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Opioid Addiction and the Brain

How Mindfulness Can Help Individuals Overcome Substance Abuse

The benefits of mindfulness practices serves as a potential tool to support addiction recovery and promote healthier coping strategies to avoid relapse.

April 20, 2023

C.O.R.E. Medical Clinic Team

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Mindfulness practices can be particularly helpful during addiction recovery because they promote a sense of self-awareness and help individuals build emotional resilience. When a person is struggling with addiction, they may feel overwhelmed by difficult emotions, such as guilt, shame, and fear, that can make it hard to stay on track with their recovery goals. Mindfulness can help individuals learn to observe their thoughts and feelings without getting caught up in them, which can reduce the intensity of these emotions and help them cope more effectively.

Another benefit of mindfulness practices is that they promote a sense of acceptance and compassion. Addiction can be a stigmatized condition, and individuals may feel ashamed or judged by others for their struggles. By practicing mindfulness, individuals can learn to accept themselves and their experiences without judgment, which can help reduce feelings of shame and promote a greater sense of self-compassion.

There are many different mindfulness practices that can be helpful during addiction recovery, and individuals may find that some practices work better for them than others. In addition to the practices mentioned earlier, here are a few more examples of mindfulness practices that can be helpful during addiction recovery:

  • Body Scan Meditation: This practice involves lying down and focusing on different parts of the body, observing sensations without judgment. Body scan meditation can be helpful in reducing tension and promoting relaxation, which can be especially beneficial during the early stages of recovery.
  • Loving-Kindness Meditation: This practice involves focusing on feelings of love, kindness, and compassion towards oneself and others. Loving-kindness meditation can be helpful in promoting feelings of connectedness and reducing feelings of isolation or loneliness, which can be common during addiction recovery.

Overall, incorporating mindfulness practices into addiction recovery can be a helpful tool in supporting individuals in reducing cravings, increasing self-awareness, and improving emotional regulation. By promoting a sense of self-awareness, acceptance, and compassion, mindfulness practices can help individuals develop healthier coping strategies and build emotional resilience, ultimately supporting long-term recovery.

Educational content from Core Medical Clinic. This article does not replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Initially, an intake assessment and admission medical history and exam is completed by counseling and medical staff. Treatment options are discussed and a course of action taken. Medication recommendations are made and initated to balance safety and benefit as much as possible. It is very important to let counseling, dispensing and medical staff know how the medication is working or not so appropriate adjustments can be made.

At C.O.R.E., we strive to individualize treatment and maximize success. There is no time pressure. Some do well with short term treatment while others benefit from long term treatment. We know relapse is common and can have disasterous results. We work hard to treat each patient as long as is required to achieve long term success.

First we work closely with the individual to achieve a “normalizing’ dose of medication to alleviate withdrawal and craving while minimizing side effects. Working closely with medical, dispensing and counseling staff most often allows us to achieve this goal in the first few days to weeks.

Not necessarily. C.O.R.E. Medical Clinic serves patients in Sacramento, West Sacramento, and surrounding areas. People often choose a clinic based on accessibility, treatment needs, and location.

C.O.R.E. Medical Clinic accepts several health insurance plans, including Medi-Cal, MHN, Anthem, Medicare, Humana, Kaiser Permanente, Optum, Blue Shield of California, Magellan Health, and Western Health Advantage.

As most patients entering treatment know, opioid withdrawal is awful and inevitably leads to continued use. We are sensitive to how terrible the craving, restlessness, anxiety, bone aches, upset stomach, nausea, vomiting, sweating, etc. can be. If alcohol, benzodiazepines, stimulants, or other drugs are involved withdrawal can be medically dangerous and require residential or coordinated medical care. Opioid withdrawal can be greatly reduced or eliminated by the early doses provided but again frequent contact with treatment staff for medication adjustments is very important.

The great majority of patients seeking treatment for opioid addiction can continue their normal life, including work, while they are working to find their ’normalizing’ medication dose. If residential or coordinated medical care is required, some time off may be necessary but again this will be individualized. Clinic hours are designed to accommodate the vast majority of working patients.

We work hard to educate patients about the benefits and safety of MAT. Many myths circulate about MAT such as it causing liver problems, bone problems and being harder to get off than fentanyl or heroin. These are absolutely false and will be discussed in detail with your treatment staff. Patients who receive MAT are much healthier than patients not in treatment. Learning to manage common side effects like constipation and weight gain can make patients healthier than they have ever been. All opioids are hard to get off but MAT can set up a very careful and safe detox when a patient is ready. An abrupt short term detox is not advised and can be difficult but a gradual, medically safe detox minimizes withdrawal symptoms. Supplemental safe, non addicting medications can further reduce unpleasant withdrawal symptoms.

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