Fighting through opioid withdrawals is challenging, but there are strategies to help make it smoother. Quitting cold turkey is never recommended. It can lead to intense cravings and severe withdrawal symptoms. Medical detox and medication-assisted treatment (MAT) are much more effective options, allowing for a gradual tapering off opioids while also minimizing withdrawal discomfort. Having a strong support system, including friends, family, medical staff or sober support groups is crucial during this time. Taking care of yourself by establishing a proper sleep schedule, eating nutritious foods, staying hydrated, and incorporating exercise can also help to aid in the recovery process. Pinelands Recovery Center in Medford, New Jersey offers comprehensive addiction treatment and support to help individuals achieve a sober and healthy life.

Need Tips on Fighting Through Opioid Withdrawals?

Making the decision to take steps toward living a life without opioids is a big one; congratulations on making this huge step! While you are looking forward to living a healthy life, rebuilding relationships and setting new goals, there are still some hurdles you will need to overcome. One of which is one of the very first steps to becoming sober: fighting through opioid withdrawals. While this is an uncomfortable process, it is important to remember that it is only temporary and there are many things you can do to help make it go smoother.

Fighting Through Opioid Withdrawals is Hardest Cold Turkey

Quitting any substance is difficult to do cold turkey, let alone highly addictive opioids. Quitting cold turkey is the most extreme and uncomfortable way to stop using opioids. Even people who are not addicted to opioids and are taking them under doctor’s supervision are not advised to quit using them cold turkey.

Fighting through opioid withdrawals is nearly impossible when done cold turkey. Cravings are extremely high, and the body experiences the worst of all the withdrawal symptoms. The temptation to give in to cravings may prove to be too much for you to bear, no matter how badly you want to truly quit using opioids.

Try Medical Detox or MAT While Fighting Through Opioid Withdrawals

Instead of quitting cold turkey, fighting through opioid withdrawals is much easier with the help of medical detox and medicated-assisted treatment. Think of it this way: diabetics need their insulin. People with high blood pressure need their medication. Therefore, people who are suffering from severe opioid addiction need medicated-assisted treatment.

This process allows you to slowly wean off of opioids so that your body can begin to readjust. The constant input of opioids from the substances you used rewired your body to stop producing its own. Adjusting back is difficult on your body, so MAT and medical detox help make it easier while keeping withdrawal symptoms at bay allowing for a much more comfortable detox process.

Have Support in Place

One of the most important pieces of anybody’s substance abuse recovery is having a lot of support in place. This can be in the form of family, friends, medical staff, treatment staff or a sober support group. Fighting through opioid withdrawals can be debilitating or extremely difficult, so having that support to lean on and have a safe space around you can be absolutely essential.

Take Care of Yourself

Many people who suffer from addiction tend to neglect their health while they are in the throes of active addiction. They tend to either sleep very little or too much, they tend to not eat nutritious food and they neglect to get enough proper exercise.

Get on a Better Sleep Schedule

Chances are, you either sleep too much or you suffer from insomnia. You might sleep at odd times during the day or night, or you stay up extremely late. Either way, it is very important for you to start getting on a better sleep schedule. Fighting through opioid withdrawals is tough, so getting enough sleep to allow your body to rest and recharge is important through this process.

Eat Nutritious Foods

While in active addiction, substances can change their body’s perception of whether it needs food or not. This causes people to eat way too little, or eat way too much. In any case, chances are the food you are eating is not nutritious. It tends to be unhealthy foods that are easy to grab and binge out on. Making sure you eat healthy food while fighting through opioid withdrawal is important so that your body has fuel to readjust back to normal. In addition, make sure you are drinking plenty of water. Dehydration can cause detox symptoms to worsen, so make sure you are staying hydrated.

Get Some Exercise

Some of the many opioid withdrawal symptoms are stress and anxiety. If you already suffer from stress or anxiety, the withdrawal process will heighten them. It is important to find a way to work off this excess stress and anxiety, and a great way to do that is by incorporating some exercise. You don’t need to go run to the gym for an hours-long workout; even just taking a walk around the block can help take your mind off of things.

About Pinelands Recovery Center

While fighting through opioid withdrawals can be tough, it is possible to get to the other side. That other side is living a healthy life, being the best version of yourself and having better relationships. All you need to do is get through the detox period and get the tools you need to stay sober – all of which we can help you with.

Pinelands Recovery Center of Medford is widely known as one of New Jersey’s finest, most respected addiction treatment facilities. With comfortable 30-bed accommodations and 24-hour professional staff, we can offer clients a serene, relaxing environment amid the lush piney woods. This stress-free setting with its sense of warmth and welcoming enables you to feel comfortable and confident about your clean and sober life ahead.

We will establish clear goals, both general in nature and specific to your needs. We continue to monitor those goals, to make sure that our clients are progressing and buying into their recovery plan. We thrive on assisting clients in feeling connected to the recovery community, share and demonstrate effective coping techniques, help clients to modify attitudes and patterns of behavior and everything else you will need to be happy and productive living a sober, healthy life.

We ensure that clients complete their planned concrete tasks, encourage hope, optimism and healthy living. Our recovery program is not a revolving door treatment program; it is a recovery model designed to help clients go on to lead productive, happy lives. For more information, visit pinelandsrecovery.com