Published January 3, 2022 · Reviewed by Sergey Litvinov, MD · ~661 words

Most people know heroin is dangerous. Prescription opiates are harder to read, because the bottle comes with a pharmacy label and a doctor’s name on it. Misuse of prescription opiates is more common than most families expect, and detox programs have opened around the country for people who cannot stop on their own. If you have started wondering about someone in your family, that worry is worth taking seriously.

Learning what misuse actually looks like helps you tell a worry from evidence. At Pines Recovery Life Detox, our team runs opiate detox programs for people who are ready to stop. You can reach us through the online form or by calling 800.263.3869.

What are opiates?

Opiates come from the opium poppy. The best known are heroin and morphine, along with codeine. Heroin is illegal in the United States and has no medical use here, while doctors do prescribe the other two for a range of conditions. Drugs made in a lab to act like natural opiates are called opioids. They carry the same risks and are not safe to use outside a physician’s care.

Common signs of opiate misuse

Telling ordinary use from misuse is hard from the outside. These questions help, whether you ask them of yourself or of someone you love:

• Do you take medicine exactly as prescribed, or do you sometimes take more than directed?
• Do you ever run out of medicine before it is time to refill the prescription?
• Have you ever borrowed medicine from someone else or bought pills from someone because you ran out?
• Have you ever lied to anyone about your drug or medication usage for any reason?
• Did you ever go to a different doctor to get a second prescription of opiates because you ran out or were concerned you would run out?
• Do you ever find yourself in uncomfortable or dangerous situations because of your drug use?
• How much time per day do you spend dealing with your prescription drugs?
• Do you feel your relationships, family life, or work suffer because of how much time you spend under the influence of opiates?

A yes to any of these is a reason to reach out for addiction treatment at Pines Recovery Life Detox.

Dangers of prescription drug misuse

Overusing opiates carries real health risks, even when a doctor wrote the prescription. Someone who is addicted will often ignore those risks, or change doctors to keep the supply coming. When the prescriptions run out, some people turn to cheaper street drugs like heroin.

Help a loved one overcome opiate misuse at Pines Recovery Life Detox

If you are seeing these signs in someone you love, an opiate detox program is where treatment starts. Reach our team at Pines Recovery Life Detox in Pembroke Pines, Florida, through the online contact form or by calling 800.263.3869. We will tell you what happens next.