Prescription Drug Abuse: A National Disgrace

According to a news report on the National Institute on Drug Abuse website, prescription drug abuse  is the “intentional use of medication without a prescription; in a way other than as prescribed; or for the experience or feeling it causes.”

The report indicates that approximately 7 million people misused psychotropic drugs for non-medical reasons. 12 million people misused prescription pain relievers, and more than three out four prescription drug overdoses were due to opioids. Sadly, 1 in 12 students abused Vicodin while 1 in 20 abused OxyContin. These people are exposing themselves to a life long battle with addiction; though it can be treated, it cannot be cured.

With a consumer culture on taking a pill to cure one’s ills, it is not surprising that overdose deaths from opioid pain relievers has quadrupled since 1999 and by the year 2007, overdose deaths exceeded those involving heroin and cocaine combined.


Signs and Symptoms of Prescription Drug Abuse

Long term use of opiates, central nervous system depressants, or stimulants leads to addiction. Addiction alters the brain function, mood, physical health and psychological and emotional well being. The list below includes symptoms for all three classes of drugs mentioned above:

• Drowsiness
• Constipation
• Depressed respiration
• Anxiety
• Paranoia
• Irregular heart beat
• Seizures
• Unsteady gait
• Insomnia

Emergency Room Visits Surge

In 2008, nearly one million people went for emergency medical care for misuse of prescription drugs. Between 2004 and 2008, there was an increase of almost 111%. By 2009, there were nearly 4.6 million drug related ER visits with almost 50% of those visits for adverse reactions to prescription drugs. In 2010, nearly 60,000 young children were brought to emergency rooms for consuming medicines while their caregivers were not watching.

Primary care physicians and internal medicine doctors prescribe 80% of prescription painkillers. However, the majority of people misusing prescription pills obtain them from friends and family members for free, followed by friends or family selling their prescription drugs and finally by the abuser stealing the prescription drugs.

Once addicted, a person using these powerful drugs cannot cease using without facing dangerous, life threatening withdrawal symptoms. If you are abusing any drug or alcohol or a combination of substances, you should seek a medically monitored detox (a detox that will not substitute one drug for another) immediately followed by addiction treatment in a medically based, best practices alcohol and drug rehab facility.

Of Homosexuality, Alcoholism and Drug Addiction

It is a given fact that being homosexuality involves a lot of hardships and struggles. The world is still adjusting to this new kind of gender that gays are still not fully accepted in various countries across the globe. Discrimination is just one of the many problems that gays and lesbians are currently facing. Homophobia has severely limited the number of opportunities for gays and lesbians to prosper and freely mingle with the rest of society. As a result, a lot of gays indulge in a unique yet intriguing culture of night clubs, alcohol and even drugs.

For the past few years, the gay bar culture has been on the rise especially that more and more individuals are starting to recognize their “gay” nature. The gay bar is seen as the perfect venue for gays to openly express themselves and socialize with other people. However, it is worthy to note that gay bars are also filled with a great number of vices including alcohol and prohibited drugs. Believe it or not, a recent study concluded that both addiction and alcoholism are more prevalent in gay communities compared to heterosexual communities.

But why do gays and lesbians indulge in such activities? There are a handful of reasons depending on the situation of a person. One may see it as a means to have fun and enjoy an ultimately pleasurable experience. Others may also see it as a perfect escape against the many problems that they are currently facing. Drug and alcohol intoxication provides a significant effect to a person’s mind making him/her lose grip of reality for a temporal period. In gay communities, drug usage may also be seen as a form of entry and belongingness to a particular group. This motivates more gays to experiment with these harmful substances.

Regardless of reason or motivation, illegal drugs are still harmful and destructive substances that may put a person’s life in total danger. In fact, there is more harm in using and abusing illegal drugs than the benefits it gives to the user. Everyone should know that the desirable effects of drugs are only temporary and that the consequences are much more severe. Drug addiction can alter a person’s mind and personality making him/her more violent and moody. If you ultimately get addicted, you will struggle to cope up with your daily tasks and eventually destroy your relationship with the people around you.

Fortunately, you are not alone in this endeavor as there are a lot of people who can help you with your struggle. There exist numerous drug rehabilitation centers that provide help and relief to drug addicts. A suitable drug detox program will help assist you while you are undergoing the transition stage from a life dependent on drugs to a new life that is healthy and drug-free. Always make it a point to review the credentials and certification of that particular medical institution in order to assure your smooth and trouble-free recovery. 

How to Determe if a Person is Suffering From Drug Addiction?

All of us have many pleasures in life. These pleasures are responsible for making us forget about our deepest worries while also enable us to think only of happy memories ahead of us. Sadly, many people consider drugs and other vices as their ultimate pleasure. Without knowing its harmful effects, drugs can destroy a person’s physical and emotional state. Drugs are also responsible for many relationship problems and one good example is having a broken family. One of the many reasons why people still use drugs despite all the warnings issued by the government and other concerned institutions is the fact that they don’t have any idea that they are actually a “drug addict”. Lack of information amongst individuals is a primary driver for drug abuse.

In order to fully understand what “drug addiction” is, here are some guidelines to identify a drug addict:

Hostility and Anger

People who use and abuse illegal drugs are usually subjected to mood swings and may always seem to be angry. They also lose grip of reality making them do whatever they want. In worst case scenarios, a drug addict can also be violent in such a way that it endangers the lives of the people that surround him/her. Common crimes such as murder and rape are often associated and influenced with illegal drugs.

Depression

Drug users also tend to become too emotional. For every hour that they are not able to use drugs, they feel anxiety and depression. It is as if their world will never be complete without having to take drugs at every single moment.

Weak Memory

Drugs can significantly affect the way you think and decide. In most situations, a drug addict is unable to learn things easily and also easily forget about simple things. Students who use drugs will most likely fail their subjects and ultimately drop out from school.

Changes in the Body

Sudden and unexplainable loss of weight and appetite is an indicator of drug addiction. Drug users can also be seen having redness to their eyes due to the chemical reaction brought by the substance.

Drug addiction is a severe disease that shouldn’t be taken for granted off. If you think your friend or love one is using drugs, bring him/her immediately to a drug counseling and rehabilitation center. By doing so, you can prevent him/her from doing harm to his/her surroundings and perhaps to himself/herself. While treating drug addiction is quite a long and intricate process, it is still the best way to save a person’s life from completely falling apart. 

Drug Addiction and Alcoholism: A Threat to Young Gay Men

It is no doubt that our world today is beginning to give homosexuals full acceptance and recognition. That is why a lot of gay men are already freely expressing themselves in the streets, in the workplace and even in school. It is no surprise that the homosexual community is continuously growing at a rate that wasn’t even imaginable decades ago. And while there is not much negativity that can be directly attributed to homosexuality, it is quite alarming to know that a lot of young gay men today are exposed to drugs and other vices.  

Two of the world’s most destructive diseases are drugs and alcoholism. In fact, drug addiction is now considered a major health crisis that affects millions of individuals worldwide. Based on a survey conducted on 2009, it is estimated that about 21.8 million Americans who are at least 12 years of age are considered illicit drug users. The young gay population is one of the most vulnerable to this disease. Illegal drugs are usually found on nightclubs and disco bars where many young gay men socialize with their acquaintances. Also, homosexuality is often associated with mental issues such as shame, discrimination and prejudice which is quite a common basis for the development of drug addiction and alcoholism.  

With the incidence of drug addiction and alcoholism dramatically increasing by the year, joint efforts by the government and the private sector have resulted in the creation of various drug rehabilitation centers that caters to these drug and alcohol abusers. These medical facilities give hope to the young gay population giving them a chance to have a fresh new start with their lives. With proper counseling from expert along with unconditional love and care from their parents, these “addicts” will soon find light at the end of the tunnel.   

Drug Addiction: Overview & Facts

Drug abuse is now considered a major health crisis in this country. Compared with other chronic diseases, drug abuse costs the nation billions more:

- Diabetes costs society $131.7 billion annually
- Cancer costs society $171.6 billion annually
- Drug addiction costs society $484 billion annually
(NIDA/ About Drug Abuse)

The enormity of the problem is reflected in areas that include health, education, and criminal justice. Costs to society stem from:

- Health care (cancer, heart disease, HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C, pediatric AIDS)
- Traffic accidents
- Violent crimes
- Child abuse
- Homelessness
- Failure at school
- Performance in the workplace

In 2009, an estimated 21.8 million Americans aged 12 or older were current illicit drug users. That number is rising steadily as teens are succumbing to addiction from over the counter and prescription drugs. Sadly, the younger a person is when he or she uses drugs, the greater the chance of addiction. Older Americans are also at serious risk of becoming addicts as more and more medications are prescribed by a variety of treating doctors. Confusion about the drugs and mismanagement leads seniors down the path of addiction.

Drug Addiction
Addiction is a chronic disease with compulsive drug seeking and use, despite the consequences for both the addict and the addict’s family. “Drug addiction is a brain disease because the abuse of drugs leads to changes in the structure and function of the brain.” (National Institute of Drug Abuse)

The cycle of use, detox, and relapse can be hopelessly repeated without the proper detoxification and drug addiction treatment. The cycle continues to worsen as use increases; higher doses are increasingly required to achieve the same effect. Detoxification from drug addiction is dangerous when attempted in the privacy of one’s home without proper medical supervision. Studies indicate that drug addiction detox alone does nothing to stop the addictive behavior. Specialized addiction treatment is necessary to halt the cycle.

Drug Abuse
There is a difference between abuse and addiction, though the line separating the two is fine. When a person is abusing drugs, he or she may still have a choice as to whether or not to take them. An individual addicted to drugs, whether prescription or illicit, no longer has a choice about whether to use or not. Drug addiction leaves the person with an intense and compulsive need to use drugs, or else the body immediately experiences severe withdrawal symptoms.

According to scientific studies, there are four stages from first use to addiction. Drug abuse easily moves to addiction because the brain functions are altered.

- Exploratory
- Recreational
- Abuse (user loses focus on daily activities, use can become secretive, thinks solely about using drugs)
- Dependency (user can no longer face daily life without drugs, loss of control over use, denies problem)

This last stage is considered addiction, and with certain drugs, such as heroin and other opioids, addiction is rapid. Younger people move through these phases faster than adults.

Drug Dependency
The delineation between dependency and addiction is arguable. Once the physical demand takes over and one loses the choice to use drugs, that person has crossed into dependency and addiction. The more one uses prescription drugs or illicit drugs, the more the drugs begin to control the brain’s function and chemistry.

Drug-induced brain alterations are profound. Whether a drug is an illicit drug or a prescribed drug, the brain’s response to drug use is the same. The brain receives a synthetic form of dopamine and immediately reduces its own natural production of dopamine to balance the incoming surges of the chemical. The length of time and the dosages used determine how quickly brain alterations occur. Initial feelings of calm or euphoria quickly disappear causing the addict to increase the amount of drugs taken. The chase for the good feeling commences with the addict always coming in last. One of the biggest problems facing the medical community now is the rapidly increasing number of patients addicted to properly prescribed pain medication.

More than one major brain function is impaired by the use of prescription and illicit drug use. Brain scans have illustrated the significant physical changes occur in an addict’s brain. These changes negatively impact the judgment, decision making, learning, and memory functions of the brain as well.

Once a person has become addicted to drugs, the decision to continue or to stop has been eradicated. Unless properly detoxed from drugs and appropriate addiction treatment obtained, “will power” alone will not restore the addict to health.

The consequences of drug addiction are a major burden on the family, the community, and society at large. Broken homes, domestic violence, criminal activity, financial difficulties, loss of employment, failure in school are only a few qualities of life that result from prescription and illicit drug abuse.

If you, a loved one or an employee suffers from prescription drug or illicit drug addiction, Addiction411 can help. You are feeling scared and overwhelmed. You’ve hit rock bottom and you don’t know what to do. You can’t stop using despite all your best efforts. Our website and helpline are dedicated to getting you the help you so desperately need.

With thousands of detox and addiction treatment facilities, it is hard to know what to choose. Choosing the best detox and treatment center that can address all your medical and psychological needs is crucial. All treatment facilities are not the same. That is how we can help. Call now and find the best program for your medical needs.