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OxyContin Addiction Treatment in California

OxyContin addiction has grown exponentially in recent years to the point where it is one of the most commonly abused medications in the "invisible epidemic" of prescription drug abuse. OxyContin (active ingredient oxycodone) has become the signature prescription drug of choice for the rural United States, and in some areas, is even more widely abused than Vicodin (hydrocodone).

OxyContin is often prescribed for chronic pain management associated with injuries, bursitis, fractures, neuralgia, arthritis, and lower back and cancer pain. In the distant past, the user who became addicted to OxyContin was typically prescribed the medication by a trusted physician to cope with pain. In recent times, we are seeing a much higher occurrence of oxycodone-based narcotics being used and abused by people of all ages strictly for recreational use. Addiction to narcotic painkillers like OxyContin is a very serious problem that requires residential drug treatment.

A Brief History of OxyContin and Oxycodone Abuse

OxyContin is the brand name for a painkiller drug called oxycodone, which is also sold under the brand names Percolone, Roxicodone Intensol, Oxyfast, Endocodone, ETH-Oxydose, Roxicodone, OxyIR, Oxycodone Hydrochloride ER, and others. More recently, ibuprofen has been combined with oxycodone (sold under brand name Combunox).

Oxycodone was developed originally by a German pharmaceutical company as a "less euphoric" alternative to heroin. The intent was to provide a drug with many of the positive and therapeutic benefits of heroin and morphine, but less of the euphoric effects that led heroin and morphine to be widely abused.

OxyContin is the highest profile and most recognizable oxycodone-based medication. It derives its name from manufacturer Purdue Pharma's intention to create an oxycodone-based drug that would continuously release over the course of several hours. This "continuous" release was intended to prevent users from abusing the drug while maximizing its narcotic painkiller properties. But users have found that they can circumvent this safeguard by crushing up the medication or taking it intravenously.

Street nicknames for OxyContin are Killers, OC, Orange County, Oxy, OxyCotton, Oxy80 (referring to the 80 mg tablet), Beans, Rushbo, and Hillbilly Heroin.

Use of OxyContin Becomes Abuse and Finally an Addiction

People can quickly become physically and psychologically addicted to OxyContin, which reduces pain and relaxes both the physical body and the mind. OxyContin addiction is growing rapidly among prescription drug users, most likely because it is readily prescribed for many different types of pain problems.

Users of OxyContin will become irritable and manufacture excuses to obtain prescriptions for OxyContin (or find ways to obtain it illegally).

Some symptoms of addiction to OxyContin include:

• Mood Swings - a user may be passive and withdrawn one minute and angry or hostile the next.
• Personality Changes - a normally content or well-adjusted person becomes   depressed and/or uncommunicative.
• Defensiveness - blaming or claiming to be persecuted or victimized.
• Overly Emotional - bouts of manic happiness and extreme depression or hostility.
• Strained Communication - unwillingness or inability to discuss important issues or concerns.
• Withdrawal from Family Activities - refusing to eat at family meals, participating in celebrations or holidays, or making any adjustments to family life.
• Lack of Self-Discipline - not participating in the usual routines and activities that the addicted individual once regularly partook in.
• Anxious Behavior - Chronic jittery, jerky, or uneven movements, fearfulness, compulsiveness, and talkativeness.

Mixing OxyContin with Alcohol - A Deadly Combination

The men and women who arrive here in Southern California to receive rehab treatment from us after becoming addicted to OxyContin might have only experimented with alcohol prior to their OxyContin addiction. These adults may have used alcohol responsibly for most of their lives, but the combination of alcohol and OxyContin heightens the effect and is exponentially more dangerous than using either drug alone.  This is one of the reasons that accidental prescription drug deaths are on the rise.

Individualized and Effective Treatment Programs for OxyContin Addiction

We have been treating addiction for over 23 years here in Orange County, California.  Our addiction treatment experts know the special challenges OxyContin users bring to our drug treatment center in Newport Beach, CA. The treatment program at our drug treatment center will be personalized to the needs of the OxyContin-addicted individual.  

We find that the user is often in denial of the addiction and the harm that it is causing themselves and their loved ones. We have also found that the OxyContin-addicted person will benefit from a medically assisted or "rapid" drug detoxification process (a detox assisted through the use of buprenorphine or Suboxone). 

The OxyContin-addicted individual often doesn't think their oxycodone abuse is as serious of an addiction as the other clients who are addicted to harder "street drugs" (like cocaine, heroin, and crystal methamphetamine). We feel that OxyContin addiction is just as serious and potentially deadly as any other substance.

Also, we have found that the 12 Step-based recovery program we utilize for alcoholic drinkers and illicit drug abusers will also benefit those who are chemically dependent on OxyContin. Many recovering oxycodone-dependent individuals will be tempted to relapse, and may suffer from depression in their early abstinence. Our treatment team is highly trained in identifying developing complications during treatment and can effectively address those complications as they arise.

If you have a loved one who you suspect is abusing OxyContin, please read the section of our website that is dedicated to the families of those suffering from addiction, and also our advice about what to say to a loved one who is addicted to drugs or alcohol.

Painless Oxycontin Detoxification and Early Abstinence

A safe and rapid opiate detoxification process like the one offered at our drug and alcohol treatment center in Newport Beach can assist with the withdrawal and pain of detoxing from OxyContin use. Medical developments have led to our implementation of a Suboxone detox, which offers one of the most painless detoxifications from OxyContin possible. Suboxone is a brand name for an opioid receptor blocker called buprenorphine, which is also ingestable in tablet form during the first few months of oxycodone abstinence.

The acute withdrawal phase is often followed by a protracted phase of depression and insomnia that can last for months. At our treatment center here in Southern California, the recovering OxyContin user is guided supportively through the program of recovery in order to overcome their psychological addiction while simultaneously reducing their level of physical addiction.

Watch Our Welcome Video Guide for Families:

Be sure to check out our addiction treatment program video  for clients and families. It will explain how the process of receiving treatment here with us in Newport Beach will work.

This video will give an overview of what you can expect once you or your loved one arrives at one of the Sober Living by the Sea facilities here in Orange County (or at the Sunrise Recovery Ranch in the California Foothills).