebrandsmen.com\/principlesrecoverycenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1330\/revisions\/47072"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebrandsmen.com\/principlesrecoverycenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46871"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebrandsmen.com\/principlesrecoverycenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1330"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebrandsmen.com\/principlesrecoverycenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1330"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebrandsmen.com\/principlesrecoverycenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1330"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}