An example of a person who gets addicted to drugs seen in the corner of the streets. These drug addicts are always looking cautiously around, doing anxiety-related behaviors, yet very discrete with these behaviors. These individuals are most of the time being avoided by people passing by. They are also being seen as an outcast in the society they belong. These addicts secretly acquire the drugs from a dealer in a rendezvous.
However, if we come to realize, addicts also come from those who normally participates in the cycle of society. These people could be your own babysitter, the newspaperman, the bagel man, or even taxi driver who drives you everyday to work. Like almost everyone, these people are those who buy prescribed drugs in pharmacies. Yes. Prescription drugs could be as hazardous as any banned drugs. Individuals who buy drugs at the pharmacy might be as addicted to certain drugs as to those who discretely buy illegal drugs from drug dealers in the corners of every street.
Prescription drug serves its function when it is prescribed by the doctor to the patient in order to take care of any health-related problems. Other than that, what we did not see coming was that these prescription drugs have the probability to be a reason of dependency and addiction. In 2007, about 7 million Americans abuse prescription drugs. In addition, it is a fact that prescription drug addiction also exists in other parts of the world and not just in America.
It is quite safe to say that nobody is safe from addiction because even those who are being prescribed by professionals can get prescription addiction. On the other hand, we should identify that if used properly, these drugs need not be addictive. It is when we take more than what is prescribed that we are more likely to be a candidate for prescription drug addiction.
Opioids, depressants, and stimulants are the three types of commonly abused prescription drugs. This is according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Opioids are given to individuals who suffer chronic pain. But besides alleviating pain, these drugs could also cause feelings of euphoria. This substance works by binding to opioid receptors found in the central nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract.
Central nervous system depressants are used to treat anxiety problems, acute stress, and sleep disorders. As depressants, these drugs slow the brain’s ability to function. Long terms and large doses of depressants could lead to tolerance and thus, the body would require larger doses to attain the “relaxing” feeling caused by the drug. These results to addiction.
Stimulants, on the other hand, do the opposite of depressants. These drugs improve brain activities, increasing energy, awareness, and alertness, and are used to treat attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and narcolepsy. Stimulants make the heart rate to increase as well as respiration which can be interpreted by the user as euphoria.
One is diagnosed to be addicted to the drug when one needs larger amount of a drug to produce the same effects. Most often, when their physicians stop prescribing the drug, they go “doctor shopping”, asking friends to get drugs for them. Now, that patient becomes an addict. Most of the time, elder people are the ones vulnerable to prescription drug abuse. They did not will it. Regrettably, they just tend to be prescribed with more medications than the younger ones. The main cause of the increase in the incidence of prescription drug abuse is still not known. However, it cannot be denied that ease of access of the drug could be a contributing factor.
Top treat prescription drug addiction will depend upon the substance being addicted to The needs of the individual should also be taken into account. Behavioral and pharmacological are the two main courses of drug addiction. Behavioral treatment supports patient to discontinue drug use and educate them how to function normally even without the drug. Counseling should go hand in hand so as to show and follow up the patient for any improvement. Medication could also be of great help most especially with opioid addiction.
Any drug is not free from addiction
. To treat this addiction, one needs a good combination of behavioral and pharmacological treatment.
