- Adderall
- Alcohol
- Barbiturates
- Chronic Relapse
- Cocaine
- Codependency
- Compulsive Hoarding
- Crack Cocaine
- Crystal Meth
- Dual Diagnosis
- Eating Disorder
- Ecstasy
- Gamma Hydroxybutyrate (GHB)
- Gender Specific Issues
- Heroin
- Hydrocodone
- Inhalants
- Ketamine (Special K)
- Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD)
- Marijuana
- Methadone
- Methamphetamine
- OxyContin
- Phencyclidine (PCP)
- Prescription Drug Abuse
- Process Addiction
- Ritalin and Concerta
- Sex and Love Addiction
- Steroids
- Suboxone
- Synthetic Cannabis
- Trauma
- Valium
- Video Game Addiction
- Xanax
Prescription Drug Abuse
Prescription Drug Abuse is a Growing Problem
Current statistics reveal that prescription drug abuse is increasing at an alarming rate. Not simply limited to patients who become inadvertently addicted through the use of drugs as part of their treatment, it is now expanded into recreational use among teens and young adults – even creeping into the middle school culture, ranking second to marijuana in recreational drug abuse.
According to the Office on National Drug Control Policy, the most commonly abused prescription drugs fall into three categories:
- opioids (codeine, oxycodone, morphine, et.al)
- central nervous system (CNS) depressants (barbiturates and benzodiazepines)
- stimulants (dextroamphetamine and methylphenidate)
Included in the increase of abused drugs is the stimulant Ritalin and similar products used to treat ADD and ADHD (in one study, thirty-four percent of students who were prescribed ADHD medications were approached about selling or trading the medications. The availability of this class rises as more and more children are treatment for these disorders through drug therapy.
In most cases of prescription drug abuse among teens and young adults, the substances are available in the home medicine cabinet and easily taken with parents being aware. Sold for varying amounts to peers on campuses or in a neighborhood gathering place, they are available with minimal effort. For young adults, who have a more readily available income, vendors on the Internet are the primary sources of acquisition.
Of significant note is that more than forty percent of emergency room admissions for overdoses were for prescription drugs.
While the reasons for prescription drug abuse are generally the same as for the abuse of other substances – escape, inability to cope, peer pressure, etc. – one of the more dangerous beliefs is that prescription drugs are not as harmful as other drugs.
Prescription drug abuse has resulted in the phenomenon known as doctor shopping, in which a patient has contact with multiple physicians. No effort is made to coordinate care or treatment, as the main goal is to acquire prescriptions for the drug being abused, or to which the patient is addicted.
The Way Out Recovery recognizes this growing problem and has compiled extensive information regarding the effects of different kinds of prescription drugs, signs of their abuse, and treatment facilities that specialize in this type of addiction.