Help Drug Abuse

Drug rehab programs are straining to handle a prescription drug crisis spiraling out of control. This crisis is due in part to medical doctors who prescribe opioid painkillers like Vicodin, OxyContin, and Dilaudid with an alarming frequency and an unequivocal negligence of the precautions warranted because of the addictiveness of these potent medications.

In the 1960’s and ’70’s when our current drug crisis was born, the “pusher man” was both feared and reviled. Hollow-faced junkies with needles dangling from their limp, wasted arms filled the news magazines. We were disgusted and mortified by the photos and cursed those who preyed on and profited from addicts. Continue reading ‘Who’s Really Behind the Prescription Drug Abuse Crisis?’ »

Prescription drugs can be hazardous to your health, and many are seriously addictive and can even kill.

However, a recent study in Florida, drug-related deaths in Florida reveals that far more people suddenly fall victim to lethal drug combinations – called polydrug abuse – that each drug, and can occur at the recreational users, as well as those trapped by addiction to prescription drugs.

It is common knowledge that addiction to prescription drugs has become a national nightmare.

However, the sudden death of prescription drugs is the subject of the news every day. The Florida study, an analysis of the 168,900 deaths in 2007 by the Medical Examiners Commission, Florida, found that deaths from prescription drugs are three times the rate of deaths caused by traditional illicit drugs such as heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine.

Continue reading ‘Florida Prescription Drug abuse can lead to a fatal Polydrug’ »

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What do you think of when you hear the words ‘drug addict’? Do all kinds of scary images come to mind? In my 13 years of working with people who have addictions, each one of them has been an ordinary human being caught up in extraordinary situations. Not one of them has ever wanted to grow up to be a drug addict. These people come from all walks of life, all demographics and who may be functioning or non-functioning with regards to their lives, jobs, etc.

One group of addictions that have been underestimated is prescription drug abuse. There seems to be a different mindset with regards to this addiction mainly because prescription drugs are seen as helpful, not harmful and that they are given to us by doctors so they are safe. This could not be farther from the truth.

Prescription drug use is on the rise in the arena of drug abuse. This is mostly due to the improper use of these drugs and the type of drugs themselves. Prescription drugs that most commonly become addictive are ‘narcotic’ based drugs. These drugs are painkillers mostly, but others are for anxiety, sleep disorders, muscle relaxers as well as stimulant and depressive drugs.

Continue reading ‘Prescription Drug Abuse’ »

The new drug of choice is not an illicit substance found only in the dark alley ways and parts of town known for criminal activity. Instead the hottest craze can be found in the medicine cabinet of any suburban home with well manicured lawns and picturesque neighborhoods. Prescription drug abuse is rapidly becoming an epidemic that is manifesting related crimes in big cities and small towns alike. In order to support drug addictions, abusers are resorting to robbing pharmacies (at gun Point), raiding hospital medical supply closets, and has created a rise in employee theft.

The problem has become so pervasive that a number of local law enforcement agencies have assigned a special task force to focus exclusively on the matter of crimes associated with prescription drugs. In spite of budget shortfalls and mandatory furloughs, this issue demands the attention of employment and political leaders. The potential for harm is a continuous threat to both innocent citizens and to the individual committing the offense. The public is at risk when a would be robber needs a fix and decides to rob the local pharmacy for prescription drugs and cash. These facilities serve the public, many of them being seniors, in providing vital services designed to enhance quality of life – and even sustaining life in some instances. It is incredibly selfish that an individual or small group of people would jeopardize the lives and well being of so many people for a moment of instant gratification.

Continue reading ‘Prescription Drug Abuse Out of Control’ »

A disturbing fact sheet…

Pain relievers are medicines that reduce or relieve headaches, sore muscles, arthritis or related aches and pains. There are many different pain reliever drugs. While some of them are prescription drugs, yet many of these are available over-the-counter (OTC) e.g. aspirin, naproxen (Aleve) & ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) etc. Many such non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs are available only at prescribed doses. Some of the most powerful pain relievers come under the category of narcotics.

In the United States, data generated by some recent surveys on drug abuse is quite disturbing. Data from the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse found that almost 3 million adolescents and about 7 million young adults from ages 18 to 25 had used prescription drugs for non-medical purposes at least once in their lives.

Today teenagers are not using as much cocaine, crack, LSD, and ecstasy as the teenagers of the 1960’s. Nowadays, kids have found other ways and means to get that high; painkillers & other prescription drugs are being abused at record levels as is aptly indicated in NSDUH data. This up coming generation of prescription drug abusers has been given the name “Generation Rx!”

Continue reading ‘10 Things to Know About Pain Reliever Drugs Abuse’ »

It appears that segments of the medical community are trying to take their job back – deciding what is best for their patients.

For the past several years the idea of Physician diagnosis leading to correct treatment has gotten lost in the din of TV pharmaceutical commercials.

Relegating a Physician’s role to “Ask your doctor if this drug is right for you” put big Pharma up front and left the Medical Doctor taking the orders and the patients as drug addicts.

Legislative sessions have swarmed with lobbyists for the pharmaceutical companies while the Physicians, less trained in Public Relations have allowed their presence to diminish in the eyes of the community and the law makers.

Continue reading ‘The Patients are Drug Addicts’ »

I know for sure that prescription drug abuse is on the rise around the world especially so in the United States.

One of these drugs happens to be hydrocodone and the leaders which contain this drug names are Vicodin, Lorcet, Lortab, and Norco. Addiction to these drugs is beginning to be seen as much as alcoholism.

This is frightening to say the least. Beating any type of drug addiction is hard but beating an opiate addiction is I think even harder.

First thing you will have to do is tell dispose of all your drugs and cut your ties to all your connections this means deleting their phone numbers from your cell phone.

Continue reading ‘Addiction Treatment’ »