Morphine Addiction Help

Morphine is a narcotic pain reliever prescribed to treat moderate to severe pain. When morphine is abused, an addiction can form very rapidly. Morphine activates the brain’s reward system, and the promise of reward causes the user to crave morphine continually. It becomes hard for him or her to focus on anything else. Morphine addiction reduces the user’s level of consciousness and harms his or her ability to be fully aware of present surroundings.

Signs of Morphine Addiction

If you are wondering if your friend or family member is addicted to morphine, there are certain signs and symptoms to look for. They will exhibit a constant and compulsive craving to use morphine and may say that they “need it” to function. They are preoccupied with obtaining more of the drug and will sometimes go to desperate measures to get more. There are many physical signs of morphine addiction, including:

• Slurred speech
• Blurred vision and involuntary movement of the eyeballs
• Sweating and chills
• Dizziness, drowsiness, light-headedness
• Rash, hives, itching
• Nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain
• Seizures
• Memory loss
• Insomnia
• Loss of appetite

The emotional signs of morphine addiction include:

• Anxiety
• Depressed or irritable mood
• Exaggerated sense of well-being
• Abnormal thinking
• Agitation
• Apprehension
• Hallucinations

Having an Intervention

People addicted to drugs such as morphine may find it very difficult to admit to themselves and others that they have an addiction. Or, they may realize that there is a problem but just cannot bring themselves to get help. They usually will have no idea about the amount of damage the addiction is causing their lives and their relationships. The purpose of an intervention is to help addicts see the physical and mental destruction that addiction creates and to persuade them to seek help. Intervention is the most effective technique to help an addicted person. The goal of an intervention is to empower addicts to find a breakthrough in their seemingly hopeless situation.

Here are some helpful tips for having an intervention:

• Stay calm
• Avoid labeling the person an “addict”
• Cite specific negative instances that occurred due to the substance abuse
• Stick to what you know firsthand, avoid hearsay
• Explain how the person’s behavior has affected you
• Be supportive and hopeful about change
• Be prepared for denial and resistance

If your friend or family member is addicted to morphine, please do not turn a blind eye to the situation. Intervention could truly be a matter of life and death. Studies show that 92% of addicts who experience an intervention go to treatment and receive help for their addiction.

Treatment for Morphine Addiction

Morphine addiction treatment will use services such as 12-Step meetings, programs that teach about the nature of addiction, and behavioral therapy that enables the addict to develop new coping and life skills. At a quality rehab facility that treats both the physical and psychological effects of addiction, individuals are much more likely to be successful in recovery. Treatment centers should provide a safe and structured environment for drug abusers, where they will be surrounded by a knowledgeable staff to counsel them in overcoming their unique challenges.

Morphine Intervention Help

If you are thinking of holding an intervention, please call our toll free number for tips or more information on morphine addiction treatment. We want to partner with you to find the best recovery solutions for your loved one. Our trained counselors are available 24 hours a day to give support and assistance in this process. Recovery is within reach. Call today.

It is not unusual for drug users to develop codenames, also called slang or street names to avoid suspicion and detection. Street names are often at the very least descriptive of the real name they are supposed to stand for.
Because morphine can come in white tablets to be taken orally, the tablets are often called the white lady. Because morphine tablets can be ground to powder form as preparation for snorting or for intravenous intake, they are also called salt and sugar.

And because morphine begins with the letter “m,” Miss Emma or Aunt Emma has become a common slang for morphine due to the “em” sound of the name.

Other slang names for morphine include:

• Mister blue
• Morpho
• Dreamer
• God’s drug

Effects of Morphine on the Mind

Morphine is a painkiller, but as a derivative of the opium poppy, it has many effects on the mind. One particular effect is the absence of pain and sometimes a heightened sense of pleasure.

There are many reasons why morphine is a controlled substance. For one, it has many dangerous side effects. Some of these side effects include:

• The slowing of heartbeat
• Difficulty in breathing
• Severe headache and dizziness
• Seizures
• Convulsions

More about Morphine

Morphine is a naturally occurring substance in the opium poppy, Papaver somniferum. It is a potent narcotic analgesic, and its primary clinical use is in the management of moderately severe and severe pain. After heroin, morphine has the greatest dependence liability of the narcotic analgesics in common use.

Morphine has had a long history of usage as a painkiller. Since it was first isolated in Germany in 1803, it has been used medically to treat various illnesses, particularly for pain relief and for controlling opium addiction. Today, the drug is available in many generic forms and can be bought from a pharmacist with a prescription. It is also used in hospitals as a means to manage pain.

Morphine is infrequently encountered in the North American street drug culture. However, mainly because of its availability in hospitals, there have been several documented cases of morphine dependence among health professionals.

The relative availability of morphine has made it one of the more commonly abused drugs in some parts of the world. If a user does not get it through illicit means, he or she can take a few tablets from a friend who uses it for medication. It can also be easy for a person to steal a few tablets from a member of his or her household who happens to be taking medicine based on morphine to manage an illness.

Prescribed Morphine

Often when people think about prescribed medication, they assume their physician is knowledgeable about the drug, its side effects, dosage recommendations and contraindications. They also assume that the physician has thoroughly reviewed the patient’s medical condition, other prescribed medication usage and overall ability to tolerate a medication. Under these assumptions, a patient may accept the doctor’s recommendation and prescription without reservation.

While most physicians are extremely effective diagnosticians and professional, knowledgeable, and compassionate caregivers, there is no way that they can be conversant on every prescribed medication that the pharmaceutical industry produces. Therefore, they rely on pharmaceutical guides when selecting and dosing a medication, as well as the experience of their other patients’ results with the medication.

That strategy is effective but not when a person starts abusing the medication by doing one or several of the following:

• Increasing the prescribed dosage to get the results they want
• Mixing drugs
• Doctor/pharmacy shopping
• Obtaining the prescription through illegal means

If you or someone you now is presenting any of these behaviors, you need to seek help for this abusive and addictive behavior.

Morphine Addiction Variables

Most often a person is prescribed morphine to treat extreme pain. People, who have experienced this pain because of an event that might cause the pain to persist for a relatively short period of time, should give consideration to weaning from the prescribed medication almost from the onset of its usage. Realizing that the patient’s focus is exclusively on relieving the pain, this is when a family member or a friend can play a key role.

Making sure that the person is only taking the prescribed amount is key in helping that person eventually wean off the medication. Pain is not just a physical condition; it also brings about emotional, psychological and mental concerns. Being aware of all aspects of the patient’s state of being is also very helpful because you can seek assistance to treat these other conditions that are often associated with pain.

Addiction to morphine occurs primarily because of tolerance or physical dependency. By monitoring the morphine consumption, you can assist the patient not to become tolerant. If you notice that the prescribed dosage is not giving the person the same benefit it once did, seek professional help from the physician to determine if there is a solution other than increasing the dosage.

Physical dependency most often occurs if a person is taken off the medication too quickly, which is why a weaning process is recommended.

While scientists and medical professionals hold morphine as the standard for the effective relief of pain, the patient and her/his support system need to be diligent so that morphine addiction can be avoided.

Morphine Help

If you or someone you know has access to morphine and is abusing it beyond the medically prescribed reason, please contact our toll free number at (877) 259-5633. We are available 24 hours a day to answer your questions on morphine addiction and treatment.