The prevalence of prescription drugs on the street today

Up until about 20 to 25 years ago, the DEA was primarily concerned with 4 addictive substances that were being trafficked in the US – cocaine in crack or powder form, heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamines. As recreational drug use has evolved during this period of time, they have added two additional categories to their focus list. These include MDMA’s which are more commonly referred to as “club” or “date rape” drugs and illegally distributed prescription medications.

The category of prescription medications falls into line with the categorization used by the American Society of Addiction Medicine regarding medications or substances that create dependencies and are addictive. They are:

• Stimulants – this category is comprised of substances such as amphetamine and/or methamphetamine, and cocaine (overall caffeine and nicotine are also included)

• Opiate/opioid analgesics (painkillers) – codeine and morphine, fully-synthetic opioids, and semi-synthetic opiates comprise this category

• Hypnotics/sedatives – includes barbiturates, benzodiazepines, and other sleep enhancers as well as alcohol

Due to the high potential for recreational use among these three categories and the growing popularity of the drugs classified in them, the number of annual reported cases involving serious illnesses and death due to overdose that is associated with them is growing in exponential fashion. In addition to being a legal issue, prescription medications now present a serious public health threat as well according to numerous health organizations and other medical professionals.

Prescription drug addiction

As prescription drug addiction is now a very prevalent part of our society, the need for prescription drug substance abuse treatment programs has grown as well. Most of the addiction treatment and recovery centers in the US today offer these types of rehab programs to counteract what is going on in society. As no two individuals are ever alike, neither is the severity of their addictions, nor the type of program required to treat them so that they recover successfully.

As with any other substance, natural or synthetic, prescription drug addiction exhibits several signs but the 4 most common are:

• loss of control when taking the medication
• more of the medication is required daily in order to function
• taking the medication for reasons other than what it was prescribed for
• taking another individual’s prescribed medications

If this applies to you or a loved one, you should consider getting professional help for this as you are a prime candidate for a prescription drug substance abuse treatment program. The Delray Recovery Center would like to help you by customizing one of our programs to help you overcome your addiction so that you can start living substance-free again.