Veterans, Don't Let Your Prescription Addiction Stay Hidden

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Prescription substance abuse has grown into a grey area that still claims lives like any illegal substance. Many veterans are prescribed pain and mental condition-treating medication not as a final answer, but as something to tide them over. It's easy to get addicted when it's legally allotted to you, but that doesn't mean you have to drag yourself out of addiction on your own. Medication clings to the human psyche in a chemical way that takes more than simple willpower, so consider a few ways to get the help you need without getting in trouble or losing the medication you need.

A Tapering Plan Isn't Difficult to Plan

Before doing anything else, tell your doctor. If you need a new doctor for any reason, you can sign up for a Veterans Affairs (VA) primary care provider at any VA clinic or hospital. Addictive medication is a well-known and understood issue, and it's no trouble at all for a medical professional to help you change medications or lower your current dosage.

For these relatively simple addictions based solely on medication content, withdrawal symptoms can be mapped out as they happen and appropriate increases and decreases can be made to help you get to a more manageable level.

Keep in mind that addiction is far more than liking your medication a lot. There are some people who are uninformed about medication and may disagree with the use of medication to regain a functional life, but there's nothing wrong with having a smile on your face when a dose of muscle relaxers kick in. The problem is when your prescription ends and you resort to crime or life-altering actions to get another dose instead of going through the proper channels.

It is of course better to seek a cure or better state of being without the medication alone, and if you're not happy with your current medical provider, substance abuse treatment professionals can help.

Helping Veterans With Few Other Choices

It's better to find a cure, but there's lots of conditions out there with no obvious solution. If you feel bound by your medication and fear what you might do without medication as an option, a substance abuse treatment clinic can help you find some alternative solutions.

The answer isn't more medication, nor is it so-called natural remedies. There are many different options that can be tried in current legal, experimental, or holistic avenues that may be of service. If a new coping mechanism such as meditation, gainful employment, a tapered dosage, different medication, or even a placebo effect is able to help, the option can be explored and given a more official management without giving up on other options.

Contact substance abuse treatment services like Ascent Behavioral Health Services​ to discuss recovery from substance abuse, as well as a change in course if you just want to try something different that you can't figure out alone.

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25 January 2017

mapping out health care during travels

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