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Codeine is a prescription drug that belongs to the opiate family. As a prescription painkiller, codeine impacts your central nervous system so your brain blocks certain signals to the rest of your body in order to lower your reaction to pain – making codeine an effective pain relief option.
Your doctor may prescribe codeine for mild to moderate pain. However, like many other prescription medications, taking codeine can be dangerous if abused – and it’s possible to develop a dependence on the drug.
If you find yourself unable to stop taking codeine, or you feel as though codeine is taking over your life, then codeine rehab is a positive step forward. But what exactly is codeine addiction, and what does codeine rehab look like?
That’s what we’re going to explore on this page. Our experts at Help4Addiction can provide you with all the knowledge you need to proceed with addiction treatment – and can go one step further by sourcing the right treatment for you. Continue reading to learn all about codeine addiction and codeine rehab.
Codeine Addiction Explained
Codeine is an opioid drug, and opioid drugs can be addictive. If you take codeine for a long amount of time, or you abuse codeine, you may develop a tolerance to the drug.
This means that you’ll need to take a higher dose to feel the same effects. Ultimately, this can lead to you developing a codeine dependence.
If you are physically addicted to codeine, you may experience physical cravings and psychological cravings – which can lead to you taking more codeine.
You may also experience withdrawal symptoms when you stop taking the drug or suddenly go from a high dose to a low dose. You may also begin to purchase codeine through illegal sources as opposed to adhering to your doctor’s guidance.
Untreated codeine addiction can be fatal – it can increase the risk of you having an opioid overdose, and all areas of your life will continue to be impacted by addiction. This is why it’s so important to seek addiction treatment.
If you think you have an opioid addiction, chat with our experts to begin opioid rehab. Continue reading to learn more about the codeine withdrawal process, as well as the main codeine withdrawal symptoms to look out for when detoxing from codeine.
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Codeine Withdrawal Symptoms
If you have a physical dependence on codeine and you suddenly stop taking it, you will experience opiate withdrawal symptoms. The withdrawal symptoms timeline can vary from person to person, depending on a range of factors.
For example, the severity of your addiction, the length of time you’ve been addicted to codeine, whether you’re taking other medications, as well as your height, weight, and age. The severity of withdrawal symptoms can also vary depending on these factors.
If you wish to stop taking codeine, you should first discuss this with your doctor. They will tell you how to reduce your dose gradually. However, it can be difficult to stop taking codeine once you have a physical dependence.
This is something we can help with at Help4Addiction – our addiction experts can find the right rehab for you.
Codeine withdrawal symptoms can include both physical symptoms and psychological symptoms. You may also experience behavioural withdrawal symptoms too. Here are some physical, behavioural and psychological withdrawal symptom to look out for:
- Muscle aches
- Stomach cramps
- Nausea and vomiting
- Diarrhoea
- Fever
- Runny nose
- Chills
- High blood pressure
- Insomnia
- Mood swings
- Irritability and feeling agitated
What Is Prescription Drug Abuse?
Prescription drug abuse is a form of substance misuse and refers to taking your prescription drug in any way other than prescribed. For example:
- Mixing your prescription medication with other drugs or with alcohol
- Taking a higher dose than prescribed
- Taking more often than prescribed
- Taking when not needed or to feel ‘high’
- Sourcing from elsewhere (e.g friends, stealing, drug dealers)
Abusing codeine can lead to addiction. Codeine abuse can also increase the risk of having a codeine overdose. Mixing codeine and other opioids with alcohol can be fatal.
Just because a drug is prescribed, that doesn’t mean that it is 100% safe. There were 212 reported deaths in England and Wales in 2020 from codeine drug poisoning.
Codeine Rehab: The Process
There are many different forms of rehab – for example, private rehab, NHS-operated rehab, residential rehab/ inpatient rehab, outpatient rehab, and luxury rehab. Regardless of the type of rehab, the core process tends to follow the same structure.
Read on to learn more about the key stages of codeine rehab treatment – detoxification, therapy, and aftercare.
Codeine Detox
The first stage of drug addiction treatment is detoxification. Depending on the severity of your addiction, you may benefit from a medical codeine detox.
A medical detox involves medical supervision which can help to monitor the withdrawal symptoms. You may also be given detox medication to ease the discomfort.
The length of time a codeine detox can take varies depending on a range of factors – for example, your addiction history, medical history, and personal factors. Generally speaking, the more severe the addiction, the longer the detox process will take – and the worse the withdrawal symptoms will be.
Detoxification alone doesn’t address the social, behavioural and psychological aspects of addiction. This is something that is explored in addiction therapy. Read on to learn more.
Codeine Addiction Therapy
Therapy is an important part of rehab treatment – it can help you identify and address negative thinking patterns, help you to understand yourself and your addiction better, as well as teach you effective ways to deal with cravings, triggers, and relapse. Therapy can not only improve your mental health but your confidence and overall well-being too.
Some forms of addiction therapy can include CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy), DBT (dialectical behavioural therapy), family therapy, group therapy, counselling, and many more. Some private rehab clinics also offer holistic therapies, whether it be art therapy, sports therapy, or mindfulness.
Aftercare
Leaving rehab can be scary, and you may be worried about relapsing after returning to your everyday life. This is why so many people choose to receive aftercare, also known as secondary treatment.
Secondary treatment aims at supporting you throughout your recovery journey. This can be in the form of support groups, counselling, online and telephone support, and continued therapy.
Finding The Right Codeine Rehab For You
At Help4Addiction, we understand that it can feel overwhelming to take that first step toward codeine addiction treatment. This is why we aim to make things easier for you.
We’ll discuss treatment options with you, and listen to your story in order to find the right treatment plan for you – with the right treatment provider. We’ll prepare you for your codeine rehab journey and ultimately support you in your decision to regain control of your life.
It isn’t just codeine addiction we can help with – we can help with all kinds of prescription drug addiction, from benzodiazepine addiction to valium addiction.
We can also help you overcome addiction to illicit drugs – for example, cocaine addiction or heroin addiction, alongside alcohol addiction. Contact us today to get the ball rolling on your addiction recovery.
About Author
Nicholas Conn
Nicholas Conn is a leading industry addiction expert who runs the UK’s largest addiction advisory service and is regularly featured in the national press, radio and TV. He is the founder and CEO of a drug and alcohol rehab center called Help4addiction, which was founded in 2015. He has been clean himself since 2009 and has worked in the Addiction and Rehab Industry for over a decade. Nick is dedicated to helping others recover and get treatment for drug and alcohol abuse. In 2013, he released a book ‘The Thin White’ line that is available on Amazon.
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