Ourera provides specialty addiction medicine services to any California resident, age 16+, with needs related to substance addiction or dependence.
Ourera is currently accepting patients using commercial (employer) or Medicare insurance through
Anthem Blue Cross, Aetna, UnitedHealthcare (Optum), and Traditional Medicare.
What is addiction?
Addiction is an unwanted pattern of behavior related to use of a drug, chemical, or medication (substance).
A person experiencing 2 or more of the following symptoms may benefit from medical treatment for substance addiction
The substance is often taken in larger amounts or over a longer period of time than intended.
There is a persistent desire or unsuccessful efforts to cut down or control use of the substance.
A great deal of time is spent in activities necessary to obtain the substance, use the substance, or recover from its effects.
Craving, or a strong desire to use the substance.
Recurrent substance use resulting in failure to fulfill major role obligations at work, school or home.
Continued substance use despite having persistent or recurrent social or interpersonal problems caused or exacerbated by the effects of the substance.
Important social, occupational or recreational activities are given up or reduced because of substance use.
Recurrent substance use in situations in which it is physically hazardous.
Continued use despite knowledge of having a persistent or recurrent physical or psychological problem that is likely to have been caused or exacerbated by the substance.
Two related concepts are tolerance and withdrawal.
Tolerance means to need more and more of a substance to experience the desired effect, or to lose the desired effect despite ongoing use of the same amount of a substance
Withdrawal means to experience uncomfortable physical symptoms when substance use is reduced or stopped, and the symptoms are relieved by increasing or resuming substance use
Tolerance and withdrawal, by themselves suggest “dependence,” but may not indicate a problem with substance use. A person with diabetes, for example, may develop a tolerance to insulin and experience a sort of insulin withdrawal when it is stopped. In this situation, insulin use is not causing an unwanted pattern of behavior or harm, so there is no insulin addiction.
If a person experiences tolerance or withdrawal related to a medication that is no longer benefiting them enough to outweigh harm, this indicates a need to reconsider how the medication is being used and work to reduce tolerance. This is true regardless of whether addiction is present.