Codeine addiction is a form of addiction that often sneaks up on the person involved in its use. This is because codeine is a medication that is prescribed to help alleviate pain. This makes it easy for a person who takes codeine to develop a codeine addiction, because he or she thinks codeine is the only way to cope with their pain. Eventualyy the mind shift is that it is OK to take it to prevent pain from happening whether needed or not.

Since it is easy to develop a codeine addiction when taking prescription codeine, it is important to follow the doctors directions closely. To avoid codeine addiction, make sure to only take the prescribed dosage and to only take the codeine for as long as it is prescribed. Prolonged use reduces it's effectiveness and thus means you have to start taking more and more. Failure to follow the doctors directions makes it more likely for a person to develop a codeine addiction.

Codeine addiction is potentially life threatening. Furthermore, codeine addiction drives a wedge between personal relationships, as it is difficult for loved ones to cope with someone suffering from codeine addiction if they are zoned out most of the time. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that a person with a codeine addiction receives help.

To get help for codeine addiction, the person coping with the codeine addiction needs to first accept that fact that he has a problem. Then they must be willing to get appropriate help and treatment for his addiction. Most research indicates that a three-month codeine addiction treatment program is ideal.

A critical phase of recovering from codeine addiction is physical detoxification. This is where the body readjusts to not having the drug in it's system. But, even more so, recovery from codeine addiction requires learning new skills. Sites, sounds, and certain situations can cause psychological stress for the person suffering from codeine addiction. These are called triggers and cues. Therefore, the person suffering from codeine addiction needs to anticipate and learn how to react when he encounters these triggers.

It is important for a person suffering from codeine addiction to seek professional help. Research has shown that a person who attempts to beat codeine addiction without professional help are less likely to be successful in recovery. This is because recovery from codeine addiction takes more than just will power. It also involves changing the way the brain works and learning new skills for coping with pain.