Prescription Drug Abuse
Amy Thompson
Speech 2
Oral Communications
Prescription Drug Abuse Today I am going to talk to you about prescription drugs abuse. Many of us know people that take prescribed medication on a daily basis and I don’t know about you guys but I have seen people that have become addicted in which it’s sometimes painful to watch. No one decides to get addicted to prescription pain pills, sometimes a person’s body becomes immune the amount and that’s why they need more and more to help control the pain. What is prescription drug abuse? According to NIH (National Institute on Drug Abuse), “Prescription drug abuse is the use of a medication without a prescription.” From the website drugabuse.gov ,” In 2009, 16 million Americans age 12 and older had taken a prescription pain reliever, tranquilizer, stimulant, or sedative for nonmedical purposes at least once in the year prior to being surveyed. Source: National Survey on Drug Use and Health (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration Web Site). The NIDA-funded 2010 Monitoring the Future Study showed that 2.7% of 8th graders, 7.7% of 10th graders, and 8.0% of 12th graders had abused Vicodin and 2.1% of 8th graders, 4.6% of 10th graders, and 5.1% of 12th graders had abused OxyContin for nonmedical purposes at least once in the year prior to being surveyed.”
Prescription painkillers work by binding to receptors in the brain to decrease the perception of pain. These powerful drugs can create a feeling of euphoria, cause physical dependence, and, in some people, lead to addiction. Prescription painkillers also cause sedation and slow down a person’s breathing.
A person who is abusing prescription painkillers might take larger doses to achieve a euphoric effect and reduce withdrawal symptoms. These larger doses can cause breathing to slow down so much that breathing stops, resulting in a fatal overdose.
Understanding the groups at highest risk for overdose can help states target interventions. Research shows that
Speech 2
Oral Communications
Prescription Drug Abuse Today I am going to talk to you about prescription drugs abuse. Many of us know people that take prescribed medication on a daily basis and I don’t know about you guys but I have seen people that have become addicted in which it’s sometimes painful to watch. No one decides to get addicted to prescription pain pills, sometimes a person’s body becomes immune the amount and that’s why they need more and more to help control the pain. What is prescription drug abuse? According to NIH (National Institute on Drug Abuse), “Prescription drug abuse is the use of a medication without a prescription.” From the website drugabuse.gov ,” In 2009, 16 million Americans age 12 and older had taken a prescription pain reliever, tranquilizer, stimulant, or sedative for nonmedical purposes at least once in the year prior to being surveyed. Source: National Survey on Drug Use and Health (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration Web Site). The NIDA-funded 2010 Monitoring the Future Study showed that 2.7% of 8th graders, 7.7% of 10th graders, and 8.0% of 12th graders had abused Vicodin and 2.1% of 8th graders, 4.6% of 10th graders, and 5.1% of 12th graders had abused OxyContin for nonmedical purposes at least once in the year prior to being surveyed.”
Prescription painkillers work by binding to receptors in the brain to decrease the perception of pain. These powerful drugs can create a feeling of euphoria, cause physical dependence, and, in some people, lead to addiction. Prescription painkillers also cause sedation and slow down a person’s breathing.
A person who is abusing prescription painkillers might take larger doses to achieve a euphoric effect and reduce withdrawal symptoms. These larger doses can cause breathing to slow down so much that breathing stops, resulting in a fatal overdose.
Understanding the groups at highest risk for overdose can help states target interventions. Research shows that