Prescription drug abuse is very dangerous and can be very deadly. About 16 million people in the U.S abuse prescription medications. Some people mistakenly believe abusing drugs are safer than taking street drugs. Addiction risk appears to be influenced by a person’s biology, social environment, and age, or stage of development. The earlier someone begins to abuse drugs, the greater the chances are that the addiction may progress into more serious problems.
Most prescription drug abuse happens with young adults between the ages of 18 to 25. Since the ’90s, prescription drug abuse has seen an increase year over year, sometimes as high as 400%. While not every year sees as much of an increase, it’s still a growing trend despite the fact that all 50 states have since implemented prescription drug monitoring programs, otherwise known as PDMPs. The purpose of the programs is to track prescriptions to better identify patients who may be abusing their medications.
Prescription drugs that are abused can be put into four categories:
- Sedatives
- Tranquilizers
- Stimulants
- Painkillers
What is alarming is that prescription drugs are abused more than cocaine, heroin, and meth combined. A big part of the problem is the biggest demographic of this type of substance abuse – youth. Since most prescription drug abuse happens at a younger age, they are more likely to then develop lifelong (and often deadly) addiction. When prescription drugs get harder to find, young adults then turn to heroin, cocaine, and meth in order to feed their addiction.
If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, it’s important to seek help immediately. Nothing can be gained by continuing down the path of destruction – the destruction of health, relationships, family, livelihood…
It’s never too late. Recovery Help Treatment has a network of treatment centers and resources available. Contact us to speak with a specialist who can help get you back on track to a healthy, productive life.
