Prescription Drug Addiction and Treatment

Prescription drug addiction is a rampant problem in the United States that grows substantially worse every year.  Because prescription drugs are so easy to obtain and because they are viewed as relatively safe, the problem is probably even more widespread than studies can measure; especially considering that some people don’t take prescription drug addiction seriously because the addiction isn’t to a traditional “street” drug.  However, prescription drugs are often more dangerous than street drugs because they are so potent, and they are unquestionably more addicting than most other types of drugs.  Understanding how prescription drug addiction happens and what treatments are available is critical to getting the right help to the right people.

Due to the ease with which you can obtain prescription drugs, many different types of people use these drugs for all kinds of different reasons.  However, the end result is usually the same when prescription pain killers are abused regularly: tolerance, then physical dependence, then full-blown addiction.  Therefore, it doesn’t matter why a person starts using prescription drugs.  It could be for recreational uses, as a result of peer pressure, to self-medicate pain, or from a legitimate chronic pain condition.  Whatever the case may be, any person who uses these drugs long enough will become addicted and face grave consequences.

Most prescription pain medications such as Hydrocodone, Oxycontin and Morphine are made from powerful opiates that have been highly refined and concentrated.  Opiates are extremely addictive and produce pronounced and lasting effects on a person.  In fact, opiates are considered some of the most addicting substances in the world.  In drugs like Fentanyl and pharmaceutical versions of heroin, the purity and concentration of opium is so high that tolerance and dependence can occur in a matter of days.

Prescription drug addiction can happen to anyone.  It doesn’t matter if you’re a policeman, a teacher, a judge, a sanitation worker, a receptionist or a doctor – if you abuse prescription drugs consistently you will become addicted.  This is because the body’s natural response to the introduction of foreign substances is to create tolerance in the person using them.  However, this means that it takes progressively more of the drug to create the same effects.  Over time, this tolerance develops into an actual physical dependence on the drug because the body can no longer operate normally without it.  If this is happening to you or someone you care about, getting immediate help could literally make the difference between life and death.

By placing a confidential call to an addiction treatment specialist now, you can determine what level of treatment is right for you.  There are usually three levels of treatment at the country’s most successful treatment facilities such as Recovery First’s Florida drug rehab center:

Inpatient Substance Abuse Treatment – Live and receive therapy in the same treatment facility for 30 days

Partial Hospitalization Program – Receive intensive therapy during the day and semi-supervised housing at night

Intensive Outpatient Program – Receive intensive therapy several times a week and clean and sober housing nearby

To learn more about how you can get help for prescription drug addiction, all you have to do is pick up the phone.  You can get started on one of the above programs and get your life back within the next 30 days.  Why waste any more time?