Prescription Drug Abuse

When a prescription drug is used in quantities more than the recommended dosage or when not required, it is termed drug abuse. Painkillers, tranquilizers and anti-anxiety drugs are some of the most commonly abused prescription drugs. Generally, patients take medicines as prescribed by their doctors. When taken this way, there is very little chance of the patient getting addicted. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), millions of people today use medications for non-medical purposes. People try to justify drug abuse by convincing themselves that an overdose of prescription drugs is not as bad as street drugs such as heroin or ecstasy. The truth is that any kind of abuse is unwarranted. The problem with prescription drug abuse is that it starts with the consumption of a few extra pills for quick relief. The patient does not realize that abuse or addiction is likely. If the doctor discontinues the prescription, an addict will seek out another doctor for a prescription of the same drug under false pretexts. Abusers use various methods to get a high. They even mix prescription drugs with alcohol, marijuana or any other similar drug. Drugs such as Ritalin and OxyContin are among the most abused drugs. Prescribing these drugs is carefully monitored and given only when urgently required. To battle prescription drug abuse, medication directions must always be followed carefully. The physician must always be consulted regarding any change in dosage. It is not advisable to crush the tablets or take them with alcohol or any other intoxicating substance. Also, patients must never use someone else?s prescription, even if the symptoms are similar. The doctors should also exercise caution while prescribing drugs with any possibility of abuse. They must ask patients if they have any history of drug abuse. Prescription drug abuse can be tackled with regular counseling. There is a lot of information on the Internet, and local physicians are always available for consultations.

Drug Rehabilitation Information - How to Treat Drug Addiction

Habitual compulsive over use of certain drugs is drug abuse. Severe complications leading to lots of fatalities result from drug abuse. How to treat drug addiction is what this article is all about. To start this article let me say first hand that it is not only illegal drugs that are abused by people, prescription or over-the-counter drugs are also commonly abused. Though addictions catches up with most drug abusers, some people abuse drugs for some time without being addicted to them. Some people are most unfortunate to, in addition to drug actions, get down with some terrible adverse side effects. Drug abuse is usually triggered by emotional instability of the abuser aroused by external influences that could be from friends, relatives or colleagues. Complete derangement of the victim are some of the side effects of drug abuse. When treating drug abuse effort should be made to determine whether any or all of those influences are present in order to deal with it so that treatment for your drug addiction will be successful. The conditions of drug abusers are not the same , so also are the diagnosis and treatment. The therapist following the initial interview with the patient should find out enough information to help decide the proper course of treatment to follow, the type of drugs that are suitable, dosage, duration of use, the anticipated effects including side effect. Your social needs should be put into consideration: who should visit and who should be barred. Specialist advise that only very close relatives who are not abusing drugs should be allowed near you while undergoing drug rehabilitation. Another important factor that you must cooperate with the therapist to identify is your true personality, your spirituality and religion or otherwise. The therapist may also want to know how close your drug supplier to the rehab and who he or she is so that the facility can keep them away from you. After all the preliminaries have been taken care of, detoxification is the first treatment you begin to receive to remove traces of the drug from your system. Your blood is primarily targeted with detoxification medications to rid them of traces of the drug. Drugs addictions are not like alcohol addiction, which mere abstinence can wean an abuser from it. A lot of work is usually called in rehabilitating a drug abuser. For instance cases if you are being rehabilitated from cocaine or LSD abuse your therapy could include the allowance of Small amounts of the particular, which will continuously be scaled down till you are weaned from its use. The aim of an inpatient rehab program is to help you stay off drug in a secured environment so that you will completely be relieved of the drug craving and become sober. Because rehabilitation for drug addiction is not an easy procedure, you should only entrust yourself to a notable rehab center with a track record of successful rehabilitation. A quality rehab center will do more than just wean you from drug abuse, they should be able to completely turn your shattered life around for good.

Prescription Drug Abuse Information

The thing that makes these drugs so dangerous as opposed to cocaine or heroine is the fact that these drugs are prescribed by a doctor. Now don't make the mistake and point the finger at the doctor as many of these drugs are medical miracles and truly do help people cope with chronic pain and other ailments. The problem is that the nature of these drugs are very addictive in nature and without proper monitoring of ones self you can change from becoming dependent on the drugs to being completely addicted to them. Addiction is easy because the doctor may raise your dosage to help you cope with your illness. Well if you raise the dosage you will feel greater withdrawal symptoms in between dosages and end up taking pills in between dosage times just to cope. These extra dosages grow and grow until you have to be on these pills all the time. Well at this point your body builds up a tolerance to the drug and you start taking more. At this time you are becoming addicted. Addicts will do anything they have to in order to get more pills to break the tolerance point to help them feel better. The sad thing is that people that would never act a certain way act in crazy ways when they are completely addicted to the prescription drugs. Some addicts get friends and family to get pills for them, they forge prescription slips and all kinds of other things to get a hold of the drug they feel will make them feel better.

7 Teenage Drug Abuse Myths Exposed

Teenage drug abuse is a serious issue. However, some people, including parents, may not realize the severity because of commonly accepted myths. For parents, it is important to get accurate drug abuse information. 1. Myth: Using prescription drugs is less harmful than street drugs. Fact: Many prescription medications intended to alleviate pain, depression, or anxiety are just as dangerous and addictive as illegal drugs. Because of this assumption that prescription drugs are safer, many children are more willing to start experimenting with these medications. And more often than not, teenage prescription drug abuse is accompanied by alcohol consumption. Prescription drugs are only safe when taken as directed by a doctor. The wrong dosage and/or potential interactions with other drugs, one's diet, or physiological makeup may have damaging or even deadly effects. 2. Myth: Using alcohol or marijuana as a teenager is a normal part of growing up. Fact: Less than half of American teenagers drink alcohol or smoke marijuana. Exposing a developing child to such substances is illegal for good reason. Besides the lasting damage it can cause to the brain, using substances can also harm teenagers' social development. In hindsight, people who experimented with substances as teenagers report they were "looking for something." Trying to have a good time, simplifying social interactions, or solving problems with drugs or alcohol often means they are learning to go to those substances for help. This maladaptive learning process is not easily unlearned. 3. Myth: Drug testing will only further alienate my child. Fact: If a child is demonstrating signs and symptoms such as isolation, sleeping during abnormal times, becoming increasingly argumentative and confrontational, or easily agitated, then something serious may be wrong. Drug testing is a starting point for discerning what's wrong and finding a solution. Mending a tumultuous relationship with your child begins with understanding the problem. 4. Myth: Drug abuse only really happens in impoverished or low-income areas. Fact: Studies have found drug addiction and alcoholism occurs across socio-economic levels and ethnicities. Drug abuse is prevalent in both private and public schools throughout the country. Although rates of substance abuse vary somewhat based on gender, age, and socio-economic status, about one in 10 people who abuse drugs become addicted, which is why some mental healthcare professionals refer to drug use as Russian Roulette. 5. Myth: Drug addiction is a question of moral fiber or character. Fact: Most addicts start as occasional drug users. While some may view drug use as an immoral choice, drug addiction is a "disease of the brain," says Dr. Alan Leshner, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. At a certain point, the choice to use becomes a compulsion. Changes in brain chemistry through drug abuse result in uncontrollable drug addiction. 6. Myth: An addict or alcoholic has to really want to be sober for drug treatment to be effective. Fact: A majority of youth sent to treatment centers are not there through choice. When drugs or alcohol consume a person, the last thing they "want" is rehabilitation. Whether for legal reasons or family reasons, many people seeking substance abuse treatment did not make the choice alone. In fact, those who have been pressured into treatment through a process of confrontation, coercion, or ultimatum appear to do better. Studies demonstrate that the reason someone seeks treatment has little influence on how well they will do. 7. Myth: After a treatment program, an addict shouldn't need any more treatment. Fact: Unfortunately, drug addiction is generally a lifelong struggle. Like many diseases, relapse and remission cycles are possible. Although some people can quit immediately, or after one drug treatment program, most require long term plans with strong support and resources and even repeated treatment programs.