Prescription drug addition is the biggest drug issue our society faces at this time. Although our society is faced with many illegal drugs, it is prescription drugs such as those containing oxycodone that greatly concern authorities. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration reports that in four years time not only did prescriptions for OxyContin®
increase 20-fold but the number of oxycodone deaths increased by 400 percent.
Drug treatment centers report an increase in OxyContin® abuse. In some centers up to 90 percent of incoming addicts have OxyContin® as their primary drug of abuse. Narconon, which has the largest non-governmental drug treatment program, has noticed this trend as well.
Prescription drug addicts impact many lives. Over a five year period (2003-2008) the number of babies born as prescription drug addicts has more than doubled. This startling trend is fueled by the mass promotion of drugs in the media as well as the easy availability of prescription drugs. Many prescription drug abusers start, not on their own prescriptions, but of those of a friend or family member. Unused prescription drugs often are the temptation that leads one onto the path of addiction.
Narconon strongly encourages talking to your kid about drugs. They even have a pamphlet available to assist parents to do so. Drug education at an early age is key to helping kids make the correct choices in life. If the only information children and teens hear about drugs is how great they are from the media, celebrities and other sources, chances are they are going to experiment with drugs at some point. One of the biggest false pieces of information that kids have on prescriptions is that prescription drugs are safe to try since they prepared in a laboratory and because a doctor prescribed them.
Narconon educates young adults, instead of trying to scare them away from drugs. Once informed about the potential dangers of all drugs, kids are able to make their own decisions based on true data. The truth is that prescription drugs can be very dangerous. Taken as prescribed by a doctor, in a time of acute pain, a drug has its uses. However, extended over time drugs can be all too easily abused. Narconon points out that all drugs are basically poison. The amount taken determines the effect. A small amount acts as a stimulant, a larger amount acts as a depressant and too much of the same drug, too fast, will kill a person.
Another fact that people don’t know is that many, now illegal, street drugs, were first prescription drugs. Many of today’s prescription drugs are highly addictive and continue to find their way into the streets and homes all across the country. Narconon drug treatment centers handle addiction using proven rehabilitation techniques. These also include educating the addicted person on life skills to make it so the person can permanently change his habits and go on to live a drug-free life.
If you know of someone struggling with prescription addiction, or would like more information on the Narconon program contact Narconon East U.S. at 877-237-3307.
