Morphine Addiction and Abuse – Opiate Painkiller Addiction

Is Morphine an Opiate?

If you have heard about morphine, you may want to know, “Is morphine an opiate?”

The answer to this question is yes.

Like all opiates, the medication comes with significant risks for substance abuse.

Without help from experienced professionals, morphine abuse is often the starting point of full-blown opiate addiction.

Do you suspect you have morphine dependence problems?

Unfortunately, you will run into serious issues if you take this medication with or without a prescription.

If you are struggling with morphine abuse or addiction, it is natural to feel worried and distressed.

However, even if you suffer from the most severe kinds of problems, you can find the way back to sobriety.

Is Morphine an Opiate of Abuse?

You can abuse any medication if you take it in ways that are not approved by your doctor. That includes morphine and other opiates.

But what qualifies as morphine abuse?

You can fall into this category even if you take small amounts of the medication without a prescription.

If your doctor has prescribed morphine, it is considered substance abuse if you take more of it than the approved dose.

The same is true if you take morphine in excess than your prescription says you should.

You can also abuse morphine tablets by crushing them and swallowing, snorting, or injecting them.

While smoking morphine is uncommon, it is possible.

Opiates and opioids are some of the most frequently abused medications in the U.S.

If you do not use morphine as intended, you typically find yourself involved in some dangerous consequences, including possible exposure to both overdose and addiction.

Morphine Overdose

Is morphine a depressant? Yes and no. It does not slow down your entire nervous system, like sedatives or alcohol. However, it does slow down or depresses parts of your system, including your normal rate of breathing. The dose your doctor prescribes should not slow your breathing rate too far. However, if you abuse the medication, you increase the odds of overloading your system and triggering an overdose. Potential symptoms of a morphine overdose include:

• Mild to severe disruption of your breathing
• Uncontrolled sleepiness
• Abdominal cramps or spasms
• A bluish color at your lips or fingertips
• Nausea
• Vomiting

In some cases, overdosing on the medication can lead to seizures. A morphine overdose has the potential to put the user into a coma or stop their breathing completely in worst-case scenarios. These scenarios are a major contributor as to why many people die of opiate or opioid overdoses each year. You must reach out for professional help immediately to survive a severe overdose episode.

Is Morphine an Opiate of Addiction?

Morphine does other things besides slow down your nervous system. One of the major effects is the increase in dopamine, dopamine is a chemical in your brain that produced pleasure. The dopamine increase triggered by morphine is not a small increase. Its effects go far beyond the feelings of pleasure you get from enjoyable activities and hobbies.

Even if you take morphine as directed, frequent spikes in dopamine can alter the way your brain works. In time, you may find you cannot function without the medication in your system. Experts called this state substance dependence.

However, dependence on morphine is not the same as morphine addiction. Many people on prescriptions become dependent without running into serious problems because a doctor is constantly monitoring their condition. If dependence becomes an issue, this kind of oversight keeps it under control.

If you abuse morphine, it is likely you will fail to report your use of the medication to your doctor accurately. It’s possible those struggling with this substance also take the medication without a prescription or any approval from a medical professional. In these circumstances, it is much easier for morphine dependence to turn into an addiction.

How does morphine addiction differ from morphine dependence? Addicted people feel compelled to abuse the medication, even if they know they are causing themselves harm in various ways. If you are addicted to morphine, you have an illness called opioid use disorder (OUD). Whether using prescription medications or street drugs, millions of people in America suffer from this condition.

Problems that help define addiction include:

• Taking more morphine than you intended
• Using morphine more than you are instructed to by your doctor
• Trying to stop abusing the medication two or more times with no success
• Prioritizing your day around your morphine consumption
• Making morphine use your preferred recreational activity
• Increasing your tolerance to the substance
• Developing withdrawal symptoms if you reduce or halt your medication use

However, addiction is not the only reason for receiving an OUD diagnosis. Your doctor can also diagnose you with an OUD if your non-addicted abuse leads to serious harm. Examples of these harm include:

• Using morphine in ways that interfere with your life at school, work, or home
• Continuing to abuse the medication despite how it damages your relationships
• Doing high-risk things, such as driving while under the influence of morphine.

You only need to develop two symptoms for a diagnosis for an opioid use disorder. This includes symptoms of addiction and non-addicted morphine abuse. In its worst form, OUD produces a total of 11 symptoms.

Help is Available for Morphine Abuse and Addiction

Like many people, you may feel hopeless about the chances of recovering from serious morphine problems. While this is understandable, you should know that hope is not lost. In the past few decades, researchers have found various effective treatments for opioid use disorder.

Before you can overcome your morphine problems, you must detox from the medication. By far, the safest and most effective way to do this is in a formal detox program. A program like this will help bring your morphine abuse to a halt. It will also help deal with the withdrawal symptoms that come from quitting the medication.

The essential follow-up to morphine detox is an opioid treatment program. While detox helps you reach a sober state, treatment helps you achieve lasting sobriety. How does this work? Modern opioid treatment programs use a combination of medication and therapy. These two methods support each other. With this help, it is possible for you to:

• Meet your goals while in treatment
• Change the ways you think about morphine use
• Alter your behavior in ways that promote sobriety
• Keep your recovery going even when the pressures of daily life pile up

Learn More About Morphine Abuse and Addiction

When you first started using morphine, abuse, and addiction may have been the furthest things from your mind.

Nevertheless, you suddenly find yourself facing an escalating problem that leaves you feeling out of control.

That is a scary position.

Fortunately, with help from trained specialists, you can start to tackle your morphine-related problems.

Modern treatment resources will help you recover from mild, moderate, or severe OUD.

Regardless of where you start, there is reason to believe in the possibility of regaining your sobriety.

If you have more questions about morphine abuse and addiction, turn to the professionals at Pathfinders.

We have the experience and knowledge needed to answer your every concern.

We also offer exceptional treatment programs for anyone affected by an opiate problem.