Morphine is one of the most powerful opioids and is only legally used by medical professionals to manage pain. It can be used in various forms, including pills, liquid, or injectables. However, like most opioids, morphine can be highly addictive if misused or abused. Individuals with morphine addiction need professional support to heal. Pines Recovery Life Detox offers the programs and therapies necessary to help individuals break free of morphine addiction.
What is Morphine?
Like most natural opioids, morphine comes from the leaves of poppy plants. The drug is used to treat severe pain. Morphine blocks pain receptors and affects your central nervous system by slowing your breathing and heart rate while lowering your blood pressure. Because it is so habit-forming, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) keeps morphine classified as a Schedule II controlled substance, keeping it highly regulated.
Common slang terms for morphine include dreamer, morpho, and blue. One reason for the strict regulations around morphine is that people addicted to heroin can substitute. Morphine is distributed under brand names like MS-Contin, Kadian, and Oramorph.
How Can You Become Addicted to Morphine?
Morphine triggers the production of chemicals in the brain that invokes feelings of pleasure. Users fall into a state of euphoria. When given to individuals dealing with severe pain, the drug helps them function normally and rarely produces a ‘high.’ It’s capable of helping people dealing with pain from cancer treatment, major surgery, and breathing issues as they approach the end of their life.
The pleasurable feelings invoked by using morphine can cause people to form a dependency. Your brain gets used to the standard dosage and stops producing the same heights of ecstasy. Addiction forms when people compulsively seek out larger amounts of morphine to reproduce the original effects.
Morphine becomes addictive because it interferes with the brain’s normal dopamine production, the chemical that evokes feelings of joy and happiness. People start doing whatever they can to get morphine and feed their growing need for the drug. They find themselves unable to control their actions or consider the consequences that can follow.
What Are the Signs of Morphine Addiction?
Morphine addiction symptoms can be hard to spot at first, especially when receiving the medication as a prescription. Signs that may appear during the progression of morphine addiction, including:
- Inability to focus
- Slurring speech
- Lack of interest in old interests
- Seeming to nod off all the time
- Dilation of the pupils
- Constantly trying to find new doctors to obtain a morphine prescription
- Sudden mood swings
- Irritability
Continuous use of morphine can lead to long-term side effects, including:
- Compromised immune system
- Constipation
- Depression
- Fogginess and confusion
Is Morphine Recovery Possible?
People with morphine addiction may not realize there is an issue. Family members and loved ones may end up stepping in to get people to recognize the extent of the problem. It may take a stay in a detox program to help your body purge itself from the morphine toxins. Individuals receive care from medical staff and addiction professionals capable of helping them get through the physical aspects of morphine withdrawal, which can include:
- Nausea
- Runny nose
- Aching muscles
- Anxiety
- Vomiting
- Lack of appetite
- Constant irritation
- Rapid heart rate
- Problems concentrating
Once you get through the initial withdrawal symptoms, you can start preparing yourself for morphine recovery. Pines Recovery Life Detox allows clients to take part in different programs designed to help them overcome a morphine addiction. Clients learn skills and techniques that help them deal with triggers that might cause a relapse.
Overcome Morphine Addiction at Pines Recovery Life Detox
If you need help overcoming a morphine addiction, Pines Recovery Life Detox’s South Florida facility can be the place where you get started on the path to morphine recovery. Choose from our many programs and services, including:
- Medical Detox Center
- Wellness Programs
- Partial Hospitalization Program
- Medication-Assisted Treatment Program
Start changing the direction of your life by calling Pines Recovery Life Detox at 800.263.3869, or contact us online.
