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How Does Opioid Addiction Start?

  • Reviewed by: Dr. Carl Williams, Ph.D., LCADC
  • Modified:
  • Reading Time: 8 minutes
  • Reviewed by: Dr. Carl Williams, Ph.D., LCADC
  • Last Update:
  • Reading Time: 8 minutes

Learn about the causes and early signs of opioid addiction to understand and prevent this complex condition effectively.

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The most recent data shows that opioids were responsible for 56% of drug overdose deaths in the United States from 2019 to 2020. As a result, synthetic opioids are the leading cause of mortality from drug overdoses throughout the country.

Overuse of heroin has been blamed for the majority of opioid-related deaths in the past. However, it is now widely understood that prescription opioids like oxycodone and fentanyl are significant contributors to the current opioid crisis in the United States.

But where does opioid dependency first manifest itself? As such, we’ll provide a more in-depth response to this standard and crucial topic below.

Table of Contents

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Levels of Care
Popular Topics
Families & Addiction

Usage, Addiction Risks, & Prescribing Practices

What Are Opioids and Opioid Addiction?

Some people turn to opioids, also known as narcotics, to alleviate pain. These medications are a family of natural or manufactured drugs that have been shown to react with neurons. Doctors often prescribe opioids for the management of severe pain.

Opioids numb pain and generate a sensation of pleasure, which may make them highly addictive. Together with the development of tolerance that necessitates ever-increasing dosages for the same benefit, this may result in opioid dependence.

As a result, doctors have changed their procedures to prescribe opioids less often and at lower doses to lessen the likelihood of dependency.

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Opioids vs. Opiates

In What Ways Are Opioids Different From Opiates?

The Papaver somniferum plant, which occurs naturally, is the source of opiates and is responsible for producing the active component in various opiates. Opium, heroin, morphine, and codeine are all examples of opiates.

An opioid is a drug that may be obtained from the poppy plant. It can be synthetic or semi-synthetic, which means that the active elements are generated artificially in a lab.

Another source of opioids is the human body’s natural response to pain. Opioids are widely used, including morphine, OxyContin, oxycodone, hydrocodone, fentanyl, and others.

No two opioids are the same, yet all opiates are opioids. Yet, despite their molecular differences, opioids and opiates have identical effects on the body and carry a comparable risk of addiction.

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Pain Management & Beyond

What Medical Conditions Do Prescription Opioids Treat?

Moderating and alleviating severe pain with opioid prescriptions is an acceptable practice.

These may include the following examples:

  • Acute pain.

  • Discomfort caused by cancer.

  • Pain felt after surgery.

  • Damage to the blood vessels, such as in a severe sickle cell crisis.

Some opioids have been authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat severe coughing and persistent diarrhea. Healthcare practitioners utilize opioid loperamide to treat gastrointestinal issues such as gastroenteritis and inflammatory bowel disease. Codeine and dextromethorphan, two opiates, reduce the urge to cough.

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Recognizing the Signs

What Symptoms Should One Expect To See In Opioid Addiction?

​People with substance addiction may alter their habits. Indicators could include:

  • Becoming a part of a new social circle or switching friends.

  • Having a hard time being among other people and preferring their own company.

  • Disinterest in previously loved activities.

  • Not taking care of personal hygiene by washing, bathing, or cleaning.

  • Immense exhaustion and emotional distress.

  • Fluctuating between excessive or inadequate intake.

  • Over-energizing, speed-talking, and making illogical statements.

  • Having anxiety or temper tantrums.

  • Rapid shifts in emotion.

  • Irregular sleep patterns.

  • Failure to appear for scheduled events.

  • Facing legal problems.

  • Keeping a poor attendance record at work or school.

  • Struggling financially.

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Biological & Behavioral Influences

How Does Opioid Addiction Start?

Drugs that have a direct effect on the neurological system are called opioids. They have the ability to alleviate pain as well as provide pleasurable effects. However, the root reasons for opioid addiction remain unknown, despite the disease’s pervasiveness and stealthiness.

According to the available data, opioid addiction is caused by a complex interplay of biological, ecological, behavioral, and social factors.

Due to their unique interactions with the brain, opiates, including hydrocodone, oxycodone, morphine, codeine, etc., are highly addictive.

These medications work by binding to and activating opioid receptors, which prevents the transmission of pain messages from the brain to the rest of the body. Subsequently, dopamine is distributed systemically. This results in pleasure and tranquility, which keeps a person returning for more.

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The Addiction Cycle of Opioids

What Causes Opioids To Be So Highly Addictive?

Although opioids are effective painkillers, they also produce a state of euphoria and great enjoyment that many individuals find delightful.

Habitual users of opioids eventually build up resistance to their effects. They may continue to increase their dosing to recapture the initial level of pain reduction and ecstasy. Opioid addiction is a mental and physical state that may result from long-term usage or abuse.

When a substance takes up such a large portion of a person’s waking thoughts, feelings, and actions that they feel compelled to use it despite its adverse effects on their life, that person has developed a psychological dependence.

For those who have developed a physical reliance on a substance, withdrawal symptoms will occur if they abruptly cease using the drug or lessen the dose they are currently taking.

Those who have become physiologically reliant on opioids will suffer withdrawal symptoms upon abrupt cessation of use. As a result, people may be tempted to increase their drug use to alleviate withdrawal discomfort.

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Understanding Opioid Addiction

Causes & Risk Factors

Addiction to opioids has both biological and psychological roots. Those things are:

  • The use of opioids is facilitated by the availability of these drugs, whether obtained legally or illegally.

  • Development of a physical tolerance to opioids.

  • The need for ever-increasing supplies.

  • Signs of withdrawal.

Potential precursors to opioid dependence are:

  • Firsthand experience with alcohol or other drug abuse problems.

  • Inheritance of a propensity toward drug abuse.

  • Sexual abuse while the victim was a child.

  • Background with mental health issues.

Medication & Support Systems

Diagnosis & Treatment of Opioid Addiction

  • Substitution therapy and methadone maintenance are the two most used treatments for opioid dependence.
  • Medications like methadone and buprenorphine, opioid agonists, are used in treatment.
  • Counseling for substance abuse disorders, including detoxification, outpatient programs, and mutual-support organizations like Narcotics Anonymous.

In the proper dosages, opioid drugs like methadone and buprenorphine are safe and effective alternatives to heroin and other illicit drugs. In addition, they may help people find stability in their lives by eliminating withdrawal symptoms when taken as recommended.

It is common practice to use a mix of opioid agonist medications and addiction treatment counseling when addressing opioid addiction and the opioid crisis.

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Written By:

Dr. Saman Aftab, Ph.D.

Dr. Saman Aftab, Mental Health write at Rolling Hills
Rolling Hills Recovery Center

Mental Health Writer

About Author:

Dr. Saman is a mental health writer with over six years of experience in freelance writing, editing, and proofreading. She is a practicing healthcare professional holding a doctorate in physical therapy at DOW University of Health Sciences. Dr. Saman started content writing to blend her passion for writing and medicine with her extensive clinical experience.

Medically Reviewed By:

Dr. Carl Williams Ph.D., LCADC

Carl Williams, medical content reviewer at rolling hills recovery center
Rolling Hills Recovery Center

Expert Contributor

About Reviewer:

Dr. Williams presently serves on the board of Directors for two non-profit service organizations. He holds a Master’s degree in Human Services from Lincoln University, Philadelphia, Pa, and a Ph.D. with a concentration in Clinical Psychology from Union Institute and University. In Cincinnati, Ohio. He is licensed to practice addictions counseling in both New Jersey and Connecticut and has a pending application as a practicing Psychologist in New Jersey.

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