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Prescription Drug Addiction
Prescription drugs are often described
has Americas secret addiction because prescription
drugs are often abused by individuals who take
them for non-medical purposes. Prescription
drugs posed a tremendous risk for addiction
because they are powerful, can be easy to obtain
and are legal. Many people take prescription
drugs as they are prescribed and this site does
not stand in judgment of the medical community
and its practices. At the same time, research
shows that over 45% of doctors have a hard time
talking to their patients about the dangers
of prescription drugs and the potential for
addiction. This fact allows many people to juggle
multiple doctors for duplication of the same
prescription that maintains dependency and furthers
the disease of addiction to prescription drugs.
Just like any addiction to heroin
or cocaine, abuse of prescription drugs can
cause physical and mental problems that must
be addressed or will continue to get worse.
What may have started out as a legitimate prescription
to treat a physical or mental ailment can become
its own problem that can far outweigh the original.
Over 9 million people abused prescription drugs
in 1999 according to the National Institute
on Drug abuse so do not feel like you are alone
if you have a problem. Prescription drugs are
as powerful and often more so than street drugs.
Prescription drugs fall into the same categories
as street drugs based on their effects on the
mind and body.
Opioids are narcotics and prescribed
under the names of codeine, morphine or hydrocodone
which is used by many brand name prescriptions.
Opioids, like the street drug heroin, block
pain receptors and are often prescribed for
pain. Many people get hooked on these drugs
because they are very addicting and the body
adapts quickly to the medication and requires
more to get the same pain blocking effect. As
more pain pills are taken, exceeding the recommended
dosages sometimes many times over, more are
needed and it is not unusual for individuals
who are addicted to prescription drugs for pain
to take dozens of pills a day to feel normal.
This kind of dependency required a lot of time
and resources and usually illegal activities
of faking prescriptions and/or symptoms to obtain
the pills.
Central nervous system depressants
are used to treat anxiety and sleep disorders.
Brand names such as Valium, Halcion, Librium,
Xanax and ProSom have been widely distributed
to slow down brain activity. Like other drugs
however the brain adapts and when a person tries
to get off of the drug, anxiety and sleeplessness
can feel like it is worse than ever and this
often reinforces dependence.
The consequences of stimulant
abuse such as Ritalin or Dexedrine was accurately
portrayed in the movie "Requiem for a Dream."
Much like their street counterparts cocaine
and methamphetamines, prescription stimulants
can be very psychologically addicting and are
also subject to dependence and loss of control.
If prescription drug addiction
might be a problem for you or someone you love,
we encourage you to give NIR a call today to
learn more about our intervention referral options.
Please contact us with
questions or concerns at
1-800-399-3612.
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