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Sober Living

It may have started with a prescription. Recovery can start with one conversation.

Opioids include prescription pain relievers like oxycodone and hydrocodone, as well as fentanyl and heroin. However it began for you or someone you love, opioid use is a health condition, not a character flaw, and people recover from it every day.

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If someone may be overdosing: Call 911 now · Stay with them · Know the signs

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What opioids are

One family of drugs, many different names

Opioids are drugs that act on the brain to block pain and create a sense of calm or pleasure. Some are prescribed by doctors. Others are made and sold illegally. All of them can lead to dependence.

Prescription pain relievers

Oxycodone (OxyContin, Percocet), hydrocodone (Vicodin, Norco), morphine, codeine, and tramadol. Often first prescribed after an injury, surgery, or dental work.

Fentanyl

A powerful synthetic opioid. It is used in hospitals, but most fentanyl involved in overdoses today is made illegally and mixed into other drugs or pressed into fake pills.

Heroin

An illegal opioid. Some people turn to heroin after a prescription runs out or becomes too expensive, because it is cheaper and easier to find.

Counterfeit pills

Pills sold as oxycodone, Xanax, or Adderall that are actually made with fentanyl. They can look exactly like the real thing.
How opioid use takes hold

No one plans to become dependent

Many people who struggle with opioids never set out to use drugs at all. They had a real injury, a real prescription, and real pain. Over time, the body adapts.
  • Tolerance. The same dose stops working as well, so it takes more to get the same relief.
  • Dependence. The body gets used to having opioids. Without them, withdrawal sets in, and using again becomes about feeling normal, not feeling good.
  • Use disorder. Use continues even as it causes problems with health, work, money, or relationships, and attempts to cut back do not stick.
Opioid use disorder is a medical condition that changes how the brain works. It is not a lack of willpower, and it is treatable.
Why fentanyl changed everything

The drug supply is more dangerous than it has ever been

Fentanyl is many times stronger than heroin or morphine. A very small amount can stop someone’s breathing. Because it is cheap to make, it now shows up in heroin, cocaine, and pills bought outside a pharmacy, often without the buyer knowing.

  • Any pill not from a pharmacy may contain fentanyl. That includes pills that look identical to real prescriptions.
  • Tolerance drops fast after a break. After detox, jail, a hospital stay, or even a few days without using, the body loses its tolerance. Going back to the old amount is one of the most common causes of overdose.
  • Using alone raises the risk. If no one is there, no one can call for help.

Signs of an opioid overdose

  • Will not wake up or respond to their name or a hard rub on the chest
  • Slow, shallow, or stopped breathing, or gurgling and snoring sounds
  • Pale, gray, or blue lips and fingertips
  • Very small pupils

Call 911 right away and stay with them. If they are breathing, roll them on their side so they do not choke.

North Carolina has a Good Samaritan law that offers limited protection from some drug charges for people who call for help during an overdose. Do not let fear of trouble stop the call.

Signs it may be time for help

Signs it may be time for help

You do not need to hit bottom to deserve help. If a few of these sound familiar, in yourself or someone you love, it is worth a conversation.
Taking pain medication more often, or in larger amounts, than prescribed
Running out of a prescription early or seeing more than one doctor for refills
Feeling sick, achy, anxious, or restless when the medication wears off
Buying pills from someone other than a pharmacy
Spending more time and money getting and using opioids
Pulling away from family, work, or things that used to matter
Trying to cut back or stop and not being able to
A close call or overdose, yours or a friend’s
You are not alone

Millions of people are facing this, and the tide is turning

7.6 million

people in the United States misused prescription pain relievers in the past year.

34% fewer

opioid overdose deaths in the United States in 2024 than in 2023.

3 in 4

adults who have ever had a drug or alcohol problem say they are in recovery or have recovered.
National figures from SAMHSA’s 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health and CDC provisional overdose data. These are not Renovia Behavioral Health results.
Opioid use can feel isolating, but it is one of the most common health struggles in the country. And more people are getting help, staying alive, and building lives in recovery than ever before.
Stopping safely

Please do not try to stop alone

Opioid withdrawal can feel like the worst flu of your life: aches, sweating, chills, stomach cramps, vomiting, diarrhea, anxiety, and trouble sleeping. Symptoms often start within hours of the last dose and can last a week or more.

Withdrawal itself is rarely life-threatening for otherwise healthy adults, but it is very hard to push through alone, and the risk does not end when the symptoms do. Once tolerance drops, using again can cause an overdose that would not have happened before.

Talk to a medical provider before you stop

Many people start with medically supervised withdrawal, also called detox. Renovia Behavioral Health does not offer detox at this time, but we will help you find a resource and be here for treatment when you are ready. Read: If You Need Detox First

How we help

Outpatient care built for real recovery from opioids

Renovia Behavioral Health offers two levels of outpatient care. You live at home, or at Renovia Sober Living, and come to us during the program day.

If needed first

Detox

We can help you find a provider if you need assistance.

Medical emergency: call 911. Crisis: call or text 988.
Renovia Behavioral Health

Day Treatment (PHP)

5 days a week, 5 hours a day
Renovia Behavioral Health

Intensive Outpatient (IOP)

3 days a week, 3 hours a day
  • A full clinical assessment. We look at your opioid use, withdrawal risk, pain, mental health, and the rest of your life before recommending a level of care.
  • Pain and mental health treated together. If chronic pain, anxiety, depression, or trauma is part of the picture, it is part of your care.
  • Relapse prevention that is honest about opioid. You build a real plan for cravings, triggers, and the high-risk moments after a break in use.
  • Small groups and small caseloads. Your clinicians know you by name, and your whole team reviews your plan every week.
  • A safe place to live, if you need one. Renovia Sober Living offers structured, substance-free housing with rides to and from treatment.
Tried before
If treatment did not stick last time
For most people, recovery takes more than one serious try. Tell us what did not work, and we will build a better plan.
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How to get started

From first contact to first day

1

Call or text 833-813-HELP

Tell us what is going on. Nothing has to be decided on that first contact.

2

We check the details

We verify your insurance and collect your background so your first day is focused on you.

3

Your first day

Plan on a full day. A clinician completes your assessment, and you get an orientation.

4

Your plan begins

We place you in the group that fits you best, and your team reviews your plan every week.

While each case varies, generally you can start treatment within 24 hours. If you need detox first, we will help you find it and stay connected. See all admission details

Sources
  • 1. SAMHSA (2025). Key Substance Use and Mental Health Indicators in the United States: Results from the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Past-year prescription pain reliever misuse (7.6 million) and opioid use disorder (4.8 million).
  • 2. CDC National Center for Health Statistics (2025). U.S. overdose deaths decrease almost 27 percent in 2024. Opioid-involved deaths fell from an estimated 83,140 in 2023 to 54,743 in 2024.
  • 3. SAMHSA (2025). 2024 NSDUH. Among adults who ever had a substance use problem, 74.3 percent consider themselves in recovery or recovered.
  • 4. National Institute on Drug Abuse. Opioids and fentanyl drug facts.
  • 5. North Carolina Good Samaritan law, NC General Statute 90-96.2.
  • 6. Federal confidentiality of substance use disorder patient records, 42 CFR Part 2.

You matter today. New tomorrows begin at Renovia Behavioral Health.

However opioid use began, it does not have to be how your story goes. Reach out, ask your questions, and let a real person help you take the next step.
Start a conversation
Call 833-813-HELP
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Renovia Behavioral Health is opening soon in Wilmington, NC. Reaching out does not commit you to anything. If you are in danger right now, call 911 or call or text 988.