10 Ways Codeine Addiction Will Ruin Your Life

Prescription addiction is a serious problem in The United States of America. There is a reason that these substances are controlled and need a physician to prescribe them. They have the capacity to be extremely dangerous. Unless taken as prescribed by a doctor, any prescription drug can be harmful to one’s health and even result in death. This problem is compounded when the drug in question also has characteristics that make it habit-forming or at a high-risk for abuse. In the last decade, more money has been allocated for the purpose of educating doctors and pharmacies to help recognize prescription drug seeking behaviors and how to prevent illegal acquisition of these drugs.

Codeine is a drug often prescribed by doctors in combination with other medications for the treatment and management of pain. There have been debates for decades as to whether or not codeine itself is habit-forming or has a propensity for addiction. Some scientists have sited specific studies in which subjects have shown definite symptoms of addiction and withdrawal from codeine.

The fact that codeine is a very popularly prescribed drug is often a prominent reason for its misuse. People feel that because they got it from a doctor, that it is safe. They are usually negligent of the risks they take when pushing the envelope of how much they take and how often they take it. Over the past decades, as this problem has come to light, doctors have been encouraged to talk to their patients more on the subject of the prescriptions they are receiving, in an effort to educate the patient about the potential harm that they could suffer if they do not strictly follow the doctor’s instructions prescribed with the medications.

It is important to note that addiction does not discriminate. Medications, substances, and drugs that are characterized as having a high-risk for abuse do not choose a poor man over a rich man, a married woman over a single woman, a child over an adult. Whether codeine is obtained through a prescription, gained by stealing it from someone else or illegally purchased, abusing it will eventually lead to addiction. Addiction to codeine will most likely ruin your life.

Here are some examples and scenarios that will illuminate how codeine addiction can ruin your life:

1- Becoming addicted to this substance results in a loss of control and eventually surrenders the freedom to choose what you are doing and when. You will spend your time split between getting the drug and feeling the sensation your body craves so strongly that you feel as though you need codeine to survive. Any peace you may have originally enjoyed from this drug, is quickly diminishing because each time you use, you are building a tolerance and slipping further into the clutches of the addiction.

2- Codeine addiction will cause you to use more and more and because of this, you will put your life at risk for it. Overdose is a common misstep among addicts. If you survive it and don’t receive help for your addiction, you can almost guarantee that you will revisit this precarious toxic state.

3- With addiction comes personal negligence. Your focus as an addict is most certainly that of a healthy person who is concerned with maintaining a healthy lifestyle and making good nutrition choices. Addicts often neglect personal hygiene as well. Rotting teeth and poor nutritional health will be a curse that you’ll have to reckon with.

Some short-term side effects of Codeine addiction include nausea and vomiting.

4- There are short-term adverse health effects associated with codeine abuse and addiction: dizziness, confusion, nausea and vomiting, constipation, headaches, and itchiness are just a few.

5- There are also long-term adverse health effects that may even show up years after addiction recovery: mild to severe vision loss, seizures, cardiac complications, insomnia, and altered state of mind/mood changes are among this list.

6- Sleep patterns that would be deemed normal can be permanently altered during addiction. Lack of sleep is the most commonly experienced and can result in serious health problems and a need to take medication to alleviate this problem.

7- Most addicts at some point in their addiction will find that they have suffered a loss of moral integrity in an effort to satiate their need to get high. Codeine abusers are not exempt from this. As they run out of options, they will try anything to score. “Doctor shopping” is quite common. In this practice they see more than one doctor in an effort to get more prescriptions written. They will also have to change pharmacies at this point, because these practices are being monitored and noted more carefully these days.

8- A high-risk for criminal activity and facing possible jail or prison time also walks hand in hand with addiction. Possession and/or the sale of illegal or controlled substance can quickly put one behind bars. There is also the chance that an addict may resort to petty theft in an effort to pay for their codeine.

9- The above statement becomes a more distinct possibility when you consider that this addiction will likely cause you to lose you to lose your job or career. When an addiction progresses past the point of no control, it is hard to show up on-time or even at all. Most jobs also prefer you to be sober while working, which is not something an addict seemingly has any control over.

10- If all of the afore mentioned reasons to abstain from behaviors that lead to addiction to codeine were not enough, consider the strained, broken, and sometimes irreparable relationships with those you hold dear. Your friends and family will be put through the wringer over this addiction and your relationship with them may not survive to resurface in the event of your recovery. You will find yourself broken down and alone.

If you or a loved one are suffering from a possible addiction to codeine, please seek professional help. Addiction is a fierce disease, but there is hope for recovery.