Inside Opioids

What Are Prescription Opioids?

What makes opioids so dangerous and addictive? Watch the video to find out more.

There Is Another Way | How Do Opioids Affect Your Brain?

What Are Opioids?

Opioids are highly addictive substances used for relieving pain. They range from prescription medications like morphine or oxycodone, to dangerous illegal drugs like heroin.

Prescription opioids are highly addictive substances used for relieving pain.

Prescription vs. Heroin

What’s the difference between heroin and prescription opioids?

Opioids and Heroin block brain receptors, are extremely addicitive, and cause severe withdrawls.

Heroin and prescription opioids are both opioids.
As far as your brain is concerned, they’re the same thing.

Stages of Addiction

Opioid addiction begins in the first week of use.

Addiction symptoms can developer in as little as five days.

Opioid use begins to affect work, hobbies, and relationships.

The Effects of Opioid Misuse

Misusing prescription opioids can have serious consequences.

Taking too much, or taking someone else's, can overwhelm your body and lead to difficulty breathing, loss of consciousness, or overdose.

Mixing with alcohol dramatically increases these risks and puts you at serious risk for overdose.

Mixing Alcohol with Opioids

Why Alcohol + Opioids = Danger.

Combining depressants like alcohol and opioids magnifies the effects of both. With both a decreased breathing rate and a lower oxygen flow, the risk of overdose increases dramatically.

The Stages Of Overdose

What it looks like when the body shuts down:

Taking too much of an opioid makes it harder to breathe, depriving your brain and heart of oxygen.
The lack of oxygen can cause you to lose consciousness.
Which can lead to overdose and death.