Recent Blog Articles

Got immunity? Thank your thymus

Easy ways to shop for healthful, cost-conscious foods

When — and how — should you be screened for colon cancer?

7 organs or glands you may do just fine without

How to help your child get the sleep they need

What color is your tongue? What's healthy, what's not?

Immune boosts or busts? From IV drips and detoxes to superfoods

The new RSV shot for babies: What parents need to know

Dealing with thick, discolored toenails

Prostate cancer: A new type of radiation treatment limits risk of side effects


Understanding Opioids: From addiction to recovery
Opioid use has exploded during the past two decades. Since 1999, sales of prescription opioids in the U.S. have nearly quadrupled. The good news is that there are a number of effective interventions for opioid addiction. These include self-help strategies, psychotherapy, medications, and rehabilitation programs. Consider using the strategies from Understanding Opioids: From addiction to recovery to discover new ways to cope with life’s inevitable difficulties.
Other Product Information
Most people use prescription opioid medications responsibly. But a growing number are abusing these drugs; that is, taking a different dose than prescribed, getting the drug from a nonmedical source, such as a relative, friend, or Internet seller, or taking the drug for its psychoactive effects. Why? In addition to their powerful pain relieving effects, opioids can produce profound feelings of well-being and euphoria.
Results from the 2011 National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that, nationwide, 6.1 million people in the US over the age of 12 had used prescription drugs non-medically in the past month. During 2014, approximately 1.9 million Americans met criteria for prescription pain relievers use disorder based on their use of prescription pain relievers in the past year.
The good news is that there are a number of effective interventions for opioid addiction. These include self-help strategies, psychotherapy, medications, and rehabilitation programs, all of which are detailed in this report. You’ll also find information about coping with a loved one’s addiction.
Life’s problems usually are transient. Instead of using a psychoactive substance to get away from the negative things that happen in life, consider using the strategies presented in this report to discover new ways to cope with life’s inevitable difficulties.
This Special Health Report was prepared by the editors of Harvard Health Publishing in consultation with Faculty Editor Howard J. Shaffer, Ph.D, C.A.S., Director of the Division on Addiction at the Cambridge Health Alliance and Associate Professor of Psychiatry in the Field of Behavioral Sciences at Harvard Medical School. 35 pages. (2016)
Free Healthbeat Signup
Get the latest in health news delivered to your inbox!