When someone is addicted to fentanyl, they need professional help right away. When your daughter is the addict, you’re going to be eager and probably desperate to get her into a long-term treatment center for her addiction. However, fentanyl addiction is a serious addiction that requires commitment from the addict. You may be wondering how you can convince your daughter to consider long-term treatment for her fentanyl addiction. If you are, read on to learn more.
What is a fentanyl addiction?
To understand the addiction, one must first understand just how powerful this drug is. Fentanyl is a synthetic pharmaceutical drug that is a pain reliever in the opioid family. It is used to treat severe pain and is often up to 100 times stronger than another powerful painkiller, morphine. The drug blocks the pain receptors in the brain of the user and causes the production of dopamine, the “happy” hormone we all know and love. Fentanyl users describe the high as being similar to a heroin high.
There are quite a few signs of fentanyl abuse that family members and friends can be aware of. These include:
• Blurred vision
• Dizziness
• Headaches
• Slower breathing
• Itchiness
• Seizures
• Tiredness
• Euphoria
• Constipation
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Irritation
• Paranoia
If you suspect that your daughter or another loved one has overdosed from fentanyl, call for emergency help immediately.
How to talk to your daughter about fentanyl addiction
Dealing with addiction is hard no matter what the addict is taking. However, fentanyl addiction should be taken extremely seriously. An overdose is often just one more day away, especially if the user already has a high tolerance for opioid use. When you want to talk to your daughter about her addiction, it is important to do so in a very calm manner. Remember, your daughter is suffering from a disease. She needs help, not ridicule and grief.
Wait until a time where you are almost sure she is not using to sit and talk with her. Tell her how much you love her and are worried for her. Ask her to open up about her addiction to you, if possible. Be there for her without yelling, judgment, or derision.
Schedule an intervention
Don’t be discouraged if she doesn’t listen to you right off the bat. You may need to keep talking to her to get her to commit to an inpatient treatment center. One way to help her see that she needs help is by staging an intervention. While she may not listen to one or two people she very well might listen to a group of family members and friends telling her she has a problem.
First, decide who will be the “leader” of the intervention. In most cases, it is the person closest to the addict. However, you may be struggling with your relationship with your daughter at this point. It’s okay to pass off the job to someone else right now. That person can lead the group, jumping in if and when someone starts to get mad or angry. Make sure to invite close family members, friends, and even co-workers. The more people that are there to show they care about her, the better the intervention may go.
Check out rehab centers together
Your daughter needs to know that you will be there for her the whole time. While she needs to make the final decision concerning rehab, you can help by offering to assist her when she is ready to go. If she is a minor and still under your health insurance, make sure you find out what they will and won’t cover. If your daughter has her own health insurance, offer to help her navigate through her coverage.
After you have a couple of rehab treatment centers on your list, it is time to choose the best one. You can help by offering to be there when she calls the rehab to ask questions. Make sure she is aware that you will also be there for her while she is getting the treatment she needs. Knowing she is still loved and cared for will make a huge difference during recovery.
Give us a call if your daughter is addicted to fentanyl
An addition is no joke, but an addiction to fentanyl is a serious problem that needs to be taken care of right away. We can help. Call today at 833-364-0736, or stop by the center to make an appointment with us. We’re here to help your daughter beat her fentanyl addiction once and for all.