Prescription Drug Use
According to the most recent government statistics, averages of 52 million people have used prescription drugs non-medically at least once. Prescription drug use has become a major public health concern and it usually starts with those who are under 18. In fact, statistics indicate that 1 in 12 high school students have abused prescriptions.
The use of prescription drug by those not medically needing them has skyrocketed. Many blame this on the availability of these drugs; others on the over-prescription of them by doctors and other medical staff. Still others blame the problem on the bad decisions of the user. No matter the reason the problem exists in nearly every city and town in America and is a growing public health concern.
Which Prescriptions Are Being Abused?
There are three main categories of prescriptions that are being widely abused. These include depressants, stimulants and opioid drugs.
Depressants – These drugs are also called Central Nervous System Depressants. They are benzodiazepine drugs like Valium, or Xanax and are used for things such as anxiety or even insomnia or depression.
Stimulants – These drugs are “uppers” and some of the most widely abused stimulants include drugs like Ritalin or Adderall. Because an individual “crashes” when they stop using these drugs they continue to chase the high that they get from them.
Opioid Drugs – Most prescription painkillers fall into this category and opioids are some of the most widely abused prescriptions. Drug like Oxy Contin, Oxycodone, Vicoden and Loritab are some of the most commonly abused drugs here. Because of the tolerance and physical dependence these drugs can truly trap a person and make it seem impossible to stop using them.
How Does Prescription Drug Use Start?
The use of prescriptions can start quite easily. An individual gets an injury or falls ill and it legally prescribed them by a doctor. Or, another person gives them the prescriptions to use to handle some temporary problem such as an illness or injury. There are also those that “self-medicate” as they have some type of physical or emotional problem and are looking for a solution. For whatever reason they feel that taking a drug will provide that solution for them and so they start taking the drug themselves whether they get it off the street or it is legally prescribed to them.
The drug will work for the individual to start with and he or she will believe it is valuable. Because prescriptions are so addictive the person will begin to depend on the drug not only to solve that initial problem but to make them feel “better.” To some this can mean the drug makes them feel calmer, or causes them to have more energy; either way they start to be dependent on it.
This is how the addiction starts and it follows a pattern where the person gives up more and more to be able to get and use the drug. Eventually they will be on the verge of losing everything and the drug becomes the most important thing in life.
At this point the prescription drug use can cause a person to end up in three places; prison, rehab or dead. The number of people losing their lives to prescription drug abuse continues to climb. The Center for Disease Control reports that prescriptions are involved in more overdose deaths than heroin and the numbers of prescription deaths have tripled over the last few years.
Prison can temporarily stop an addiction but unless the facility provides rehabilitation there are typically underlying issues that go unresolved, but the only solution for prescription drug use is successful rehabilitation. The Narconon program at Vista Bay Santa Cruz utilizes a physical component to help with drug cravings, don’t prescribe additional drugs and also deals with the mental issues associated with addiction. The program also delivers Narconon objectives that help put the addicted person back into the present time environment and unsticks their attention from the past.
Narconon California delivers the program and achieves a 76% success rate for permanent sobriety. For more information on prescription drug use or getting help for yourself or a loved one call 888-292-4999. Vista Bay reviews all cases on an independent and confidential basis.