Substance use disorder, also known as addiction, is a complex disease that is highly misunderstood. When someone gets addicted to drugs like opioids, which are prescribed by a doctor, family and friends are often left confused, wondering how it could happen to their loved one.

Addiction is a disease that can affect anyone. It doesn’t matter if a person is successful, responsible, or well-educated—opioids are powerful drugs that change the way the brain works.

When trying to understand addiction, many people turn to sources like Reddit to get first-hand accounts from people who have experienced it themselves. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of these posts, detail the risk factors that contribute to addiction, and cover the common signs of opioid addiction to explain how opioid addiction develops.

Understanding How Opioids Work and Their Addictive Nature

Opioids work by attaching to specific receptors in the brain, spinal cord, and other areas of the body known as opioid receptors. When opioids bind to these receptors, they block pain signals and trigger the release of large amounts of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and reward. This flood of dopamine creates a sense of euphoria and deep relaxation, which is why opioids are so effective for pain relief but also highly addictive.

Over time, repeated opioid use changes the brain’s chemistry. The brain starts to rely on opioids to produce dopamine, reducing its ability to create these feel-good chemicals naturally. At the same time, tolerance builds, and the body requires higher doses to achieve the same effects, which can lead to escalating use. When someone tries to stop using opioids, the absence of the drug causes withdrawal symptoms, including nausea, sweating, chills, muscle pain, anxiety, irritability, and intense cravings.

This cycle of increasing use, tolerance, dependence, and withdrawal is what makes opioid addiction so powerful. Even when a person wants to stop using opioids, the brain and body react in ways that make quitting feel almost impossible without professional help.

How Opioid Addiction Develops: Insights From Reddit

Most people who become addicted to opioids don’t start out intending to misuse them. It often begins with a prescription for pain relief after surgery, an injury, or chronic pain. At first, the medication helps, but over time, the body builds a tolerance. This means the same dose doesn’t work as well, leading some people to take more than prescribed.

There are two components to addiction: psychological and physical dependence. Psychological dependence refers to the cravings and compulsive behaviors associated with addiction while physical dependence is associated with the development of withdrawal symptoms upon quitting the drug.

User thirteen_moons explains, “There’s two factors with opioids, one is addiction and the other is dependency. Addiction is the compulsion to use that is basically the same across the board, people get addicted to gambling, food, weed etc. It’s the want for the high. But the dependency issue is really what makes the drug so sinister. Your body naturally makes opioids by itself and it regulates a ton of bodily functions like pain, hunger, temperature, mood etc. When you start taking opioids in a short period of time your body stops making its own because the artificial source is better. So when you discontinue it you will feel like you are dying because you are completely missing a key component in your brain chemistry. So even if you want to stop you can’t.”

In one detailed thread reposting how a former Reddit user’s heroin use escalated from one-time use to a full-blown addiction, users point out the addictive nature of opioids and how it can happen to anyone. Sluskarn says, “The biggest danger with drugs is thinking you’re the exception. That you’re special and everyone else is morons that gets addicted.”

Mehwhateverrrr agrees, writing, “This is pretty much what happened to me with percocets, I thought I was too smart to become addicted. 8 years later and I still struggle with addiction.”

The Role of Risk Factors in Addiction Susceptibility

Other users recognize the addictive nature of opioids and turn to Reddit to ask, “How do people have surgery and not get addicted to opioids?” In the subreddit r/nostupidquestions, the user continues:

“Morephine, codeine, etc. are necessary after major surgery but every day I read about how addicting opiods and other painkillers are and how patients can get hooked after one dose.

In Matthew Perry’s book he talks about getting injured on a film set and how quickly he became addicted to painkillers.

How do doctors manage the treatment so a patient doesn’t become hooked and wind up in a depilitating spiral of addition?”

In the replies, users are quick to point out that certain risk factors can contribute to a person’s susceptibility to developing an opioid use disorder. The most upvoted reply by threepoundsof says, “Some people will feel sick when they take them

Most people will have the intended effect of the pain being taken away and they stop using them when they no longer need them

Some people will feel insanely euphoric and start chasing that feeling

That’s how genetic predisposition to addiction works. Some drugs just really click for some people”

Many users describe how they felt sick when taking opioids, so they simply didn’t see the appeal. CyanXeno wrote, “They make me very nauseous and groggy. The groggy part was ok since I needed to rest while healing. The dizzy floating feeling was not fun though.”

Risk Factors for Developing Opioid Use Disorder

Identified risk factors for addiction include:

• Long-term opioid use – The longer someone takes opioids, the greater the risk of dependence and addiction.
• Higher doses – Taking larger amounts than prescribed increases the likelihood of addiction.
• History of substance use – People who have struggled with addiction before may be more vulnerable.
• Mental health conditions – Anxiety, depression, and trauma can make a person more likely to misuse opioids as a way to cope.
• Genetics and family history – Some people are more prone to addiction due to their genetics.
• Social and environmental factors – Stress, peer influence, and easy access to opioids can all contribute to addiction.

Recognizing the Signs of Opioid Addiction

It’s not always easy to tell when someone is struggling with addiction, but common signs include:

• Taking more medication than prescribed or running out early
• Doctor shopping or seeking multiple prescriptions
• Changes in mood, such as irritability or depression
• Withdrawal from family and friends
• Loss of interest in activities once enjoyed
• Neglecting responsibilities at work, school, or home
• Financial problems or secretive behavior

Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder

Moving Mountains offers a comprehensive opioid addiction treatment program dedicated to helping individuals recover from the powerful grip of opioid use disorder. Our team of highly trained addiction professionals provides evidence-based and individually tailored treatment programs to address the physical, emotional, and psychological aspects of addiction.

We understand how serious opioid addiction is. We are passionate about helping people find freedom from their addiction and rebuild their lives on a strong foundation of recovery. Our team of healthcare professionals is dedicated to helping people find recovery. We are ready to answer any questions about opioid addiction and help where we can. Contact us today!