3 characteristics of patients who can succeed from going through an opioid treatment program

For those who are reliant on substances in daily life, it can seem like an uphill battle to cure your addiction, reintegrate into society, and get your life back. However, adhering to a customized plan that works for your specific mental illnesses, triggers, personality disorders, or substance abuse traits can help you beat addiction with the help of reputable professionals.

If you find you are abusing substances, going to a specialized facility with the equipment and resources to help you with your problems is the first step to reclaiming your life. For those who have tried getting sober on their own or do not know where to begin, going to a professional and reputable location is the best step for those addicted to substances, see more to learn about it.

What is opioid addiction?

Opioid addiction is a chronic disease that stems from the addiction to using powerful drugs. This long-term illness can wreak havoc on someone’s daily life, causing social issues, resulting in personality changes, affecting the person’s physical health, and influencing the user’s mental state.

Opioids are a type of drug that affects the nervous system and produces feelings of relief, helping those in pain feel normal and healthy. However, abusing opioids is a common side effect to those prescribed painkillers for accidents, such as car crashes or sports injuries.

Opioid abuse is a harmful and deadly disease that can take over the mind and life of the user. This type of drug has a very high likelihood of causing addiction in people, even when the user appropriately takes the medication at the prescribed level. Since opioids can cause changes to the brain’s chemical makeup, this drug is highly addictive.

Characteristics of patients who can succeed from an opioid treatment program

Although there are no specific personality traits linked to disorders, since everyone’s story and background are different, personality traits are closely linked with an addictive personality and those who can benefit from treatment. If you are unwilling to believe that you can be helped by a professional facility, see if you match up with any of these following personality characteristics.

1. Impulsivity

Addicts are known for being impulsive. Although this can be seen as a positive characteristic in some cases, where people look at it as spontaneity and ‘fun’ in daily life, impulsivity can get people into trouble if they are not responsible. Impulsivity leads to making rash and sudden decisions without thinking about it beforehand, leading to potentially dangerous or unsafe situations if not taken seriously.

Impulsive people are often viewed as fun, exciting, and dynamic since they do things without thinking and bring the energy up in every place they go. This is a good and bad thing – people who are addicted to substances may like the attention they receive from others when they are exciting and fun, getting positive feedback from others in their social circle. However, the bad thing about impulsivity is the need for attention brought about by doing crazy and dangerous things.

Impulsive people don’t stop to consider the potential drawbacks or risks associated with a situation. For example, they may impulsively jump off a cliff into the water to go swimming instead of weighing the risk of the problem, such as the height of the cliff, the depth of the water, and the current of the water.

The link between impulsivity and substance abuse is powerful since it can be seen with the extremely high number of people with an ADHD diagnosis who also have a co-occurring disorder of alcohol, drug, or substance abuse. Almost 1 in 4 people in substance abuse treatment have a dual diagnosis of having ADHD as well as substance addiction.

For those with impulsivity, not all is lost. Those with an impulsive behavior profile can benefit from going to an opioid treatment program and learning from professionals. Since people with impulsive behavior tend to go ‘all in’ and put everything into the current act, they may be more willing to learn from people during a treatment plan, increasing adherence rates.

2. Anxiety

Many people with substance abuse disorders also have anxiety. Although anxiety is often considered negative due to the crippling social effects and harsh mental health side effects of this disorder, people with anxiety typically want to find ways to solve problems.

Since anxiety can lead to people wanting to find solutions at all costs, it can sometimes lead to an increased adherence rate in people who go to opioid treatment programs. Anxious people need to have answers to problems – one of their main problems is addiction, so finding a solution via therapy can help reduce anxiety and reduce negative thoughts.

Whether about their addiction, their health, their family, or their lives, people who are plagued with worries, whether about their addiction, their health, their family, or their lives, can benefit from going to an opioid treatment program to help determine solutions tailored to their personal situation.

3. Sensation seeking

Lastly, the final personality traits of those who can benefit from opioid treatment programs seek sensations and high levels of excitement. Sensation seeking is similar to impulsivity and refers to the need to find new experiences and exciting situations. Everyone engages in this behavior at some point in their life, but those with this inherent personality trait are very prone to addiction.

People who look for constant stimuli and sensations are prone to substance abuse disorders. However, this personality trait can also make them susceptible to adhering to a substance abuse program treatment plan. Those suffering from opioid addiction may be more likely to jump right into a program and go at it 100% than those who are more cautious.

Since sensation-seeking people enjoy taking risks and engaging in ‘crazy’ behavior, they may find that replacing drug use with other activities, such as extreme sports, exercise, artistic endeavors, and traveling, can be good ways to redirect their attention and receive more of a thrill from daily life.

Conclusion

Opioid addiction is a deadly and long-term illness that needs to be comprehensively treated through a customized treatment plan at a facility. Some people are more prone to addiction, like attention-seeking, thrill-seeking, and impulsive people. However, these same people are also likely to benefit from getting personalized therapy to help them turn their ‘addictive’ behaviors into adherent behaviors.