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Prescription Drug Addiction On the Rise
ADDICTION: Prescription Drug Addiction On the Rise; Treatment Options Try to Keep Up From "Club Drugs" picked up at Rave Parties to Pain Medications picked up at the neighborhood drug store, America is Hooked on Pills. Statistics have a way of making even the most terrible stories sterile, to the point that they seem "unreal." Just add a bunch of numbers and percentage signs and any message becomes diluted. When a statistic has numbers that are in the millions the figure alone can make it difficult to relate to. There is rarely anything personal about a million of anything. When you read the statistic that follows be sure to read it again, and again. And once more if necessary to fully understand the implications: Prescription Medications Taken by 50 Million Americans for "Non-Medical" Reasons. That's close to 20% of the entire U.S. population, ages 12 and up, taking prescription drugs to get high. (Unless someone comes up with a better explanation for "non-medical".) Pre-teens, senior citizens, soccer moms, elected officials, gardeners, bus boys, CEO's and V.P.'s; one in five people popping pills to change the way they "feel." A National Institute on Drug Abuse study of Junior High and High School students revealed that almost 10% of High School Seniors had taken Vicodin without a prescription during the past year and another 5% used Oxycontin without Doctors orders. Both medications can physically alter brain activity; one factor that makes crossing the invisible line into drug addiction as easy as crossing the street. Another study suggests that prescription drugs have become the new "gateway" drug, overtaking marijuana as the drug of first use by teens. Online pharmacies have made pain killers, tranquilizers, and sedatives much more convenient than having to find a dealer with a quality product and a steady supply. Just surf the Internet from the relative safety of home with Mom or Dads credit card and a 90-day supply of drugs, some stronger than heroin, can be at your doorstep in 72 hours. (Although these days it's just as easy to get ripped-off by an online drug dealer as it is by any downtown "street" dealer. In either case a rip-off is not likely to be reported to the police...or a credit card company.) While online drug stores have made prescription drugs accessible to teens, it's not just Junior getting hooked on Valium and Vicodin. Grandma and Grandpa are getting high and getting hooked too. In fact, senior citizens (those 65 and older) are the recipients of one-third of all U.S. prescriptions. Multiple, long-term legitimate prescriptions make them more vulnerable to addiction and abuse, especially when combined with over the counter medications. And it's the effects of multiple prescriptions that can then lead to intentional abuse. When it comes to addiction it does not matter if the prescription drug abuser is a teen, a senior or someone in the middle, nor does it matter if a prescription was legitimate or illegal-once abuse becomes addiction it won't just "go away." Over the years research and studies have proven that addiction is a brain-based disease. As with other diseases there are different types of treatment. The various treatment models include both pharmacological and behavioral. Individual counseling, group counseling and cognitive therapy are behavioral treatments that can help an addicted person learn to participate in life without the use of drugs. These methods can also teach a person skills for dealing with cravings, or steps to take should a relapse occur. Anger management, family groups and peer group counseling can help build healthier relationships and improve an addicts life skills and ability to interact in the community. Medication based treatment is often recommended for dependence on opiates such as heroin and prescription pain killers. Today, medications like Suboxone can almost completely alleviate the pain and discomfort associated with detox. Other medicines, such as Naltrexone, can help manage cravings both during and after the detox process. Effective treatment for prescription drug addiction is not delivered cookie-cutter style, or one size fits all, but considers the drugs that were abused as well as an individuals needs. No one treatment is the right one for all persons addicted to drugs. Often several methodologies are used in conjunction with each other. Detox, residential treatment, counseling and therapy, and medication can all be effective in an individuals treatment plan. The bottom line is that no matter what someone is addicted to, how much they did, their age, or their gender, there is treatment that can result in a successful recovery. As always the first step is the acknowledgment of the problem, an admission of the addiction. The next step is to take action and begin the treatment process. With so many more options, there's no reason to continue feeling lousy even one more day.
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Contributor's Note
Science has begun to catch up with addiction. A person who has become addicted to opiate based pain medication does not have to suffer through withdrawals when they stop taking the medication. New drugs have been approved that can be administered on an outpatient basis right from your Doctors office. If you're having trouble stopping, make the call.
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Affordable Drug Treatment
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The copyright for this content entitled "Prescription Drug Addiction On the Rise" has been specified by the contributor as:
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The copyright for this content has been relinquished by the author. The content may be used freely by anyone.
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May, 2012
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