Recently, with so many powerful, designer painkillers, sedatives, and stimulants being introduced to the market, there has been a marked increase in the number of people becoming addicted to prescription drugs. Though these drugs may actually be helpful and work perfectly fine when used appropriately, many are highly addictive and have become a nightmare for those who have both knowingly and unknowingly fallen into the prescription drug trap.
Many people wonder how you could possibly become addicted to prescription drugs unwittingly. Well, keep in mind that many of today’s painkillers are created from highly addictive substances such as opiates. An example of such an unintentional addiction might be someone recovering from major surgery. Perhaps that individual is given an opiate based painkiller to relieve the pain. Over time, the body becomes used to the recommended dosage and does not respond as well. So, that person increases the dosage. It becomes a cycle and before even realizing it, that person is addicted to a prescription drug that he/she just cannot seem to get through the day without.
Others knowingly become addicted to these drugs because they enjoy the “high” associated with taking the drugs. What makes the prescription drug epidemic so much worse is that these drugs are relatively easy to obtain. In fact, there is a good possibility that many of these prescription drugs are currently in your medicine cabinet right now.
Another contributing factor to the nightmare is that the stigma of being addicted to prescription drugs is not nearly as bad as the stigma associated with being addicted to “street drugs” such as cocaine or crack. Thus, a widespread prescription drug addiction epidemic has emerged and intensified over recent years.
What Can You Do to Decrease the Risk?
If you feel that you or someone you know is in danger of becoming addicted to prescription drugs, you can decrease the risk significantly by using the drugs as originally intended – under the strict guidance and supervision of your doctor. Never allow anyone else to “borrow” any of your prescription drugs and keep them out of reach of your children. Drugs prescribed for children should be given under adult supervision. If you are taking a prescription painkiller, wean yourself off the drug as quickly as possible.
The key to avoiding becoming addicted to prescription drugs is using them responsibly. If you find that you are having a problem, seek help from your doctor as soon as possible to prevent further damage. Your physician should be able to develop a plan of action and to recommend resources to help you handle the situation.
Tags: addiction, addiction problems, drug overdose, pain killer addiction, prescribed drugs, The Addicts Guide
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Excellent article man. I can relate a lot due to the simple fact that I’m an opiate addict (and every other addiction). I really like what you have going here with your site. I’ll keep coming back