Skip to content
Get Started
Close

How to Stop Using Opioids

How to stop using opioids

With the right support and motivation, breaking free from opioid addiction is possible

Get Started

Our mental health and addiction care is covered by insurance. For 90% of our members, treatment is entirely free.

Affect’s app uses rewards to stimulate the brain, proven by science to help break difficult addictions

We know how powerful opioids can be—and how difficult it is to stop using them. Whether it’s prescription painkillers like oxycodone, heroin, or synthetic opioids like fentanyl, these substances are highly addictive and carry serious health risks. But recovery is possible—with the right support.

Our smartphone-based program combines expert medical care, therapy, and science-backed strategies to help you quit for good. We use digital rewards and financial incentives to motivate healthy habits, a method proven to boost recovery outcomes. You’ll also have access to medications like Suboxone, which can be prescribed online by licensed providers to help manage withdrawal and cravings.

Our members double their sober days in just the first month. They sleep better, feel better, and think more clearly as their brains begin to heal. With the support of licensed counselors and a care team that includes advocates for housing, healthcare, and employment, they begin rebuilding their lives—fully and sustainably.

Entirely Private, Fully Digital, and Always Available

Quit drinking without rehab using Affect's sober app and telehealth treatment program

  • Telehealth, Right from Your Smartphone

    Your entire treatment program—counseling, doctor visits, peer support—is delivered through our secure mobile app. Attend sessions from anywhere, with no travel required.

  • 1:1 Support and Messaging

    Meet privately with licensed therapists and doctors via video, and message your care team anytime between sessions to stay connected and supported.

  • Real Rewards for Real Progress

    Our unique, science-backed rewards system helps you stay motivated and focused, with incentives for progressing in treatment and building new healthy habits.

  • Medications for Symptoms

    Our medical team can prescribe medications, if needed, to manage mental health symptoms, withdrawal, or cravings—discreetly and safely through the app.

  • Daily Challenges & Progress Tracking

    Build healthy habits with guided daily tasks and interactive lessons. Track your goals, log your daily use and sobriety, and watch your growth add up.

  • Support Both Inside and Outside of Treatment

    From finding a job to securing housing or reducing bills, your care team helps improve every part of your life—not just your recovery.

Common questions about opioids

  • What are the different types of opioids?

    Opioids come in various forms, each with unique properties and risks. Understanding the differences between prescription pain medications, heroin, fentanyl, and other opioids is crucial in addressing addiction and its consequences.

    Prescription opioids, such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, and morphine, are often prescribed for pain relief but carry a high risk of addiction. These medications can create dependency even when taken as directed.

    Heroin is an illegal opioid derived from morphine. It is highly addictive and often injected, snorted, or smoked. Heroin use can lead to severe health complications, including the risk of infectious diseases from needle sharing.

    Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine. It is used medically for severe pain but is also made and used illegally. Due to its potency, fentanyl poses a high risk of overdose.

    Other opioids include codeine, methadone, and tramadol. Each has its own risks and potential for addiction. Methadone is sometimes used in medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid addiction.

  • What are the health risks of using opioids?

    More than 2.7 million people in the U.S. have opioid use disorder (OUD), including 2.3 million misusing prescription painkillers. In 2021, over 80,000 of the 106,000 drug overdose deaths involved opioids.

    But the damage goes beyond overdoses. Opioid addiction has contributed to a rise in babies born dependent on opioids, and has fueled the spread of infectious diseases like HIV and hepatitis C.

    Opioids harm nearly every part of the body:

    • Brain: Impair memory, decision-making, learning, and emotional regulation.

    • Heart and blood vessels: Cause infections, collapsed veins, and cardiovascular issues.

    • Lungs: Slow breathing, increasing the risk of fatal overdose.

    • Liver and kidneys: Strain and damage vital organs.

    • Digestive system: Lead to chronic constipation and other problems.

    • Immune system: Raise the risk of serious infections from unsafe drug use.

  • What does opioid withdrawal look like?

    Withdrawal from opioids is rarely life threatening, but it is very uncomfortable. Physical withdrawal symptoms can be managed with medications to help people recovery from opioid addiction.

    Acute Withdrawal (1-7 days)

    The first phase of withdrawal typically begins within hours of the last dose and can last up to a week. Symptoms may include anxiety, muscle aches, sweating, insomnia, and severe cravings.

    Post-Acute Withdrawal (Weeks to Months)

    Longer-term withdrawal symptoms can persist for weeks or months, including mood swings, fatigue, and continued cravings.

  • What medications help with opioid withdrawal?

    • Methadone: Reduces withdrawal symptoms and cravings.
    • Buprenorphine: Alleviates withdrawal symptoms and reduces cravings.
    • Naltrexone: Blocks the euphoric effects of opioids, helping to prevent relapse.

  • What is Suboxone?

    Effective medications exist to treat opioid use disorder include methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone. Suboxone is an FDA-approved prescription medication used to treat opioid addiction in adults that combines buprenorphine and naloxone.

    Suboxone has been proven to be highly effective in successfully stabilizing people in opioid withdrawal and reducing the severity of symptoms. As part of a complete treatment program including group counseling and individual therapy, medication-assisted treatment with Suboxone can reduce someone’s dependence on opioids for the long term.

Download the app to get started

Everything you need—therapy, medication, support—is delivered right to your phone. It’s private, flexible, and designed to fit into your life. With Affect, recovery doesn’t mean pressing pause on your life—it means taking control of it again.

More
More
“Affect has shown me a caring side that I never had for myself. It has made me rise as an individual and I have uplifted my courage, bravery, and willpower to obtain my sobriety. Not only did I find myself, but I also found friends in counseling. By friends, I mean someone who really believes in you when others won’t. This program is amazing and works.”

Stella

I’ve learned how to love myself and to forgive myself. I’ve mastered boundaries. I’m no longer uneasy living alone.

Amanda

Group and counselor support is the best. Life has improved because I learned it’s never too much trouble to take care of myself.

Pat

I’ve been able to focus on things that are important in my life, including my children. That it’s the best thing that could ever have happened to them, and to me.

Candice
Read More Reviews

Support That Goes Beyond Treatment

Getting healthier is just the start. Need help with housing, job hunting, healthcare, or financial aid? We’ve got your back.

Get Started
Close