Prescription Drug Addiction
The Impact of Prescription Drug Addiction
Prescription drug addiction is described as the indiscriminate use of drugs prescribed by physicians for non-medical purposes or due to the patient’s dependence to the drug beyond its intended dosage and treatment indication. Reports of famous personalities into this addiction made impact during these recent times, yet casualties suspected to be brought about by abuse of prescription drugs are steadily mounting. The addiction to prescription drugs can be traced to the gradual dependence of the user on the medication which is prescribed by medical doctors to treat various illnesses. Commonly, these drugs are used as pain relievers, sleeping aids and psychiatric medicines.
It is caused by the psychological dependence of the person to the seemingly good effects of the drug on their system. Thus, the intake becomes more regular and goes beyond the recommended dosage. Since the dependence is both psychological and physiological in nature, the person becomes hooked and seeks temporary alleviation in increasing intervals. Symptoms would manifest more frequently and doctors may prescribe the medication to ease these symptoms until it spirals into a vicious cycle. Despite existing controversies surrounding the accountability of medical doctors on the abuse of their patients of prescription drugs, the grave concern remains that this phenomenon should be dealt with, in the most appropriate way possible.
Prescription Drug Addiction Video
Consequently, treatment of prescription drug addiction is in consonance with the standard approaches utilized for drug addiction cases. What makes it special is that the treatment of the underlying illness which caused the need for the prescription should be treated separately from the psychological dependence to the drug which causes the person to manifest additional imagined symptoms. The psychological dependence on the other hand, should be handled by a team of addiction specialist, therapist, and medically-trained professionals who can work on the different counseling and therapeutic interventions suited for the case of the patient.
Each case is unique because every client undergoes different emotional, physical and psychological problems in life. Primarily, the solution would often lie on the in-depth understanding of the root cause of the addiction and what events or circumstances trigger the need for the prescribed drugs. This is why treatment for this addiction is very important.
Addictions can cause unrelenting, intense cravings that are extremely difficult to tone down. For the person to be helped, significant others or caregivers should monitor and encourage the person to seek professional treatment. During times of uncontrollable cravings, their personalities become altered and they seem to be different from the person that we normally know. Their brain functioning has changed and overt behavior becomes aggressive or withdrawn.
As statistics have shown that those who sought treatment at long term periods are able to surpass their addictions successfully compared to those who did not, it is recommended that people who become addicted to prescription drugs get into an addiction program and preferably one that provides dual diagnosis therapy.
Finally, prescription drug abusers should be empowered to overcome addiction by teaching them various cognitive and behavioral coping therapies that would enable them to deal with day to day stress. Getting rid of the addiction triggers, form part of the whole treatment. The person should likewise avoid instances which can weaken their resolve to stop.
With the help of a network of professionally-trained people and through the support and assistance of family members and friends, the person can take charge of his or her life and become a productive, functioning individual again. The benefits of seeking treatment are tremendous and will prove to be the best course of action that the addict could take.
Prescription Drug Addiction Is A Major Health Crisis – In The News
Troymedia.com reports In Toronto, Canada the recent announcement by federal health minister Leona Aglukkaq that she will not interfere with the approval of generic OxyContin is just the latest development in what has become a major public health crisis.
In Canada, overdose deaths involving prescription medications now vastly outnumber deaths from HIV. By some estimates, prescription drug overdoses have killed 100,000 North Americans over the past 20 years. Astonishing though that may seem, these deaths are just the tip of the iceberg. For each one, there are hundreds of people whose lives have been ravaged by addiction to prescription drugs. Read More…
If you or someone you know is suffering from a prescription drug addiction please call Hawaii Island Recovery at 866-515-5032.
