Methods to kick an opiate addiction

Alternative recovery methods with proven efficacy in treating opiate dependency.

1) Medical Cannabis

States that have legalized medical Marijuana have experienced a quarter drop in opiate overdoses. Cannabis can assist during detox when traditional medications fail to reduce withdrawal symptoms in the opiate dependent individual. I would argue to avoid all opiate substitutes such as Methadone or Suboxone if possible, as these are both opiate class drugs themselves, with a longer half-life, and therefore an even more extended withdrawal. Cannabis is psychologically habit forming, but nonaddictive physically. Not to mention the risk of overdose remains non-existent because there has never been a fatal Cannabis overdose in all of human history. Cannabis is also far cheaper than an opiate habit, ensuring that a person once unable to have money will become better able to handle their responsibilities, now longer tied down by opiate addiction.

2) Ibogaine and Psilocybin

Psychedelics are showing increasing promise in treating opiate dependence. Ibogaine, in particular, not only mitigates all physical opiate withdrawal symptoms but also rewires the brain out of addictive patterns, by the trip functioning as a guide for the addict, allowing them to uncover the underlying causes behind their substance abuse. The same holds true of Magic Mushrooms, which is the safest recreational drug known to humanity, even safer in fact than pot. When the user applies proper set and setting and does not take these class of medicines during times of duress or as a way to escape reality, psychedelics provide a tool for profound self-realization and a personal transformation of unhealthy habits into healthier ones.

3) Apomorphine and Kratom

Apomorphine is the substance that William S Burroughs would use to finally kick his heroin habit when all over treatments had failed to get him clean. Kratom, a natural leaf, has shown high efficacy in allowing Oxycontin addicts to withdraw without cravings. Then when they kick the Kratom, their symptoms are minimal in comparison.

4) Cardiovascular fitness and Meditation

Keeping a consistent exercise regimen is invaluable when kicking a hard narcotic habit. The body of many addicts remains depleted of natural endorphins and dopamine, so regular exercise helps to restimulate these pathways and give the person in recovery a necessary and natural high to ward away cravings. Meditations role in recovery is to calm the mind through a natural, non-narcotic process. When mastered, it allows the total user control over their mind, and the ability to experience altered states of consciousness without the need of drugs. On one successful meditation, I saw a grey cloudy sky which represented my past life of heavy drinking and a clear sky in which I no longer drank. These visions would later play a crucial role in ending years of alcoholism once and for all.

5) Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

Without understanding why an addict engages in certain behaviors, they are unlikely to change this behavior even with rehabilitation or jail. With CBT, the user can engage with their feelings and cravings in a non-judgmental setting, so different from the typical failed tough love approach that in my experience, kills twice as many alcoholics and addicts as it supposedly saves because it is not real or unconditional love, the only true cure for addiction.

Only when the user in a nonobjective manner, looks deep at the reasons why they use drugs and desire to change these goals or abandon them, does long-term and sustained recovery become possible. Contrary to popular belief, the 12-Step program is not the only method of recovery from substance abuse, and for many people, particularly trauma victims, the 12 Step model can make the addictive behavior worse.