Opioid Treatment for Cravings and Recovery

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Written by Brian Chasin

Medically Reviewed by Dr. Jeffery Berman, MD

Posted On: Sep 7, 2026

Last Updated On: Sep 7, 2026Medical Review On: Sep 7, 2026

Table of Contents

Opioid addiction can make life feel like it revolves around avoiding withdrawal. What starts out as a legitimate prescription for pain or occasional recreational use can quickly spiral out of control, turning life into a cycle of cravings, physical dependence, fear of withdrawal symptoms, and rising risk of overdose. Many people desperately want to stop, but withdrawal symptoms and cravings can make quitting seem impossible without support. But as dim as the outlook seems, hope is available.

Professional opioid addiction treatment can help stabilize safely, reduce overdose risk, address patterns behind use, and begin building a recovery plan that supports healing lasting long term.

Key Points

Opioids include prescription medications such as oxycodone, morphine, codeine, tramadol and fentanyl as well as illegal opioids like heroin and fentanyl.

Addiction to opioids develops as the brain and body adapt to effects of the drugs, resulting in tolerance, physical dependence, cravings and withdrawal symptoms.

Opioid overdose is a life-threatening condition and may involve slow breathing, unconsciousness, blue lips or fingernails, or inability to wake up.

FDA-approved medications for treating opioid use disorder include buprenorphine, methadone and naltrexone. These medications help reduce cravings and manage withdrawal symptoms.

Treatment for opioid use disorder might include detox support, medication assisted treatment, CBT, group therapy, support groups and outpatient care along with aftercare.

What Are Opioids?

Opioids are a class of drugs that attach to opioid receptors in the brain and body that help regulate pain, reward, breathing, sedation, and emotional responses.[1]

This makes prescription opioids useful for pain management, but they can also produce euphoria, drowsiness, constipation, slow breathing, and physical dependence.

Common opioids include prescription medications like oxycodone, morphine, codeine, tramadol, as well as illicit opioids like fentanyl and heroin, which are illegally manufactured and distributed as part of the illegal drug supply.

Effects of opioids vary depending on substance, dose, route of use, level of tolerance, and if other drugs are involved. Fentanyl, in particular, is very dangerous because it is highly potent and may be mixed into counterfeit pills or other drugs without the person knowing, which dramatically raises the risk of accidental overdose.[2]

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Opioid Addiction and Dependence

Opioid addiction, clinically called opioid use disorder, develops through changes in the brain’s reward, stress, and withdrawal systems.[3] At first, opioids can help with pain or bring a sense of calm or escape. The brain can start linking opioids to relief, making the drug feel too important to stop using, even when it is causing harm.

Over time, tolerance starts to build until the same dose no longer has the same effect. This drives someone to use larger amounts of the drug or take it more often. Regular use can lead to physical dependence, where the body adapts to the opioids and starts to rely on them to function normally. Then, when the drug wears off, withdrawal symptoms can start.

At this point, opioid use becomes self-reinforcing. Someone may no longer be using opioids to feel good or relaxed. They begin to use them merely to avoid extremely unpleasant withdrawal, manage cravings, or just to feel like they can get through the day. As this cycle continues, use of opioids starts to affect health, relationships, work, finances, and safety.

It is important to remember that addiction is not due to a lack of willpower. Opioid use disorder is a chronic and treatable medical condition, and evidence-based care can reduce use and lower the risk of overdose and death.[4]

Signs Someone May Need Opioid Addiction Treatment

At first, addiction to opioids can be hard to recognize, especially if it started with a legitimate prescription. Loved ones might appear very tired, withdrawn, or unusually calm. They also become anxious, restless, or sick when they can’t get opioids.

Other possible signs that someone might need treatment include:

Taking more medication than what they are prescribed
Running out of prescriptions early or asking for extra pills
Using illicit opioids, like heroin, fentanyl or counterfeit pills
Strong cravings for opioids and repeated unsuccessful attempts to stop
Sleepiness, dozing off, confusion or slow breathing
Withdrawal symptoms between uses
Losing interest in work, school, hobbies or relationships
Continuing to use opioids despite health, legal, financial or family problems

If someone is hard to wake up, breathing slowly, making choking or gurgling sounds, or lips and fingernails are blue or gray, treat it as a possible overdose, and call 911 immediately.

The Importance of Assistance in Early Opioid Addiction Recovery

Opioid withdrawal can be painful and difficult to manage without help. It can resemble symptoms of the flu and involve muscle aches, bone pain, profuse sweating, chills, runny nose, yawning, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, anxiety, insomnia, restlessness, and intense cravings.

This is why medical detox is recommended for opioid withdrawal. During a medical detox, professionals can provide oversight and support for unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. They can also ensure adequate hydration and sleep, conduct assessments for mental health issues that may exist, and assist with transitioning to subsequent levels of care.

However, detoxing alone does not treat an opioid use disorder.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), using detoxification alone is not recommended because it significantly increases the chance of relapse.[5] It is critical to avoid relapse in early recovery. Even after only a few days of abstinence, tolerance to opioids drops significantly, meaning that if someone relapses and goes back to the dose they were accustomed to, there is a much higher risk of overdose and death.[6]

Medications for Opioid Use Disorder

Medications for opioid use disorder are one of the most important parts of evidence-based opioid treatment. The CDC reports that medication treatment for OUDs results in lessened risk for an overdose and overall mortality.[7]

U.S. FDA-approved medications for treating OUDs include:

Buprenorphine

Buprenorphine is a partial opioid agonist. It can reduce opioid cravings and withdrawal symptoms and may blunt or block the effects of other opioids. Suboxone, Zubsolv, and similar medications combine buprenorphine with naloxone.

Methadone

Methadone is a full opioid agonist used to reduce withdrawal symptoms and cravings. Methadone is dispensed through SAMHSA-certified Opioid Treatment Programs (OTPs) only.

Naltrexone

Naltrexone is an opioid antagonist that inhibits the euphoria-producing and sedative effects of opioids. Extended-release naltrexone is commonly marketed under the trade name Vivitrol. It can only be started after a person has been free of opioids long enough to avoid severe withdrawal.

These medications are not shortcuts or replacements for recovery; rather, they are medical interventions designed to stabilize the brain and body and allow individuals to engage in therapy, build new daily routines, and reduce their risk of overdose.

What Opioid Treatment Can Include

Each client’s opioid treatment should be tailored based on their personal history, physical and mental health, withdrawal risk factors, home environment, and recovery goals. While some clients require medical detoxification or inpatient care, others might be suitable for varying levels of outpatient treatment.

Some common components of treatment may include:

Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT): If clinically indicated, buprenorphine, methadone, or naltrexone can be used as part of a client’s treatment plan.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT): CBT allows clients to recognize the triggers that increase their chances of relapsing. It also teaches them new coping mechanisms for managing stress and cravings.
Aftercare: Long-term recovery may include support groups, drug testing when appropriate, relapse prevention, sober living, alumni support, and continued outpatient care.

Overdose Prevention and Naloxone

One of the biggest threats faced by those struggling with an opioid use disorder is the threat of overdose.

An overdose can happen with any type of opioid, including prescription opioids, heroin or fentanyl mixtures, or when opioids are combined with benzodiazepines, alcohol, or sedatives.

Naloxone is an antidote that reverses an opioid-related overdose. It is typically available in a nasal spray form, and it should be administered immediately if an overdose is suspected. The CDC recommends that all providers give naloxone and overdose education to anyone diagnosed with OUD along with each of their household members and significant others.[8]

But while naloxone is capable of saving lives, it is not a substitute for effective addiction treatment. Anyone who experiences an opioid-related overdose should seek immediate medical attention and be connected to ongoing treatment services as soon as possible.

Mental Health and Opioid Addiction

Mental health and opioid addiction often go hand in hand. Some start using opioids because of long-term pain and continue because the drug also reduces anxiety, grief, trauma, or depression. Others develop worsening mental health symptoms because long-term opioid use alters brain chemistry, disrupting sleep, relationships, work, and safety.

This is why effective treatment should address both substance use disorder and behavioral health. If mental health issues are ignored, they can keep cravings and risk of relapse high. Conversely, if mental health is treated, but not opioid use, the drug can continue to make mood stabilization and decision-making harder.

SOBA offers support for addiction to opioids along with co-occurring mental health issues, relapse prevention, and long-term planning for recovery.

Frequently Asked Questions About Opioid Addiction Treatment

What is opioid addiction treatment?

Opioid treatment helps people recover by offering services like detox support, medications for opioid use disorder, behavioral therapy, relapse prevention, outpatient care, and aftercare. An opioid treatment program is a SAMHSA-certified program that can provide medications such as methadone for opioid use disorder. Some clients may also receive buprenorphine, counseling, and other recovery services through treatment providers.

What medications are used for opioid addiction?

Medications approved by the FDA for opioid use disorder include buprenorphine, methadone, and naltrexone. These medications reduce cravings, manage withdrawal symptoms, or block the effects of opioids under medical supervision.

Is opioid detox enough?

No, detox helps with withdrawal symptoms, but ongoing treatment is usually needed. Detox alone increases the risk of returning to opioid use, overdose, and overdose death.

How do I know if a loved one needs opioid treatment?

Warning signs might include strong cravings, withdrawal symptoms, drowsiness, slow breathing, secretive behavior, early running out of prescriptions, use of heroin or fentanyl, and continued use of opioids despite harm.

Does SOBA offer opioid treatment?

Yes. SOBA offers support for treatment that can include medical detox if needed, medications to assist treatment, therapy, residential care, intensive outpatient services, outpatient care, and planning for after treatment as well.

A Safer Way Forward From Opioid Addiction

Contact Admissions

Addiction to opioids makes every day urgent, but treatment can help move from survival mode into real recovery.

If you or someone you love is struggling with opioids, whether prescription or illicit, SOBA can help you understand options and safely take the next step. Reach out today. Our admissions team is standing by to answer your questions and help you get started on the path to recovery.

Sources

[1] [2] National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2024). Opioids. https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/opioids

[3] [4] [5] [6] [7] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). Opioid use disorder: Treating. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.cdc.gov/overdose-prevention/hcp/clinical-care/opioid-use-disorder-treating.html

[6] [8] Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2018). Opioid overdose prevention toolkit: Opioid use disorder facts. https://library.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/opioid-use-disorder-facts.pdf

[7] National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2024). Medications for opioid use disorder. National Institutes of Health. https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/medications-opioid-use-disorder