Understanding the Physical Addiction to Opioids

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Opioid Use Disorder

Addiction is a complex and chronic disease which affects your mind and body, as well as your emotional and spiritual well-being. Similar to diabetes, arthritis and cardiovascular disease, addiction is a long-term, recurring illness which requires regular treatment and support to overcome.

The disease of addiction has been studied for many years and we now understand in much greater detail how opioids and other substances affect our bodies. However, many still believe that addiction is a choice made by those who suffer from it. They believe it can be resolved by making better choices or exercising will power. If the disease was only a moral failing or lack of character, then those things might provide relief. But, the physical nature of the disease indicates a need for both medical and psychological treatment to overcome it.

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Signs and Symptoms
of Opioid Addiction

It can often be difficult to know if someone is misusing prescription pain medication or an illegal substance such as heroin or fentanyl. This is particularly challenging if they have been prescribed medication for an injury or illness, and the medication is taken to provide relief from valid pain.

Those using prescription medication to provide pain relief may build up a tolerance, reducing its effectiveness and causing some of these physical symptoms to occur. In response, more and more of the medication must be taken to experience that relief. An opioid addiction can form as a result of more frequent use related to this increased tolerance.

As a person continues to use opioids, whether for recreational or medical purposes, the same changes to their brain chemistry occur. Someone with an opioid addiction will show similar physical and psychological symptoms regardless of their initial reason for use. There are some tell-tale physical and behavioral signs that a person is misusing opioids which can help themselves and their loved ones know that they may need help.

Physical Signs of Opioid Addiction

Behavioral Signs of Opioid Addiction

Physiological Addiction

Many individuals struggling with the disease of addiction began to use opioids or other drugs in response to negative situations or feelings for which they don’t have a solution. This can include childhood traumas, tragic life events or simply a feeling of not belonging or being comfortable with yourself. In addition, many people experience the difficulties of depression and anxiety all the time, not just in response to a specific event or issue.

Any of these factors can lead to a person’s dependence on opioids and other substances to help alleviate their negative feelings. Opioids can lessen the effects of: sadness, worry, fear, shame, anger or any other emotion a person doesn’t feel equipped to handle. Just like our brain begins to adapt to, and then expect, the presence of drugs to be okay, so do our emotions.

When faced with these things, individuals begin to use the drug to “numb” their feelings or be the “solution” to their problems which may seem overwhelming and impossible to solve. However, almost certainly, that individual will also begin to recognize that the drugs have failed to solve their problems and instead have begun to cause them. At that point, they may wish to stop, but are unable to. Both the physical nature of the disease as well as the reliance on drugs as a solution to their problems will make it difficult to stop without help.

1. Biologically Vulnerable

Opioids attach to receptors in the brain that are normally activated by naturally occurring neurotransmitters that relieve pain, reduce anxiety and produce feelings of calm. Neurotransmitters are simply chemicals that carry messages in the brain.

Opioids closely mimic naturally occurring chemicals, so the body allows them to attach to receptors and activate them.

2. Overload of Signals

Once the opioid has attached to the brain’s receptors, the normal messages being sent are disrupted. A number of different responses are then initiated in various parts of the brain.

Neurotransmitters are released that are typically produced in response to pleasurable activities such as exercise, sex or eating. In addition to chemical responses, opioids impact basic survival functions such as breathing, heart rate and sleep patterns.

3. Natural Adaptation

Very quickly, the brain adjusts to the surges in chemicals and the “new” messages being carried by neurotransmitters.

In response, it produces less of these chemicals naturally in response to the activities that have triggered their release before introducing a drug.

4. Experience Withdrawal

Once the body has adjusted, unless an opioid is present, the individual is left with a feeling of both physical discomfort and psychological irritability known as withdrawal.

Withdrawal symptoms can begin occurring just days or weeks after the drug is first used.

5. Dependency Established

At this point the brain has become dependent on opioids and requires more of them to maintain its overall well-being.

Beyond producing a feeling of euphoria, the body simply needs opioids to prevent severe, debilitating withdrawal symptoms.

How Health Professionals Diagnose Opiate Addiction

When diagnosing opioid addiction, medical professionals use the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) criteria. The DSM-5 lists 11 official symptoms of opiate addiction. Under these criteria, the person must experience two or more of the 11 signs within the previous year.

These symptoms include:

Extensive Use

Loss of Control

Loss of Focus

Physical Dependence

Difficulty at Work

Interpersonal Problems

Loss of Hobbies

Risky Behavior

Decline in Mental Health

Increased Tolerance

Evident Withdrawal Symptoms

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Understanding Opioid Addiction