Enlisting CBD in the Fight Against Opioids

Exact Nature sells products which have the sole purpose of helping people curb their use of addictive substances – alcohol, recreational drugs (opioids, heroin, cocaine, others), tobacco, and more. We have seen a lot of good come from this when people use these products consistently as one tool in a broader approach to getting sober. Because of this, every sale of an Exact Nature product feels like someone is taking a tangible step towards addressing an issue they’re having with one of these addictive substances. Without a doubt, this is the most gratifying aspect of our business – seeing people take control of an issue they feel is starting to affect their well-being and that of their families.

Perhaps the brightest spot yet is that CBD may be able to help with the fight against opioid addiction, a scourge wreaking havoc on millions of American families. It’s the severity and urgency of this issue that makes it more immediate; after all, while alcoholism can kill you over time, opioids can kill you overnight.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported that 108,000 people died from drug overdoses in 2021 – the highest level on record. Maybe even more astounding is that this number represents a 15 percent increase over 2020, which, in and of itself, saw a horrifying 30 percent increase over 2019. When will this madness stop?? Granted, all of these deaths are not directly due to opioid overdoses, but many are, and many are a result of street drugs sought out by someone initially suffering from an opioid use disorder. For opioids alone, the death rate is closer to 40,000 a year or about 115 deaths per day.

CBD Versus Opioid Addiction

Opioids and opiates block pain and, notably, also produce a euphoria. In both cases, the risk and danger for addiction and overdose are extremely high, especially in the case of individuals who already show a proclivity and vulnerability to addiction.

This danger has been borne out in the 850,000 overdose deaths among Americans since 1999. This approximates the number of people who have died from COVID-19. Perhaps the biggest difference is foretold in that the medical community has termed the opioid crisis the most consequential and preventable public health crisis in the U.S.

Alternatives to Opioids Badly Needed

As I write this, a character in a program on television in the background reflects on his past opioid addiction, saying, “I’m off the oxys. And more importantly, the oxys weren’t just for my knee. I’ve been numbing a lot of shit for a lot of years.”

Given the potence and addictive potential of opioids, this progression from physical pain killer to emotional pain killer is neither surprising nor unpredictable. Given this, Society needs and is crying out for viable alternatives to manage pain.

One alternative that shows great promise is CBD. It helps with pain, it’s inexpensive, doesn’t have the side-effects of anti-inflammatory drugs like NSAIDs, and it’s neither addictive nor intoxicating.

FDA Approves Clinical Trials for a CBD-Based Pill

In a recent study conducted by NYU Langone Health, a new tablet containing CBD appeared to provide significant relief post-surgery, showing promise for CBD’s future as a pain reliever and opioid alternative. 

In this study, the researchers randomly selected 99 patients who had recently undergone rotator cuff surgery. These patients, ranging from 18 to 75 years in age, were divided into two groups. One group received a placebo and the other received experimental tablets, called Oravexx, for which CBD is the main ingredient.

Following day one, patients taking Oravexx reported 23 percent less pain than their counterparts in the placebo group. On day two, the patients’ satisfaction with their reduction in pain levels was 25 percent higher than patients in the placebo group.

Given the therapeutic potential of Oravexx to treat opioid use disorder, in January 2022 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved clinical trials to test the safety and effectiveness of this pill. These studies are ongoing.

With the rise in awareness of opioid misuse and addiction potential, attitudes are changing, and the tide is turning toward alternative treatments for pain, including CBD, especially given its positive safety profile.

CBD, Addiction, and the Endocannabinoid System

Research indicates CBD binds to receptors in the brain and throughout the body to help balance the endocannabinoid system (ECS), a system of neurotransmitters that run throughout the brain and body. The ECS stabilizes important bodily functions like sleep, mood, pain sensation, and addictive impulses. In the process, CBD can lessen cue-induced cravings and the anxiety they produce.

As alcoholics and addicts our brain circuitry is out of whack. CBD helps get that circuitry back in alignment. Tests show CBD helps minimize drug cues and, with it, also helps break the psychological bridge that rewards addictive behavior.

Researchers believe the key is CBD's capacity to regulate the body's serotonin and dopamine receptors. They believe CBD helps with cravings by reducing the anxiety and stress related to drug cues and by mediating the brain’s anti-depressant activity responsible for cravings and drug-seeking behaviors. In the process, it’s believed that CBD curtails drug-seeking behavior and, also, the occurrence of relapse.

As such, CBD can play an integral part in a broad approach to getting sober. Many medical professionals and addiction specialists understand this and increasingly use CBD in their addiction management protocols

Exact Nature Detox

Exact Nature’s Detox products have been formulated to help with addictive cravings. Detox products combine premium CBD with natural ingredients that, even on their own, have been successful in curbing alcohol and drug cravings, in some cases for hundreds of years.

Detox focuses laser-like on curbing addictive cravings – from alcohol to recreational drugs to nicotine – because step one in the process of getting sober is abstinence. Detox pairs CBD with a team of natural ingredients chosen for the vital role they can play.

Is CBD oil safe for recovering addicts?

Without reservation, CBD is safe for people in addiction recovery. It is non-addictive and non-intoxicating, minimizing any chance for abuse.

Even so, some people in the recovery community discount the use of CBD to help with substance use disorders, viewing it a trading one crutch for another.

We understand this POV – many of us in recovery got sober by “white knuckling it – but we respectfully disagree. CBD offers a healthy path to sobriety, so why not take full advantage of it? Exact Nature products contain premium-grade CBD and ingredients long used to help curb addictive cravings. Why not give these products a fighting chance to help you?

CBD Quality Varies

To be sure, all CBD is not created equal. With this, you need to take care to buy CBD from a reputable seller. A quick test is to review the seller’s third-party lab test results for their products on their website. If the seller does not provide this testing, called a Certificate of Analysis, you should look elsewhere because THC levels and other ingredients in the products could be misrepresented.  

Commercially available CBD, with few exceptions, is derived from hemp (as opposed to marijuana) and, by law, cannot contain more than 0.3 percent THC. To go the extra mile, Exact Nature removes the 0.3 percent of THC from its broad-spectrum products out of an abundance of caution and a healthy respect for our customers.

For people in recovery, it’s Exact Nature’s view that it’s important to maintain a distinct line between using CBD, which have no psychoactive properties, and marijuana products with the high-inducing ingredient THC. Using CBD is likely to be debated in the recovery community for the near future, so avoid it if you feel it would imperil your sobriety.