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Prescription drug addiction is increasing among veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. While the drugs are necessary to relieve the physical and emotional pains of combat, they are meant for temporary use. When prescription drugs become a problem in a veteran’s life, detox and alternative treatments need to be considered.

Pain killers help wounded soldiers to stabilize after being injured. Dependence on these drugs is both physical and psychological due to the relief they bring from extreme pain. Patients tend to shy away from switching to less potent drugs out of fear that they will not “do the job”. Also, tolerance is an issue as higher quantities and potencies of these drugs are needed over time to produce the same effect.

Sedatives and anti-depressants can be very effective in relieving mental health disorders that result from the trauma of combat. The purpose is to aid patients through the initial trauma, and prepare them for intensive therapy that can heal the psyche. Much like painkillers, patients tend to cling to these drugs out of a fear of returning emotional pain, and tolerance leads to higher doses or more potent medications.

Whether for physical or emotional relief, narcotic prescription drugs are addictive. Withdrawal symptoms will occur upon cessation of use after prolonged, steady use. In addition, the euphoric sensations these drugs produce encourage continued use with patients who are pre-disposed to the disease of addiction. When offered non-narcotic drugs that lack this effect, these patients tend to state that they do not work.

Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles provides prescription drug detox treatment for veterans. We offer integrated behavioral healthcare that includes medical detoxification, mental health treatment, primary care for physical ailments, and we even provide HIV/AIDS treatment and housing.

For more information, please call us at 888-777-8565 or contact us here.

Southern California Locations for Alcohol and Drug Treatment
Tarzana Treatment Centers has locations all over Southern California in Los Angeles County and Orange County. Other than our central location in Tarzana, we have facilities in Lancaster in the Antelope Valley, Long Beach, in Northridge and Reseda in the San Fernando Valley, and in Santa Ana.