Preview

Prescription Drug Abuse

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1068 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Prescription Drug Abuse
prescription Drugs are medications that are prescribed to patients by a doctor to help in many ways, such as relieve pain, treat symptoms of a disease, or to help fight an infection. They are very safe when used properly and under supervision of a physician, yet if used without approval of a doctor they can be very harmful and in some cases could lead to death. During your adolescence years, teens have curiosity which builds up and leads them to experimentation. They pop a pill, get high and then want more. Not only do they ease your state of mind, Increasing numbers of teens have easy access to painkillers through classmates, friends, family members, and even online. Sometimes they can even obtain the leftovers from the family medicine cabinet. After experimenting with prescription drugs, what was once a curiosity can turn into dependence rather quickly and even lead to death. Teenagers feel that taking pills is a cheaper, less harmful way to ease your state of mind. If teens are not educated about prescription drugs and the consequences they withhold than the drug use among teens will only increase and so will the deaths.
There are many reasons for continued use with prescription drugs. Some teens feel it takes their minds off of stressful issues and helps them escape their realities.

Annotated Bibliography

Akins, S., & Mosher, C. (2007). Drugs and drug policy: The control of consciousness alteration. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications.
The authors explore and look at drugs and drug policy pertaining to prescription drug use. In chapter six, the authors outline the patterns of legal drug use; focusing on prescription drugs among 12th graders in an American highschool. There is also a focus on gender/sex, race/ethnicity, social class, and rural/urban locations.

Chase, K. (2005). Buying rx drugs: Avoiding a prescription for disaster. Boston, MS: Thomson.
This book seems like a great source in regards to my topic of prescription drugs.



Bibliography: Akins, S., & Mosher, C. (2007). Drugs and drug policy: The control of consciousness alteration. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications. Kelly, B. (2007). Prescription drug misuse among club drug-using young adults. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 33, 875-884, Retrieved on October 11, 2008, from Social Services Abstracts database. Sloan, F., & Hsieh, C. (2007) Pharmaceutical innovation. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Humans have for centuries tried to alter their state of consciousness using various ways. These ways include dancing, chanting, holding their breath, and various plants or drugs. Drugs were not a concern of the people or of the government until the Chinese railroad workers were smoking opium in the United States. This began to raise concern and led to laws being passed to regulate drugs. However, those laws were replaced with a stricter version called the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970. This act called for more enforcement of drugs in the United States. Within this act was the controlled substance act which allowed the government to not only control drugs but also allowed them to be classified. While this…

    • 1032 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    I want to take a look at the prescription drugs and the abuse of it. I would like to look into different origins to where prescription drug uses for non medical purposes might have started (ie. residential mobility, disabilities, race, or gender) . It would also help if I look at what are pharmacists and prescribers thinking when they are prescribing and giving the drugs to their patients.…

    • 517 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Go Ask Alice Addiction

    • 1882 Words
    • 8 Pages

    With no prior exposure to them, teenagers have no clue how to deal with a situation involving drugs. They get involved with drugs for many different reasons. For one, peer pressure can take over their extremely impressionable minds and the pressure to fit…

    • 1882 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Prohibition In The 1920's

    • 1491 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Gaylord and Harold H. Traver provide descriptions of different drug policies in various countries. By doing this they are able to broaden the readers knowledge of how the world views the use and distribution of drugs and other substances.…

    • 1491 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Although the abuse of prescription drugs for nonmedical purposes has been a concern for past decades, the recent drastic increase of young adolescents in America abusing these types of drugs has alarmed many. As an adolescent myself and many others that I know, most of us are always intrigued to try new things without the necessary precautions regarding the consequences. The sensation to try new stuff is a major reason why many teens are experimenting on these new types of drugs. Besides, teens believe that prescription drugs acquired from pharmacies are not as dangerous as the illegal drugs that they would normally find on the streets. Sadly, the easiest prescription drugs to find have the most hazardous effects. In addition, teens practice “pharming” (Banta, par.2). Pharming short for pharmacy or rather pharmaceutical, are outrageous parties in which young adults gather as many different prescription drugs as possible and abuse of them in order to get high. Clearly, these types of…

    • 1200 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    According to www.drugabuse.gov, it is estimated that fifty two million people with at least twenty percent being twelve or older, have used prescription drugs for nonmedical reasons at least once in their lifetimes. Some of the more commonly known drugs include Adderall, prescription painkillers and Xanax. These are the medications I will be researching and informing about, but there are definitely a lot more than three. Many people are prescribed and use these drugs as directed by a professional, but many also don’t. Adolescents often share or sell their medications to those who are not prescribed, and have no other way of receiving them. Constant misuse can lead to many health problems, and in extreme cases even death. Besides the abuse,…

    • 645 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Prescription drug abuse has become so prevalent and is now classified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as an epidemic. (“Prescription Drug Abuse”, The White House) Abuse of these drugs can arise in a number of ways. Many people are prescribed medication for a legitimate reason and they become addicted. When this happens, the patient usually tries to continue getting prescribed the medication from their doctor or go looking for other doctors that will continue to prescribe the drug. If unsuccessful, they’ll look elsewhere to find the drug and often times this means purchasing illegally on the street or over the internet. This problem occurs in all age groups. Even if the patient doesn’t become addicted, there’s a chance that they will enjoy the affects the drugs have and will continue to want to use them.…

    • 1224 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Prescription drug abuse is a serious concern because it can easily and quickly lead to addiction or death. Every day in the United States, it is estimated that 2000 teenagers use a prescription drug for the first time without the approval of a doctor. In fact, roughly 7.4 percent of teens from the ages of 12 and 17 in America reported nonmedical use of prescription medications in the past year alone. Many believe that this new drug epidemic is affecting a large portion of the youth population (teens between the ages of 12 and 19) because prescription medications are not found in the streets, but at home-on kitchen counters, bathroom…

    • 631 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Increasing abuse of prescription drugs among teens can be attributed to psychological, environmental, or behavioral conditions.Drug abuse in teens can be linked to other disorders or conditions which lead to drug abuse. Teens who abuse drugs are likely to become adults who abuse drugs. It is necessary to understand and address these underlying issues if successful prevention is to happen. First it is necessary to understand the magnitude of the problem…

    • 2923 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Prescription drug abuse is a modern-day disease. In an estimate, over six million Americans have abused prescription medication. However, there is no completely accurate way to measure prescription drug abuse. Many people suffer from addiction because of certain doctors’ carelessness in writing prescriptions. When doctors’ are caught intentionally over prescribing abused medications, they are typically the punishment for their crimes is very small. Young adults are also beginning to abuse prescription drugs by illegally purchasing them from the prescription holder and using them as study or party drugs. Prescription drug abuse has torn apart families, destroyed lives, and has even resulted in death. Some people think that by focusing on prescription…

    • 1117 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Legalization of Marijuana

    • 2091 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Gray, James P, (2001) Why our drug laws have failed and what we can do about it: A…

    • 2091 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Teenagers use prescription medications for any and every reason possible. Most of these reasons could mainly be to fulfill their overall purpose of abusing them. Boys and girls take prescription medications for reasons one may not be able to understand. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) states,” boys are more likely to abuse prescription stimulants to get high, while girls tend to abuse them to stay alert or to lose weight” (Prescription Drugs NIDA for Teens). For teenage girls, it is taken to heart and becomes a sensitive topic, because these are difficult issues that an average mass deal with, in some cases to feel better about themselves. Once teenage girls start relying on medication a little more, they start to realize that they feel worse than when they first started. There are three specific ways that prescription drugs can lead to abuse: Such as, “Taking someone else’s prescription…

    • 1407 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Prescription drug abuse is a problem that has plagued the United States for some time. It is clear that prescription drug abuse is the intentional use of a medication without a prescription used in the way other than prescribed; as a result the drug is used for a experience or feeling it causes. Many people don’t believe prescription drugs are addictive. Prescription drugs are medication you get from the doctors. You take prescription drugs to take away pain or to heal an illness. Depending on what your illness or how severe your pain is the doctor will prescribe a certain amount of medicine. Prescription drugs are addictive because of the strong dosage, it only takes one time for a person to take them, and the feeling it gives.…

    • 1306 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Substance Abuse Outline

    • 739 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Drugs have made a tremendous impact on American society over the past thirty to forty years, yet many Americans are often ambivalent regarding their opinions relating to drugs in terms of decriminalization, availability, impact on society, and mental and physical health impacts. In 1979, some 25 million Americans had tried drugs sometime in the preceding month. Today that figure is 11 million. Bibliography lists 12 sources.…

    • 739 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Prescription Drug Abuse

    • 1377 Words
    • 6 Pages

    In the United States, easy access to prescription drugs such as sedatives and pain medications is posing a major threat, especially drug abuse and dependence. The nonmedical use of prescription-type drugs (NMUPD), which is the same as using drugs without a prescription, and it is very common among young adults. For instance, drugs such as sedatives, opioids, and stimulants are commonly misused by adolescents simply for the experience or the feeling. The nonmedical use of prescription drugs ranks as one of the most common drug problems in the United States. However, the rate of misuse has slightly declined in recent years. The victims of misuse are mostly young teenagers who don’t have much information…

    • 1377 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays