I know. No, I’m serious. I know. Having a prescription drug addiction sucks major pole. So what, I’m being a little harsh. It’s the bloody truth and you and I both know it. The worst part about having any drug addiction is the fact that, for all intents and purposes, it’s damn near legal to have one. I know!!! That’s exactly how it hit me. Plus, when it hit me that I suffering from a prescription drug addiction people were just discovering that it was actually possible to have one. Yeah, I know…super messed up, right? Oh well, I finally found someone who was down to help out of the hole that I had thrown myself into. That’s why I’m telling you that you’re in a much more advantageous position than I was in. Why? Because now there are a myriad of drug treatment centers that offer help for that malevolent little monkey that has set up camp on your back. Yeah, I know. You’re a lucky mofo. You really are because there is definitely adequate assistance for people like yourself nowadays. I know. But it’s okay to be scared. But you know what? Once you know, you have to act like you know. I hate quoting Oprah, but the lady’s got a point. Get in there and save yourself. You can do it.

Prescription drug addiction is a subtle killer. Prescription drug addiction victims are rarely recognizable in the same way that coke addicts or heroin abusers are; they often maintain fronts as “functional” members of society, even as they’re being hollowed out by need from the inside. Unfortunately, their relative invisibility means prescription drug addicts are unlikely to get the help they need to get better.

Prescription drug addiction is a formidable foe: It never dies easy, never goes down without a fight. Prescription drug addiction victims can’t get better on their own, for the simple reason that that’s now how addiction operates, or how recovery happens. If you or someone you care about has succumbed to prescription drug addiction, the plain fact of the matter is that you can’t get healed without professional prescription drug addiction treatment. Anything less just isn’t good enough.

Prescription drug addiction really can work, if you’ll let it: It really can help you rediscover the hope and joy and vitality that prescription drug addiction strips away. For your own sake, make today the day you make the right decision. Some things, after all, just can’t wait.

Prescription drug addiction can happen to anyone. Prescription drug addiction can happen to everyone, in fact: your neighbor, your husband, your children. Yourself. Prescription drug addiction knows no social boundaries, heeds no class distinctions. Prescription drug addiction just happens, is the point; it just IS. And pretending like it isn’t very certainly won’t make it go away.

Prescription drug addiction treatment can only work if it’s sought out. It might sound obvious, but the fact is that far too many prescription drug addiction victims suffer in silence, in isolation, without ever seeking or receiving the help they need. Prescription drug addiction treatment really does help prescription drug addiction victims get better…but only if those prescription drug addiction victims are willing to take the first step, by enrolling in a prescription drug addiction treatment center. In the end, anything less just won’t cut it.

If you’re here, you already know the truth: Prescription drug addiction is a devastating disease. Now, you know what you have to do. Prescription drug addiction, in the end, can only be as damaging as you let it be. Don’t wait another day to start rebuilding what’s been destroyed.

Prescription drug addiction broke my mother’s heart. That’s the hardest thing to admit, now, with the hindsight of prescription drug recovery. Prescription drug addiction broke my mother’s heart. My prescription drug addiction broke my mother’s heart. She forgave me, of course; in fact, I can’t say as she was ever mad in the first place. She was just disappointed, is all: in herself more than in me. Whatever I said, no matter how many times I told her it wasn’t her fault: She blamed herself. Always. In all ways. For as long as God saw fit to let her walk His Earth.

Prescription drug addiction, as you might expect, is a hideous disease. It destroys everything it touches: Your career. Your love life. Your family. Prescription drug addiction broke my mother’s heart. And not a day goes by I don’t wish there was a way to make it up to her.

 For your own sake, don’t wait to get help. Don’t pretend you don’t have a problem. You owe yourself the truth…to say nothing of what you owe your mother.

The statistics on drug abuse in the United States are staggering. According to a study from the US Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 112,085,000 Americans aged 12 or over report having used an illicit drug at least once in their life. That is 46.1 % of the US population aged 12 and over. Out of these people, the same study estimates that there are 30 million US citizens addicted to drugs, either prescription or illegal.

The rehab treatments available for addicts vary as much as the addictions themselves. The first step is to ascertain the severity of the person’s addiction and their drug of choice. Other issues, such as age, gender, race, sexual orientation and environment are also factored in to the mix. Once that information is gathered, the counselor can work to find the best treatment for that particular person. Most treatments begin with behavior modification to help people cope with their drug cravings while at the same time offer them suggestions on ways to avoid drugs This is sometimes the hardest lesson for people to accept as the first suggestion is usually to avoid known drug users, which often cuts the person off from their friends. There are many medications that have been used successfully in fighting drug addiction. These include, but are not limited to, methadone, naltrexone and Levo-Alpha Acetyl Methadol, known as LAAM.

Methadone has been an accepted form of detoxification from narcotics for over thirty years. The patient receives a carefully monitored daily dose of methadone, a synthetic narcotic suppresses the opioid receptor in the brain that is triggered by opiate use and allows addicts to change their addictive behaviors. It reduces the cravings and uncontrolled impulses seen with heroin addiction, but the patient must then be gradually weaned from the methadone, a process that could take years. However, since the harmful side effects of illegal drugs are gone, the patient can be helped to return to a normal life.

Naltrexone is not as well known as methadone, but it is highly effective in persons truly motivated to overcome their addiction. Naltrexone, when used in conjunction with clonidine, can shorten the detoxification time to one day as opposed to the two weeks necessary for the same results from methadone. This results in considerable cost savings. However, people using naltrexone have a higher relapse rate then patients using methadone. Doctors theorize that this is because naltrexone does not have side effects, such as the withdrawal symptoms experienced by methadone users, when it is discontinued.

LAAM is another alternative to methadone. It needs to be administered only three times a week, which, like naltrexone, results in significant cost savings. Studies have shown that patients on LAAM may need more counseling and support when they first begin treatment as their ignorance of the treatment causes more anxiety in them.

Besides behavior modification and medical intervention, there are many other forms of rehab that can be used concurrently with the former two treatments. These include substance use monitoring, support groups, counseling, family services such as childcare, housing and transportation, education, medical care, financial aid and legal services. These subsidiary services are needed to help the patient return to a productive life since many addicts have concurrent problems such as depression or other psychosis.

You’ve seen it on television and in magazines; you’ve read about it in memoirs and biographies: people losing themselves and everything dear to them to an addiction to illicit and prescription drugs. While the leading cause of drug use is as simple to locate as the company one keeps, no person is born a drug addict. Instead, the gateway to drug addiction is seldom a personality disorder but rather stems from the fact that the consequences of drug use are not immediately apparent which can lead to the misconception that the drug has no affect on one’s ability to lead a normal and productive life. Of course, the idea that one can sustain a growing drug habit while maintaining a healthy lifestyle is believable until it isn’t. At some point, the unchecked drug user must seek drug treatment.

However, individuals and families affected by drug addiction have never had so many places to turn for help in coping with addiction. From counseling and screening at community health centers and county hospitals, individuals can begin to receive information and help almost immediately. In fact, the federal government has continued to recognize the moral and economical benefit to helping individuals overcome their addiction, especially before they turn to crime or otherwise cease to be productive members of their community. From unique Drug Courts that involve the family and community of addicted drug users who have recently turned to crime to help them achieve a return to a drug-free life, to state issued drug treatment and recovery support vouchers allowing the implementation of more innovative strategies to combat drug-addiction.

Treatment facilities are also more and more varied. Suitable treatment can be found for any level of addiction and can be tailored for each individual depending on his or her needs. From long-term care at private drug treatment centers to short-term, open-facility care in homes democratically run by tenants transitioning into their new autonomous drug-free lives, treatment isn’t the regimented practice it once was, with blanket solutions applied to unique problems. Treatment can help with more than coping with the psychological and physical barriers to overcoming drug-addiction, treatment offers the people the opportunity to remove themselves from the culture of drug use and replace it with the culture of productive, healthy living. People who were introduced to drugs by members of their social circles or communities have the opportunity with treatment to learn how to make better decisions that can affect positive change in all areas of their lives.

Treatment today is more nuanced than many may realize. Often, a more holistic approach is used in drug treatment and the individual is taken into more complete account. Approaches to drug treatment today recognize that recovery from drug addiction is something that does not necessarily end with one treatment and cannot be determined only by the words “success” and “failure”. Understanding that relapse and co-opting one drug for another, while not expected, can be part of recovery process helps to make drug treatment adaptable to an individual’s needs and help reshape behavior during all stages of drug treatment and addiction recovery.

Source: http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/publications/policy/ndcs06/chap2.pdf

To many recovering addicts, sobriety will remain a constant challenge.
Even with changes to their lifestyle and new relationships, many will
find the lifelong path of sobriety a challenge. The act of abstaining
from anything that gives us pleasure or relaxes us, is a tough challenge
for anyone. This is the lesson contained in the saying used by A.A.
members “one day at a time”. Sobriety can only be effectively
maintained through constant vigilance and discipline.

Due to the psychological issues surrounding sobriety, professional
support and reinforcement through private drug rehab or group therapy is
recommended, if not essential. Enrollment in a drug treatment center
is a vital step in the achievement of sobriety.
Detoxification removes the chemical traces from the system and frees the
body from the physical ball and chain of addiction and prepares the
mind. Therapy for the mental dependency covers the psychological and
behavioral issues surrounding addiction.

The objective of long-term sobriety is not as easy to maintain as it may
seem, especially in the case of alcohol or prescription drug abuse and over the
counter drugs, which are readily available and easy to obtain. The
support of of other individuals with experience in dealing with the many
external issues of recovery and sobriety, is vital to the effort. In the
case of other narcotics, a shift in lifestyle, friendships, and the support of a quality drug treatment center
are also a
crucial part of maintaining one’s sobriety.

Recovery houses can often be an addict’s only road to sobriety. It often seems that returning to a sober lifestyle can be next to impossible in the world in which we live. Recovery houses make that job more attainable than many of the methods out there.

Due to the amenities offered to recovering addicts in a recovery house setting, attaining a sober way of life can become an easier task. Recovery houses usually offer a myriad of paths to sobriety. One can find private on-campus living, the frequent use of the 12 step program, and regiments of personal responsibilities when dwelling in a sober living home. The purpose of most recovery houses is to offer such things to maintain the focus and stability of recovering patients. The 12 step program, being one of the most popular ways of achieving a sober lifestyle, is often a staple in the recovery house setting, and with good reason. Its proven track record speaks for itself.

There are more holistic approaches being used in more of today’s recovery houses. These days recovering addicts can find yoga instructors, Chinese medicine experts, massage therapists, and vegan chefs to name a few of the amenities found in today’s recovery houses. Depending on where one seeks treatment, benefits like Reiki healers, hypnotherapists, Shiatsu masseuses, and acupuncturists can also be at their disposal as well.

Here at Sunset Malibu, we provide a wide variety of resources and links in an effort to give back to the recovery community. You can find everything from links to sober living houses to articles on prescription medicine. Take a moment and look around our extensive collection of addiction resources.

Prescription drug abuse is an underlying yet dangerous problem in
America. Due to the fact that prescription drug addiction is largely
ignored because of their commonplace acceptance as an integral and
necessary part of health and medical care, prescription drug abuse has
stayed in the shadow of other more illicit and dangerous substances such
as heroin and cocaine. Regardless of popular opinion, or ambivalence,
the results of prescription drug abuse and addiction can be just as
deadly. Prescription drug abuse is fairly common even though most
patients use their prescriptions responsibly, but according to recent
statistics anywhere from 7 - 9 million Americans annually use or have
used prescription drugs for non-medical purposes since 1999, according
to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). There are many types of
prescription drug abuse, a few common types of prescription drug abuse
are using prescription drugs for recreation or psychic effects, to get
high, or to get a lift.

The most common prescription drug abuse cases reported involved the
abuse of Opioids AKA narcotic analgesics or “painkillers”. Opioids
include morphine, codeine, OxyContin (oxycodone), Vicodin (hydrocodone)
and Demerol (meperidine). Opioid drugs block pain and cause drowsiness.
Heavy use or a large single dose can cause respiratory depression
leading to death. The long-term effects of opioid abuse leads to
physical dependence and, in most cases, addiction.

Another common type of prescription drug abuse is the use of central
nervous system depressants. CNS depressants are used to treat conditions
like panic attacks and anxiety, and also to treat sleeping disorders.
Commonly abused types are, Nembutal (pentobarbital sodium), Valium
(diazepam), and Xanax (alprazolam). They initially function by slowing
down normal brain functions and cause the person using them to
experience a sleepy, uncoordinated feeling akin to alcohol or marijuana
inebriation, but with long-term use can lead to physical dependence and
addiction.

The third most common type of prescription drug abuse is central nervous
system stimulants. These are drugs created to treat the sleeping
disorder narcolepsy and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADD,
ADHD). Some examples of CNS stimulants are Ritalin (methylphenidate) and
Dexedrine (dextroamphetamine). These drugs, which have also have a high
risk of being addictive, enhance brain activity, heighten alertness, and
increase energy. Additionally, they cause blood pressure, heart rate,
and respiration to elevate. Taken in large doses, irregular heartbeat
and high body temperature commonly occur.

As stated earlier, the dangers of prescription drug abuse and addiction
are not to be taken lightly, even in comparison to other more dangerous
substances. Prescription drug abuse may not be as swift to claim it’s
victims, and turn them into addicts, but the dangers of addiction is
still a danger nonetheless. In addition, the threat of overdosing or a
dangerous even fatal allergic reaction are no laughing matter. Take the
time to educate yourself on the symptoms of prescription drug abuse. As
with any case of substance abuse, early detection and treatment decrease
the odds of addiction and increase the odds of successful treatment.

You probably know a drug addict without even realizing it. When most people think of a drug addict, they envision a dirty, high strung; out of control individual that they fear may cause them harm. What most people probably don’t realize is that drug addicts can look and act as normal as your next door neighbor. In fact, your next door neighbor just may be a drug addict.

Prescription drugs are hooking millions of Americans and causing devastating consequences to their lives and the lives of their families. It starts off innocently enough, you have an accident and a doctor prescribes medication to stop the pain, before you know it you are taking more and more because the pain just won’t go away. That is the insidious nature of prescription drug abuse. It works fine in the beginning, but you begin to build up a tolerance to the medication and the next thing you know you are in constant pain unless you take the medicine. It is at this point that addiction has set in.

Prescription drug addiction is reaching epidemic proportions. Approximately nine million Americans used prescription drugs for non-medical purposes in 1999, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA.) And the problem has only gotten worse. Many people who are addicted to prescription drugs don’t even realize that they have a problem. Because it is medication prescribed by a doctor for a legitimate medical condition in the beginning, they feel as if there is nothing wrong with what they are doing. As long as they aren’t taking hard street drugs like cocaine or heroin, they don’t recognize themselves as drug addicts.

In cases where prescription drugs are being abused, the patient may notice that they have to take more and more of the drug just to feel normal, without ever understanding that it is the effects of the addiction that is causing this viscous cycle. On top of that, once the drugs enter their system there are other chemical reactions going on that in the beginning, are pleasant and hard to give up; feelings such as relief from anxiety, false feelings of self-confidence and increased activity and energy levels. Sadly, the elderly is one group that is at a higher risk for becoming dependant on prescription drugs.

Because the elderly are often on many legitimate drugs for ongoing health issues related to their age, they have a higher risk of becoming addicted to prescription drugs. The elderly are also often isolated and lonely, which only raises their chances of falling victim to drug abuse. Women are also in the high-risk category. With all of the work women do inside and outside of the home, they often suffer from anxiety and/or depression. In order to combat this, their doctors prescribe antidepressants or antianxiety medication, and these can become addictive. There are several risk factors to becoming addicted to prescription drugs that should be looked at.

The risk factors to a prescription drug abuser can include; medical conditions that require pain medication, family history of addiction, fatigue and overwork depression, dependency, or poor self-esteem. Any doctor prescribing prescription drugs should pay close attention to any patient who falls into these categories because they are at an increased risk of becoming addicted. In fact, a doctor should monitor any patient that is on prescription drugs very carefully to ensure that they aren’t abusing them. But, even in cases where doctors are diligent about maintaining the proper use of the drug, some patients will circumvent that by doing what is called, “doctor shopping.” In doctor shopping scenarios, patients will go from doctor to doctor complaining of pain in order to get more prescriptions. There have been cases where patients were found with hundreds of prescriptions from different doctors. The problem has become so pervasive that NIDA has launched a national initiative to educate the public about the dangers of non-medical use of prescription drugs, and the potential for abuse.

The frustration, when dealing with prescription drug addiction, lies in the fact that these drugs are beneficial to the health and well being of millions of people every year. So, how does society balance the need for these drugs with the potential for danger? This is a problem law enforcement faces almost on a daily basis. Indeed, it can be a very delicate balance of curbing criminal behavior related to prescription drug addiction and making sure people with legitimate health concerns are still able to access the care they need.

If you or somebody you love thinks they may be addicted to prescription drugs, ask yourself these questions: 1) am I taking more than was originally prescribed, 2) has my doctor refused to give me anymore of the drugs even though I’ve told him I’m still in pain, 3) have I had to go to more than one doctor in order to keep getting my prescription filled, and 4) am I running out of my prescription before I’m due to another one? If you answer yes to these, you probably have a problem with prescription drugs.

If you do find yourself in this situation, you need to get help. There are plenty of places you can go to help got off the drugs. The first thing you may need to do is to go through detoxification. Detoxification, or detox, is when you physically begin to withdrawal from the drug. It is best to go through detox under the strict supervision of a medical professional. Detoxification is an unpleasant state to be in and can cause moderate to severe physical side-effects; for this reason, it is not advisable to go through it alone. You may need medical intervention at some point in the first few days. That’s why most detox is done in a hospital, or a treatment facility that has a medical staff.

Prescription drug addiction is suburbia’s shameful little secret, but it doesn’t have to be. If you are addicted to prescription drugs, you are not alone or unique, unfortunately it is happening everyday and all over the country.

Prescription drugs can be a medical miracle, but only when taken safely and under the strict supervision of your doctor. If you find that you are taking more than you should, or taking it for a longer period of time than was first recommended, seek help. Talk to your doctor to ensure you are taking your medication properly, and advice him of any fears or concerns you may have about becoming dependant.