What Treatments are Available for Hydromorphone Drug Addiction?

As with all addiction issues, the individual needs to acknowledge they have a problem and must want to seek treatment for their hydromorphone drug addiction problem. Once this step has been made, finding the right facility to guide the person through treatment and into recovery is key. At Horizons Clinic, patients are offered holistic treatment to deal with their addiction and recovery symptoms, as well as the underlying issues for their addiction issues.

For many people, combating drug addiction is a difficult process to begin. It requires they admit to themselves and to their loved ones that they have a problem. Many addicts experience broken relationships because of their lifestyles, and these are often hard to mend. But as hard as asking for help is, it is crucial to the recovery process that an addict has the support of their friends and family, both to find a rehabilitation facility, and to work through their issues.

People with full addictions to hydromorphone require inpatient care, as they stay in a facility for a number of weeks until they have detoxed fully and made serious headway with their recovery process. Within such facilities, they may be cut off the drugs “cold turkey”, or they may be weaned off gradually, but access is limited so they won’t be able to relapse. This may include the use of methadone and similar drugs that replace the need for hydromorphone. The goal is to eliminate the need for the drug without becoming dependent on other substances, although methadone use can be an on-going requirement for many recovering addicts.

While in a facility, physical and physiological symptoms are treated, and patients are given access to forms of behavioural therapies that target the triggers for drug use, and offer coping techniques in order to avoid relapsing. These therapy treatments may be in one-on-one sessions or in group sessions.

Another option is outpatient treatment, wherein the patient maintains their daily lifestyle and routine, while attending therapy sessions and various services. This type of treatment can be successful for people with less severe addictions, perhaps that are caught early enough, or after a person has completed an inpatient program successfully and is re-entering the outside world. It is at this stage that the cognitive behavioural therapy techniques of how to avoid and cope with relapsing triggers are crucial to recovery success.

People with Dilaudid, or hydromorphone, addictions can join support groups to cope with their cravings. Groups like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) exist for opioid drug addicts: Narcotics Anonymous (NA) is one example of a support group that meets regularly and allows recovering addicts to discuss their triggers and their issues without condemnation. Accountability is a big part of staying clean, and sharing in a community of people who are on the same journey offers the support that many addicts need to continue in their recovery process. Most addiction counselling programs will explain that addiction is a life-long concern, so after undergoing inpatient and outpatient care, staying part of a support group is a necessary step in staying on the recovery path.