A prototype of a drug addict would probably be someone seen in the corner of the streets. They are for all time looking cautiously around, doing anxiety-related behaviors, yet very discrete with these behaviors. These individuals are most of the time being avoided by people passing by. They are also being seen as an outcast in the society they belong. It is a common fact that the acquiring of drugs are done secretly.
However, if we come to realize, addicts also come from those who normally participates in the cycle of society. These addicts that we so called could be your own babysitter, the newspaperman, the bagel man, or even taxi driver who drives you everyday to work. Like almost everyone, these people are those who pay for prescribed drugs in pharmacies. Yes. Prescription drugs could be as as any prohibited drugs. Individuals who buy drugs at the pharmacy can be as addicted to certain drugs as to those who discretely buy illegal drugs from drug dealers in the corners of every street.
Prescription drug serves its function when it is prescribed by the doctor to the patient in order to treat any health-related problems. But, what we did not see coming was that these prescription drugs have the potential to cause dependency and addiction. Last 2007, Americans who abused prescription drugs has reached 7 million. In addition, it has been known that prescription drug addiction do not only exist in America but also in other parts of the world.
It is quite safe to say that nobody is safe from addiction because even those who are being prescribed by professionals can get prescription addiction. On the other hand, we ought to recognize that if used properly, these drugs need not be addictive. It is when we take more than what is prescribed that we are more likely to be a candidate for prescription drug addiction.
Opioids, depressants, and stimulants are the three types of commonly abused prescription drugs. This is according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Opioids are prescribed to relieve sever pain usually after surgery. But besides alleviating pain, these drugs could also cause feelings of euphoria. This substance works by binding to opioid receptors found in the central nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract.
Central nervous system depressants are used to treat anxiety problems, acute stress, and sleep disorders. As depressants, these drugs slow the brain’s ability to function. Long terms and large doses of depressants could lead to tolerance and thus, the body would need larger doses to achieve the “relaxing” feeling being brought by the drug. These results to addiction.
On the other hand, stimulants are the opposites of depressants. These drugs enhance brain activities, augmenting energy, awareness, and alertness, and are used to treat attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and narcolepsy. Stimulants make the heart rate to increase as well as respiration which can be interpreted by the user as euphoria.
One is diagnosed to be addicted to the drug when one needs larger amount of a drug to produce the same effects. Most often, when their physicians stop prescribing the drug, they go “doctor shopping”, asking friends to get drugs for them. Now, that patient becomes an addict. Most of the time, elder people are the ones vulnerable to prescription drug abuse. They did not will it. Regrettably, they just tend to be prescribed with added medications than the younger ones. The main cause of the increase in the incidence of prescription drug abuse is still not known. However, it can never be denied that ease of access of the drug could be a causative factor.
Top treat prescription drug addiction will depend upon the substance being addicted to The needs of the individual should also be taken into account. Behavioral and pharmacological are the two main courses of drug addiction. Behavioral treatment encourages patient to stop drug use and teach them how to function normally even without the drug. Counseling should go hand in hand so as to show and follow up the patient for any development. Medication could also be of great help most especially with opioid addiction.
Any drug is not free from addiction
. To treat this addiction, one needs a good combination of behavioral and pharmacological treatment.