When you suffer from an addiction or substance abuse problem and the substance in question is an opioid (or opiate), it can be quite difficult to overcome that addiction and regain control of your life. However, with the recent surge in opioid abuse and addiction problems, there are also new innovations in the ways medical professionals and counselors try to treat this addiction. For you, this means that there will be more of a chance that you find an opioid-specific substance abuse treatment that works for you and that can get you on the right track as far as recovery and rehabilitation go. Get to know some of the unique and innovative ways that an opioid addiction can be treated so that you can find options that you can incorporate into your addiction treatment program.

Equine Therapy

Equine therapy, also known as horse therapy, is an interesting and unique treatment that is often used as a supplemental treatment option for opioid addictions. What this means is that it is often used alongside standard treatments like cognitive therapy and group therapy to provide additional support.

This treatment option involves the patient addicted to opiates working with an equine therapist to build a relationship with a horse. Horses are highly intuitive animals that can sense a person's emotional state and intentions when interacting. As such, in order to make contact with a horse to pet it, brush it, or do anything else, a person needs to do so with positive intentions and emotional awareness. Building emotional awareness is one of the struggles that many opioid addicts go through.

Opiates as a drug category, block feelings and sensations, both mental and physical which can make recovery difficult. Patients have a difficult time understanding or identifying what they are feeling and what feelings trigger their desire to use opiates. Working with a horse is like looking into an emotional mirror and will help the addicted person identify their emotions based on the horse's response. Eventually, the equine therapy process will also help a patient build trusting relationships again (starting, of course, with the horse they work with).

Implanted Medication Delivery System

In addition to the emotional components of an opioid addiction, there is also a physical side that needs to be addressed.The addicted person's body is dependent on the opiate drug to cause certain chemical reactions in the brain, body, and nervous system and it can be quite difficult to get the body back to functioning normally without relapsing.

The FDA recently approved a treatment option that may provide lasting help with that problem. The treatment is an implanted device under the skin that delivers buprenorphine, an anti-addiction drug, on a continuous and controlled basis for up to six months.

Previously, this medication was only available in daily pill or dissolvable strip form that the patient was responsible for taking on their own. Now, this implant takes that responsibility away from the addicted person and gives them the medication regularly no matter what. This can prevent intentional relapse as well as help with patients who may just forget to take the medication as prescribed. However, if you choose this treatment option, be sure that you also seek out additional treatments and counseling to address all aspects of your opioid addiction.

Now that you know a few of the more unique and innovative ways to treat an opioid addiction, you can be sure that you choose the right substance abuse treatment options for you and your addiction.