Addiction to opioids is a serious problem

Over the past several years, Southern Illinois, as well as other parts of the country, has seen a rapid growth in opioid addiction with devastating results for the individuals and their families who suffer from this type of dependency.

Opioids are drugs that are either derived from opiates or chemically related to opiates, such as morphine, codeine, hydrocodone, methadone and heroin.

Opioid addiction is often perceived by society as related only to heroin use, but what treatment facilities, hospital emergency rooms and doctors are seeing frequently are individuals who have become addicted to a variety of pain killers and who now suffer the same negative impact as from the illegal street drug heroin: drug-seeking behavior, criminal behavior associated with use or trying to get money to use, overdoses, death, loss of families, jobs, social status and multiple other consequences.

Suboxone is the first opioid medication approved for the treatment of opioid dependency in an office-based setting. The primary active ingredient in suboxone is buprenorphine which is a partial opioid agonist and also contains naloxone, an opioid antagonist. In other words, suboxone helps suppress the oftentimes debilitating withdrawal from pain killers and heroin while at the same time decreasing the cravings to use opioids. This enables individuals who are serious about changing their lives and stopping use to have the opportunity to do just that. Substance use treatment is paired with suboxone to provide individuals with the much needed skills and tools to remain abstinent long term and to aid in the development of new social skills, activities and relationships that are conducive to recovery. Because of the availability of suboxone, hundreds of people in our area have been able to stop the vicious cycle of addiction and move forward in their lives.

If you or someone you know is addicted to opioids and who has not been successful in getting clean and sober, there is help available. Jackson County and other surrounding counties have specially licensed physicians who are able to prescribe suboxone. The local doctors have been prescribing suboxone since October 2011 and their offices work closely with treatment facilities in the area to ensure that their patients are following substance use treatment recommendations as well. For more information or questions, call me at 618-457-6703, ext. 360.

BONNA MACHLAN is the clinical supervisor and counselor for Substance Use Disorder Services at Southern Illinois Regional Social Services in Carbondale. She has a doctorate in rehabilitation counseling and is a certified alcohol and drug counselor. She is a member of Southern Illinois Behavioral Health Team.

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Addiction to opioids is a serious problem