Overcoming Opioid Addiction

The Authoritative Medical Guide for Patients, Families, Doctors, and Therapists

Adam Bisaga, Karen Chernyaev

• Publisher: The Experiment
• Year: 2018
• eBook ISBN:
  9781615194599
• Subtopic: Diseases & Allergies

From a leading addiction expert, a desperately needed medical guide to understanding, treating, and finally defeating opioid use disorder

Drug overdoses are now the leading cause of death for Americans under the age of 50, claiming more lives than the AIDs epidemic did at its peak. Opioid abuse accounts for two-thirds of these overdoses, with over 100 Americans dying from opioid overdoses every day.
Now Overcoming Opioid Addiction provides a comprehensive medical guide for opioid use disorder (OUD) sufferers, their loved ones, clinicians, and other professionals. Here is expertly presented, urgently needed information and guidance, including:

• Why treating OUD is unlike treating any other form of drug dependency
• The science that underlies addiction to opioids, and a clear analysis of why this epidemic has become so deadly
• The different stages and effective methods of treatment, including detoxification vs. maintenance medications, as well as behavioral therapies
• How to deal with relapses and how to thrive despite OUD
• Plus a chapter tailored to families with crucial, potentially life-saving information, such as how to select the best treatment program, manage medications, and reverse an overdose.

Table of contents

• Foreword
• Introduction
• Part 1: An Epidemic Like Never Before
• Part 2 The Science, Practice, and Challenge of Treating OUD
• Part 3 A Brief Guide for Families
• Part 4 For Patients: What to Expect in Treatment and Beyond
• EPILOGUE: OVERDOSES AS MISSED OPPORTUNITIES
• APPENDIX A: QUICK GUIDE TO METHADONE
• APPENDIX B: QUICK GUIDE TO BUPRENORPHINE
• APPENDIX C: QUICK GUIDE TO NALTREXONE
• ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
• NOTES
• Index
• About the Authors