While prescription opiates are generally prescribed by physicians to help alleviate pain, they are also easy to abuse. The truth is that 2.1 million Americans were found to be abusing prescription opioid pain relievers in 2012. Although you may have originally taken prescription opioid pain relievers for legitimate reasons, you may find yourself spiraling down to addiction within a short amount of time. Fortunately, there are many different inpatient and outpatient rehab centers designed specifically for patients detoxing from prescription opiates. On top of getting professional help, you might also want to take extra steps to help relieve any unbearable withdrawal symptoms you may be experiencing. This will reduce your chances of relapsing. Here are 3 tips you can try.

Take Passion Flower Supplements

When you feel the onset of withdrawal symptoms, you might be able to combat the uneasiness and anxiety by taking passion flower supplements. Passion flower supplements are particularly helpful in treating depression and stabilizing your mood when withdrawing from opiates, as they contain an abundance of monoamine oxidase inhibitors known as harmaline and harmine, which will help break down neurotransmitter activities in your brain.

These supplements also boost the production of hormones and chemicals like serotonin, epinephrine, dopamine and norepinephrine in your brain that improve your mood. In addition, passion flower increases levels of gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the brain, which will basically help you relax mentally. Overall, these supplements will help you relax, put you to sleep and keep you in a good mood, so you'll be more likely to detox successfully.

Drink Plenty of Fluids

The second phase of opiate withdrawals involves diarrhea and vomiting. This means you'll be losing a lot of bodily fluids and can easily become dehydrated. Dehydration can magnify the severity of the withdrawal symptoms and make them seem a lot more unbearable. In addition, severe dehydration can even lead to serious health complications.

One of the best ways to relieve withdrawal symptoms is to stay hydrated and to drink plenty of fluids. As you'll likely still feel tired and anxious from stage one withdrawal symptoms, you should stock up on bottled water and drinks ahead of time. In particular, get yourself plenty of beverages that contain electrolytes. Even if you don't feel thirsty, continue drinking plenty of water or fluids throughout the withdrawal period.

Group Yoga to Calm Your Mind and Body

Detoxing from opiates can be a rather long journey, with withdrawal symptoms lasting anywhere from one week to one month. During the recovery period, you'll feel like you have little energy, you'll be easily agitated and you'll feel like you have no control over your mind and body. It's hard to push through – especially when it comes to quieting the symptoms that you are experiencing mentally.

Surprisingly, one of the best ways of quieting the mind is to attend group yoga sessions. Find group yoga sessions that are tailored to recovering opiate addicts. These group sessions usually focus on moving meditation, which helps recovering addicts learn how to cope with uncomfortable sensations that are often associated with detoxing from opiates. These yoga sessions can help you quiet your mind and regain control. A huge part of recovery is learning how to be more mindful.

Conclusion

Recovering from prescription opiate drug addiction can be rather difficult. It's definitely a long journey with a lot of obstacles ahead. To prevent yourself from relapsing and to increase your chances of becoming sober, you'll need as much help as you can get. Before starting, make sure you know exactly what symptoms to expect and take some time to investigate different types of rehab treatments that are available to you. For more information, contact a center like Evergreen Recovery Centers that specializes in drug detoxification.