Prescription pain medications, such as Vicodin (hydrocodone), Percocet (oxycodone), OxyContin, methadone, morphine and Dilaudid, are similar in nature to hard core street drug, heroin. All these drugs fall into the category of opiates.
Prescription drug abuse has become increasingly more serious in all parts of the US. School kids are using prescription drugs at an alarming rate and contrary to the popular belief these kids are from seemingly well off families with stable family environment.
Urban drug abuse is baffling police and school authorities alike. The complication in confronting prescription drug abuse is due to the fact that, for the most part, these drugs exist in regular households with legitimate need. It is hard to demonize something that is legal and moral to obtain.
It is equally difficult to ban the usage of a substance when there are legitimate and proven benefits in its usage. Further complicating the issue is that not all addicted to these opiates are kids or people who are using them recreationally.
Some addictions to prescription drugs may have started by those in need of pain medication through simple increase of dosage or increase in frequency of usage. The approach to these types of addicts should be addressed differently than the 14 or 15 year old high school kid abusing Vicodine to get high with his or her friends.
Having said all that, just because there are good reasons for the existence of a product, the misuse or abuse of that product should not be justified, ignored or its dangers underestimated. Prescription drug abuse is not a new phenomenon; it has existed for years and has been getting worse every year. Whatever the government, media or parents have been doing so far does not seem to be working. It is time to retool and re-plan this battle against drug abuse in general, and prescription drug abuse specifically.
The cost of addiction to prescription drugs is affecting all of us. We pay through our taxes and pay socially for every drug addict in our society. It is estimated that in Somerset County, Maine, prescription drugs are the primary drugs of choice and 43.2 percent of the population known to be addicted to some sort of substance.
The health care cost alone, for people seeking treatment in Maine is $22.3 million per year. Last year alone, the legal costs, costs of Department of Health and Human Services workers plus the cost of treatment for addiction for state of Maine was $898.4 million. This was what only the state of Maine spent on drug addiction last year. That is $682 per every resident of Maine. One can only imagine the high cost of drug addiction for the other states and for the US in total.
Cost alone, especially in these tough economic times, could be the primary force behind a comprehensive and sustained drug treatment policy. On the private side, there are many effective drug addiction treatment centers. These rehab facilities as they are called, cumulatively, play a positive role in solving this national problem.
We should start effective drug addiction prevention and result oriented treatment that is available to every addict seeking to clean up his or her life and start a productive life.
Nine years ago things were different. Prescription Drug was not the major reason for a drug addict to check in to a rehab facility. Nowadays most treatment centers across the country have added this new specialty to their treatment programs. There are special programs in place in many good drug rehab facilities dealing specifically with prescription drug abuse. Two such facilities are Inspirations for Youth and Families, a teen rehab center, catering to 12 to 18 year old and Cove Center for Recovery, an adult rehab center for individuals 18 year old and up.
Reach out to us. Recovery from addiction is just a click or a phone call away. If the information you are looking for is not found here and you need immediate attention you may contact us:
Addiction Treatment for adults and young adults: 1-888-387-6237
http://www.covecenterforrecovery.com/
Addiction Treatment for Teens: 1-888-757-6237
http://www.inspirationsyouth.com/
http://www.inspirationsteenrehab.com/
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