The results of a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, indicates that visits to the emergency room for oxycodone abuse rose 152 percent from 2004 to 2008. A recent survey of high school students found that more than 20 percent had taken drugs such as oxycontin, percocet, vicodin or xanax without a doctor’s prescription.
Many who have developed a prescription drug addiction begin simply by getting a prescription from their doctor. Developing drug addicts will justify their drug abuse by claiming that the drugs are prescribed and were acquired legally. Unfortunately, this false sense of pharmacological safety has led many to acquire a prescription drug addiction which has led to prescription drug overdoses and death.
Prescription drug addiction, in the United States, is at epidemic proportions. The negative stigma attached to a person with an oxycontin addiction is much less than someone with a heroin addiction; however, both addictions are deadly. Usually, after a period of time, the oxycontin addiction can lead to a heroin addiction. Oxycontin will sell on the street for as much as one dollar a milligram. Those suffering from oxycontin addiction will usually require more and more of the drug until they can no longer support their habit. This acceleration will sometimes transform oxycontin abuse into heroin abuse because heroin is cheaper and the high lasts longer. This conversion in drug addictions is a contributing factor to a nationwide rebound in heroin abuse.
Narconon Gulf Coast is a successful Florida drug rehab center located in Destin, Florida. Debby Ross, the executive director claims, “We have seen an increase in those seeking various forms of opiate addiction treatment. The majority of those with an opiate addiction, who attend our program, are usually struggling with prescription drug abuse.” Narconon Gulf Coast has also noticed an increase in those who started their drug addiction using prescription drugs and then later switched to heroin. Prescription drug abuse is at record levels. There are programs such as Narconon Gulf Coast that can help those suffering from prescription drug addiction. Unfortunately, much more work needs to be done to help people understand that, when it comes to prescription drug abuse, there is no such thing as pharmacological safety.
