Canada is experiencing a devastating opioid epidemic. According to Health Canada, not only is the opioid crisis growing but those aged 15-24 are the fastest-growing population requiring hospital care from opioid overdoses.  More than ever, people need access to treatment programs that support opioid detox and tools for a lasting recovery journey.

How do I know if a loved one or I should seek treatment for opioid use disorder?

More often than not, those dealing with a substance abuse problem become very good at hiding their addictions.  It can be challenging to tell when someone might have a problem with opioid addiction, especially if they started by using prescribed painkillers for medical reasons.  

Warning signs to pay attention to:

• Obtaining a refill of prescription painkillers sooner than the original date of refill
• Having to visit the doctor frequently for refills
• Really wanting to be able to quit but having several unsuccessful attempts to do so
• Using different doctors to get more than one prescription
• Stealing prescription painkillers from other people
• Personality changes and/or feeling sick when easy access to opioids is lacking
• The obsession with trying to obtain the opioids causes relationships with loved ones to take a backseat
• Withdrawal symptoms such as:
  • Chills or sweating
  • Diarrhea, nausea, and stomach pain
  • Trouble sleeping
  • Body aches
  • Nervousness, irritability, agitation

If you or someone you know needs help, even if it’s just someone to talk to, call us. We can help you, your family or friends with how to deal with the effects of opioid addiction and provide support throughout opioid detox. 

What is an Opioid Drug and Opiate Addiction? 

According to GoodRx Health, a website providing healthcare information by licenced physicians, opioid drugs and opiates are classified as some of the most addictive drugs out there. They are prescribed by doctors to help people manage severe pain but can be purchased illegally as well.  Unfortunately, these drugs are also over-used and misused leading to Opioid Use Disorder.

Types of opioid drugs include:

• Codeine
• Fentanyl
• Morphine
• Oxycodone
• Hydromorphone
• Heroin 

Chronic opioid use changes the brain and body leading to higher tolerance and then dependence. When one stops the chronic use of opioids the body goes through withdrawal symptoms, which can be harder to deal with than the cessation of use. 

Overdoses are common when people misuse opioids. Not only do the pain signals become blocked but the breathing is so slowed that it can lead to unconsciousness and even death. 

At Simcoe Addiction & Mental Health we offer a customized opioid use disorder treatment program that addresses the different requirements that each client has while supporting the phases of detoxification and providing tools needed for a lasting healing and recovery journey.  

What Happens During Opioid Detox?

For some people with opioid use disorder, the beginning of treatment is detoxification – withdrawal from the drug in a controlled and medically supervised environment. The withdrawal symptoms- tremors, muscle aches, hot and cold flashes, sometimes nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, agitation, and anxiety- are not life-threatening but are extremely uncomfortable.  Everyone will experience the symptoms differently, the intensity of the reaction depends on the dose and speed of the withdrawal.  Short-acting opiates, like heroin, tend to produce a higher level of intensity but the symptoms will be briefer. 

Albeit there is no one size fits all approach to detoxification, some patients may react well to methadone. Methadone can be used to alleviate withdrawal and cravings. In addition, it can improve the ability to function emotionally and socially. Many regular heroin users switch to synthetic opiate methadone, taken orally or injected, and then gradually reduce the dose over about a week. 

Why Simcoe for Opioid Detox

Here at Simcoe Addiction and Mental Health, we offer holistic and individualized recovery strategies for opioid use disorder. Our team of certified drug addiction counsellors registered psychotherapists and other health care providers will help tailor a treatment program that’s designed specifically for you. The program will include an inpatient portion and an aftercare portion. 

Inpatient Residential Treatment

You will have access to:

• A safe, calm, and relaxing environment with 24-hour staff to assist.
• 30, 45, 60, and 90-day treatment plans- therapists may recommend additional time if needed. 
• Withdrawal management, group therapy sessions, 4 face-to-face individual therapy sessions per week with a registered psychotherapist, case management, nutritional coaching, fitness, and aqua therapy
• 25 group sessions per week to learn skills needed to maintain and achieve ongoing sobriety.
• Access to different modalities of therapies including:
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
  • Dialectical Behavioral Therapy
  • Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
  • Trauma Resiliency Model
  • Motivational Interviewing
  • Cognitive Processing Therapy
  • Rational-Emotive Behavioral Therapy
• Self-care perks include: 
  • a beautiful pond 
  • plenty of space for walking and jogging around the facility
  • a beautiful waterfall
  • basketball nets and tennis court
  • fire pits
  • recreation rooms
  • gym
  • saunas
  • massage therapy
  • musical instruments (you can bring your own if you wish)

Aftercare/Transitioning 

Our dedicated team is not done helping you after your agreed-upon time. We will help you until our assistance is no longer needed. At Simcoe Addiction and Mental Health, we offer lifelong aftercare. This consists of: 

• Weekly meetings to connect with friends facilitated by an addiction counsellor
• Follow-up phone calls with an addiction counsellor
• 1 back on track week, 7 days to come back to the residence to get back on track
• Continuation with the same counsellor/psychotherapist

Although the detoxification process from opioid use can be extremely uncomfortable we provide the exact environment needed for the adjustments to recovery to ensure. If you or a loved one is currently experiencing hardships of recovery alone, feel free to contact us, we’d be more than happy to help where we can.