Prescription Drug Abuse

Prescription Drug Abuse

When someone is talking about drugs, we tend to think that this is related to Cocaine, Marijuana, Heroin and other street drugs. This may have been the case a couple of decades past, but there is an increasing concern with the misuse of prescription drugs in our day and age. So what is classified as a prescription drug? It would be anything that requires a written prescription from a licensed physician or over the counter pharmaceutical medication. So how is it that this becomes abused?

In some cases, the person continues to take these painkillers by seeing a new doctor or pharmacist. Governments have since tightened the line on this approach to getting extended renewals of the drug. Then we have the extreme prescription drug users, such as those who will take just about any pills to get high. Many youths have been found to steal from their parent’s medicine cabinet or take them from the corner pharmacy.

Research into this prescription drug abuse has brought up a craze found in the USA and Canada called “Pharm-Parties.” Investigations have discovered that a group of people would meet at one person’s house and bring any pills they could find and dump them in a large bowl. In other words, there is a concoction of pills ranging from painkillers, high or low blood pressure pills, to anti-depressants, heart and liver medication, including Prozac, Ritalin, etc. This bowl would be left on a table for everyone to dip in. The results are unpredictable, and many have found themselves in the ER.

Prescription drugs in their own right are not harmful when taken as prescribed for a known condition. The real issue is why a person would take some pill intended to handle some other condition? The answer is that any drug taken is simply the chemical’s effect within the medicine or substance. Most people take a drug or a glass of alcohol to relieve some unwanted condition. After a hard day, a glass of scotch or a beer takes the edge off, a sprained ankle is relieved with anti-inflammatory, and aspirins tend to relieve headaches.

Abused drugs, medication, alcohol and such are taken to such an extent to relieve an unwanted condition hindering a person’s life. And that is called addiction. If you know someone with this situation, Call us for assistance in resolving their addiction. 1-877-909-3636