Fentanyl Rehab Centers in Georgia

There are plenty of qualified rehab centers in Georgia that can help someone battling fentanyl addiction get back on their feet and on the road to a healthy, drug-free life. In this guide, you’ll learn about some of the top rehab centers throughout the state of Georgia.

But before you choose a rehab center, you may have some questions about fentanyl addiction and recovering from it. So before we cover the top rehab centers, you’ll learn:

• What fentanyl use disorder is and how to spot it
• How fentanyl affects your brain
• The step you should take before getting treatment at a fentanyl detox rehab center
• How fentanyl addiction is treated

If you need fentanyl rehab, this guide will help you find the right one for you and your needs.

What is Fentanyl Use Disorder

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), “SUDs (substance use disorders) are characterized by compulsive drug seeking and drug use that can be difficult to control, despite harmful consequences. When someone is addicted to drugs, they continue to use them even though they cause health problems or issues at work, school, or home. A SUD can range from mild to severe.” The NIDA also states that addiction is the most severe form of a SUD.

Fentanyl is extremely addictive because of its high potency. This also makes users highly prone to dependence. It’s important to understand the difference between being dependent on a drug and being addicted to a drug.

Being addicted to a drug is the physical and psychological drive to take a drug even though participating in this behavior is causing the user harm.

Being dependent on a drug is characterized by experiencing withdrawal symptoms when the drug has stopped. For example, someone taking prescription fentanyl prescribed by their doctor may become dependent and experience withdrawal symptoms when they stop taking the medication.

Being dependent on a drug doesn’t mean you’re addicted, though dependence often leads to addiction.

Fentanyl withdrawal symptoms include:

• Muscle cramps and bone pain
• Insomnia or restlessness
• Diarrhea or vomiting
• Nausea and stomach cramps
• Mood swings and extreme emotions
• Spasms and other uncontrollable movements

This is why it’s important not to quit cold turkey but to do so under fentanyl detox at a trusted drug detox center like Georgia Drug Detox. Here are some points you should be aware of before researching fentanyl rehab centers.

Why You Shouldn’t Quit Cold Turkey

Because of the likelihood of having a physical dependence on fentanyl, it may be unwise to quit on your own. Those with moderate to severe addictions will likely face intense withdrawal symptoms and if the patient is detoxing from other drugs or faces underlying medical issues, life-threatening complications could arise.

Before discussing how to detox safely, it might be helpful to understand some of the effects fentanyl has on the brain.

Fentanyl’s Effects on the Brain

Fentanyl, like other opiates, interacts with brain receptors called opioid receptors. These receptors are in the part of the brain that regulates emotions and mood along with reward and motivation.

This means that changes to this region of the brain can have drastic implications in how a person lives and experiences their life. Fentanyl abuse affects the brain after moderate to long-term use, effectively numbing the sensitivity of moods and emotions.

Because this region is responsible for emotions like joy and rewarding behaviors like maintaining a job and relationships, this numbing effect from fentanyl abuse can cause a user to not experience joy in things that used to make them happy or avoid healthy behaviors, like maintaining relationships, in favor of drug-seeking behaviors.

Fentanyl’s Effects on a Person

In addition to changing the brain, long-term, fentanyl use can have a variety of effects in the short as well. Here are some of the effects:

• Extreme drowsiness and fatigue
• Nausea or dizziness
• Confusion and foggy thinking
• Constipation and eating problems
• Sedation and laziness
• Shallow and constricted breathing
• Loss of consciousness or falling asleep

In addition to affecting the user, fentanyl can have a drastic effect on the user’s loved ones and their larger community. Now that fentanyl is causing a drastic increase in overdose deaths, fentanyl addiction is truly affecting the entire county.

In fact, the increase in fentanyl and other synthetic opiate-related overdose deaths has brought the life expectancy of the US down for the last three years. In addition, overdose deaths are the leading cause of death for those under 50.

But you may be wondering what exactly an overdose is and why they often result in death?

What is a Fentanyl Overdose?

Put simply, an overdose occurs when “a drug produces serious adverse effects and life-threatening symptoms.” Generally, an overdose occurs from taking too much of a drug(s) in too short of a period, taking large amounts of a drug(s) over an extended period without stopping, or combining drugs in dangerous combinations.

With fentanyl, the major fears of overdose are taking a large amount due to the extreme potency of the chemical, and taking fentanyl-laced drugs unsuspectingly.

Often people who overdose on fentanyl have extremely shallow breathing or sometimes their breathing stops altogether. This creates a condition known as hypoxia, which is a dangerously low amount of oxygen in the brain. This can lead to brain damage, coma, and even death.

How to Detox Safely

The best way to detox safely is to attend a dedicated drug detox facility. At Georgia Drug Detox, we offer a variety of services in our inpatient and outpatient programs (more on these types of programs in the section below).

When you detox at a drug detox center, you get the support of trained professionals as well as medical help to curb your cravings and subdue intense withdrawal symptoms.

How is Fentanyl Addiction Treated?

When it comes to fentanyl treatment in Georgia, there are a lot of good options for a variety of needs. But before choosing a treatment center you may want to know what the recovery process looks like.

There are two options for recovery programs: 1) inpatient or residential programs in which the patient stays full-time at the recovery center for a period of time; 2) outpatient programs in which the patient comes to the recovery center for therapy daily but isn’t required to stay full time or spend the night.

Residential programs are great for those who can afford to take the time off from work and family and those who need an extended program of behavioral change. In other words, it can help a person integrate healthy habits that will set them up for a lifetime of sobriety.

Outpatient programs are a great choice for those with jobs, families, schools, or other responsibilities they must attend to regularly. It can also be a great choice for those whose addictions are less severe. Outpatient programs work especially well for those with support structures at home, whether that’s from family members, significant others, or close friends.

The Steps to Addiction Recovery

As mentioned above, the first step to recovering from fentanyl addiction or dependence is attending a drug detox center like Georgia Detox. Once you’ve gotten past the most intense withdrawal symptoms associated with drug detox, then you can attend an inpatient or outpatient recovery program depending on your needs.

During your recovery program, you’ll be prescribed a combination of medications and/or therapy depending on the specifics of your case.

Medications used include buprenorphine and methadone. Because both act on the opioid receptors, both can help reduce cravings and withdrawals. Of course, other medications are often used depending on the individual.

Therapies used generally focus on changing the behaviors that originally caused drug use and addiction in the first place. This generally comes in the form of cognitive or behavioral therapy combined with gaining life skills that help patients stick to their plan of sobriety.

It’s important to choose a program that’s right for you. Call our recovery specialists today to discuss the specifics of your case and how to detox and recover successfully.

Fentanyl Treatment Centers in Georgia

The Athens Area Commencement Center

The Athens Area Commencement Center is a medically-supervised drug rehab center in Athens, Georgia. They specialize in helping adolescents and criminal justice clients recover.

This is an outpatient program with partial hospitalization. This means that daily care is provided but patients aren’t required to live full-time at the facility. So this rehab center may not be the best choice for those severely addicted or those who need a more cohesive system of structure and support.

Tangu Inc

Tangu Inc rehab program provides both outpatient and long-term residential sober living programs for a variety of alcohol and drug addictions. They’re located in Atlanta and offer one of Georgia’s top addiction recovery programs.  

Tangu Inc focuses on innovative treatment programs and prides themselves on treating addictions without prejudice to race, ethnicity, religion, culture, or nationality. They’ve been treating addiction for over 20 years and have a variety of resources from trained medical staff to top-notch therapists.

Bradford Health Services

Bradford Health Services is a well-known rehab center with facilities in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Their Georgia facility is located in Augusta.

They offer a variety of outpatient services and clients are assessed to determine the most effective program. In addition to programs for adults, they offer adolescent rehab along with young-adult services.

Highland Rivers Health

Highland Rivers Health is one of Georgia’s largest behavioral healthcare providers. They have facilities in 12 counties in Northwest Georgia and, according to their website, “operates outpatient clinics, residential treatment facilities, crisis stabilization units, and programs for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.”

This makes them a good choice for those battling a fentanyl addiction caused or worsened by an underlying disability or mental health issue. They focus on serving adults, children, families, and veterans.

Consecrated Care, Inc

Consecrated Care, Inc is an affordable choice for a quality substance abuse treatment program. It’s a bilingual, outpatient program that evaluates the mental health of patients with certified counselors and therapists.

Through their program, they aim to restore self-esteem and social wellbeing to cement a sober lifestyle.

Twin Lakes Recovery Center

Twin Lakes Recovery Center is located in Monroe, Georgia. It might be one of the more beautiful rehab centers because it sits in the serene setting of the outskirts of Atlanta complete with a private lake.

Their program is designed to provide a safe-haven for those seeking to recover in a peaceful and safe environment. They offer both inpatient and outpatient services and specialize in relapse prevention services.

Turning Point Care Center

Turning Point Care Center is a comprehensive recovery unit, providing gender-specific services for men and women through inpatient and outpatient programs.

In this rehab program, Each patient gets a personalized treatment plan designed to most effectively treat their substance abuse disorder.

One thing that sets them apart is their Women’s Trauma Program. This makes Turning Point a great choice for women who used fentanyl due to unresolved trauma in their life.

Assisted Recovery Center of Georgia

The Assisted Recovery Center of Georgia provides a variety of treatment options, including outpatient and partial hospitalization programs. They’re located in Savannah and are focused on providing patients with a lifetime of sobriety.

They pride themselves on their innovative and science-backed approach. In fact, according to their website they were one of the first treatments to offer medically-assisted rehab programs. They continue to use the most effective tools at their disposal.

They also offer customized treatment plans, so this is a great option for those with specific needs or circumstances.

Willingway

Willingway is a privately-owned recovery facility that has been helping patients overcome addiction since 1967. Willingway puts a large emphasis on attending attentively to each recovering patient to avoid any chance of relapse.

They offer long and short-term residential recovery programs and are located in Statesboro. One thing that makes them unique is their 5-Day Family Week Program that is designed to integrate “patients’ families into the recovery process and allow them the opportunity to begin to heal from the devastating effects of alcoholism and drug addiction.”

To learn more about fentanyl abuse statistics and treatment options, please call our Georgia drug rehab center today.

Resources:

NIDA. “Fentanyl.” National Institute on Drug Abuse, 28 Feb. 2019,

https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/fentanyl. Accessed Mar. 2019.

DRS. “Fentanyl Detox & Rehab Treatments in Georgia.” Addicted.org, www.addicted.org/fentanyl-detox-rehab-treatments-in-georgia.html. Accessed Mar. 2019.

DEA. “Acetyl Fentanyl.” Drug Enforcement Administration, Oct. 2018,

www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_chem_info/acetylfentanyl.pdf. Accessed Mar. 2019.