Vicodin is a prescription painkiller with two active ingredients: acetaminophen and the opioid hydrocodone. Acetaminophen does not come with a risk for addiction. However, like all opioids, hydrocodone can trigger addiction in certain circumstances. Your doctor can help you avoid this dangerous situation. However, it’s easy to become addicted if you don’t follow your doctor’s instructions. Vicodin addiction treatment can help you recover and return to a functional daily routine if this happens to you.
Are you addicted to Vicodin? Talk to the treatment experts at New Start Recovery. We offer a range of services to support your recovery from Vicodin addiction. From drug detox to follow-up treatment, we do everything we can to help you regain lasting sobriety.
Vicodin Addiction Vs. Dependence
Vicodin is not prescribed for all kinds of pain. Instead, doctors reserve its use for moderate-to-severe pain symptoms. Usually, a Vicodin prescription is time-limited. That’s true, in part, because the medication comes with a high risk for misuse and addiction. Still, while following your doctor’s instructions, you may become physically dependent on Vicodin.
This occurs when your brain starts to treat the medication as part of its everyday mixture of chemicals. A physically dependent person may experience withdrawal symptoms if Vicodin use ends. However, this doesn’t mean that dependence is the same as addiction. Your doctor can manage Vicodin dependence and help prevent any further problems. As a result, you can continue to lead a life as usual.
How Do You Become Addicted to Vicodin?
Vicodin dependence can turn into Vicodin addiction. That happens when physical dependence is combined with psychological dependence. This additional form of dependence creates an emotional need to keep taking the medication. It often occurs along with an involuntary urge to seek out and use more Vicodin. Together, these factors create the framework for a full-blown addiction.
Several actions can make it much easier for you to develop an addiction. That includes such things as:
- Taking Vicodin more often than prescribed
- Using higher doses of the medication than prescribed
- Continuing to use Vicodin when your prescription ends
- Doing anything to speed up the effects of Vicodin
- Using the medication without a prescription
All of these actions are examples of drug misuse or abuse.
Vicodin Addiction Rehab
Vicodin addiction rehab is a multi-step process. At the beginning of this process, you enter a drug detox program. Detox has several goals. First, it provides you with treatment that lowers the intensity of opioid withdrawal. This is crucial since it makes it easier for you to complete withdrawal without relapsing. Your detox program will also safeguard your overall health during the withdrawal process. In addition, it will help you get ready for the next step in your recovery: active treatment.
Active treatment for all forms of opioid addiction follows a similar format. This format relies on two main options:
- Medications that help you avoid relapsing
- Psychotherapy that helps you establish a stable, opioid-free routine
These options are sometimes used separately. However, it’s common to receive help from both of them. Doctors call this combined approach medication-assisted treatment or MAT.
Seek Help for Vicodin Addiction at New Start Recovery
If you’re addicted to Vicodin, you need help as soon as possible. At New Start Recovery, we specialize in providing that help. Our services begin with detox designed to support effective Vicodin withdrawal. We follow up detox with a range of active treatment programs. Whether you need inpatient or outpatient care, a suitable program is available.
What’s more, all New Start treatment plans are customized. This attention to detail enhances your odds for success even further. To learn more, call us today at [Direct].