Benefits of Counseling in Codeine Rehab

Codeine is an opioid pain reliever used to treat mild to moderate pain and coughs. It is usually found in combination with other analgesics such as aspirin or acetaminophen, guaifenesin, an expectorant, or promethazine, another central nervous system depressant.

How Does Codeine Work?

Codeine is a central nervous system depressant that slows down activities in the brain and central nervous system reducing stimuli responses to pain and cough. Codeine typically, produces drowsiness, sedation, and impaired cognitive and motor functions. Although some may consider it a safer drug to abuse, long term use can cause serious physical or mental health problems, including addiction.

Codeine medications are mainly derived from codeine extracted from the morphine content of the opium plant. When codeine is metabolized, it converts back to that active morphine form. It slows down bodily functions such as breathing and heart rate which makes it a dangerous drug to abuse.

Codeine Abuse

Abuse of codeine can be as harmful as heroin or morphine, producing the same side effects, dependency, and withdrawals. In high amounts, it acts just like these other opioids and combining codeine with other central nervous system depressants such as alcohol, barbiturates, or benzodiazeprine medications can be fatal. Unfortunately, this how many people abuse it, either to get high, to enhance the effects, or they may use codeine products as a supplement for other opioid drugs.

Benefits of Counseling in Codeine Rehab

Counseling helps you heal from addiction while learning relapse prevention.

Counseling in codeine rehab is the most beneficial way of overcoming an addiction or abusive behaviors regarding codeine. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, “When delivered effectively, behavioral treatments, such as individual counseling, group or family counseling, contingency management, and cognitive behavioral therapies, also can help patients improve their personal relationships and their ability to function at work and in the community.”

Combined with behavioral therapies, the benefits of counseling in codeine rehab:

• Help the person to recognize and discuss the consequences of their addiction.
• Help the person analyze their behaviors and those environmental “triggers” that may compel them to use and reinforces strategies to avoid those situations as a measure to prevent relapse.
• Help the person adjust to changes in their life and reassurance along the way.
• Families, children, and spouses of addicts benefit when they get involved in the codeine rehab treatment of the individual.
• It enhances and reinforces the behavioral therapies, giving the addict encouragement, support, and feedback to help resolve issues that directly related to them.
• Group counseling helps the addict gain insight and peer support from individuals who are recovering from similar addictions through open discussions.
• By determining certain limitations or environmental factors that inhibit the addict’s ability to live safe, independently, productively, and free from codeine or other drugs, counseling can be an opening to various resources and a positive incentive to explore recovery options.