Abstract
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.
Persuasive Research Paper
Prescription drug addiction is on the rise in the United States. It is clear that prescription drugs are abused by different age groups in the community. Prescription drug addiction is a problem because the differential …show more content…
dosage that accompanies each prescription and the effects on the individual. Depending on what severity of pain or illness your body is in, the doctor will write out a prescription drug and a dosage. Some prescription drugs can be as high as 750 milligrams. Prescription drug addiction is prevalent amongst rehabilitation treatment centers. Prescription drugs are available in the community and from a wide list of physicians. The ability to get prescription drugs easy and not within a doctor office provides the ability to become addictive. Prescription drugs can be taken one time and then there is a possibility that one can be addicted. Certain prescription drugs affects are stronger than others. The stronger the prescription drugs are the quicker the affects may take away the pain or help your illness. There are some prescription drugs that contain a mind altering property and that makes it easy to abuse the medication. 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. Prescription Drugs
Prescription drugs provide a cognitive feeling that takes away the pain based on a medical or non-medical condition. Some prescription drugs make you feel good and like if you’re floating or high of some sort. People have taken prescription drugs one time and have liked the results of how it made them feel and want more. There are very many different drugs that are addicting. The known prescription drugs that are addicting are opioids (known for treating pain), central nervous system depressant (known to treat sleeping disorder and anxiety), and stimulants (known to treat narcolepsy and adhd).
Prescription drugs can lead to addictive tendencies based on increased dosage. The correlation between prescription drugs and increased dosage lead to addiction. When used incorrectly prescription drugs cause physical, mental, and medical reactions such as addiction. It is found that prescription drug addiction affects mental and physical behavior. Prescription drug addiction is used widely by the public that treatment of this addiction is formed for treatment in the form of detoxification, counseling, and addiction medications. According to National on Drug Abuse 20 percent of people in the United States use prescription drugs for non-medical reasons which lead to drug abuse (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2013). The prevalence of prescription drug abuse is routed in the misconception of its safety, increase in availability, and different internal motivations. Prescription drug use increases cognition, reduces pain, anxiety, and provides the ability to get high. Based on several factors this form of addiction comes with serious risks. The National Institute on Drug Abuse states that “almost 2.2 million people 12 and older abused prescription opiates, including pain relievers, stimulants, ad sedatives for the first time in 2009” (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2013). Antidepressants, depressants and, opioids are some of the top causes of prescription drug overdoses. There are street drugs that cause overdoses also but prescription drugs have beat street drugs in overdosing. Many deaths used to be in the inner black communities but now it seems as if the white community has reached an all-time high with prescription drug overdose. Some people think that prescription drugs are safer than illegal drugs but they are equally dangerous. It’s also illegal to sell or have prescription drugs that were not prescribed to you.
Addiction is a real life problem that a lot of people in the world are dealing with. It may be yourself or someone close to you that you know. “The incidence of nonmedical use of prescription medications continues to increase among high school and college students.”(Hamilton, 2009, p893) When someone is dealing with addiction they may not believe that they have a problem. They tend to tell others they can stop at any time but they body needs it. “Addiction is a chronic brain disease, it causes compulsive drug seeking and use despite harmful consequences to the addicted person as well as the people around that person.” (webmd,2005-2009). Prescription drug addiction is composed of many factors that can lead to many risks and even death. Prevention Steps for Addiction
There are many steps that people can take to help friends and family with addiction and to prevent prescription drug use. One thing you can do is to make sure that everyone is educated on prescription drug abuse dangers. Making sure that the parents, children, teens and anyone that may take prescription drugs know how to proper storage and safe use of the medication. When disposing of all medication, it’s very important to make sure that all medication is disposed properly, so that it want get into the hands of someone that will take it and misuse it. One can also help by letting the police know about misuse of prescription drugs.
Treatment for Prescription Drug Addiction
The increase use of prescription drugs and its abuse lead to addiction treatments that root in mental and physical behavior.
It is shown that prescription drug abuse is a disease of the brain that can be treated effectively if it is predominate in pharmacological and behavioral treatments. Treatment is based specifically on the drug of choice and the individual. Treatment is individualized and therefore can be more effective. According to National Institute on Drug Abuse, “behavioral treatment provides strategies to help function without drugs, deal with food cravings, and avoid drug situations that could lead to relapse” (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2013). Forms of treatment focus on different areas that are cognitive and physical in response to prescription drug abuse. Within behavioral treatment counseling is used for family, and individual counseling that help people coincide with their personal relationships within the
community. Conclusion
Our world today has fallen victim to the use of prescription drugs. The abuse of these drugs are more serious today than they have ever been. It’s important that we take the time to educate our child and family of the danger of prescription drugs and help to overcome the struggle. Prescription drugs are very addicting, “recognizing and dealing with patients who seek drugs for nonmedical purposes can be a difficult problem in general practice” (Monheit, 2010,p540). 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 an experience or feeling it causes. Prescription drug addiction is a problem because the differential dosage that accompanies each prescription and the effects on the individual.
References
Abuse of Prescription Drugs. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/abuse-of-prescriptiondrugs
Hamilton, B. (2009). Prescription Drug. Retrieved from http://www.universityofphoenix.edu
Monheit, B. (2010). Prescription Drug Abuse. Retrieved from http://www.universityofphoenix.edu
Prescription Drug Addiction. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.drugabuse.gov
Prescription- Drug Free World. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/prescriptions