Pros And Cons Of Prescription Drug Abuse

Every year the number of overdoses grow along with the people who pick up drugs. From 2010 to 2015 the number of deaths caused by overdose tripled. Out of the 7 billion people 13.5 million take opioids or use heroin. Overdoses are becoming more and more common around the world. In Europe every 4 out of 5 deaths were caused by opioids. In

With access to prescription drugs, people are able to treat a multitude of diseases and illnesses. These drugs help deal with pain, inability to sleep, depression, and much more. Every day we are increasingly living in a world where there is better living through chemicals. However, what most do not seem to see is the rising tide of pain, illness, and ultimately death being caused by the pills people take every day. Most keep drugs in a special place in their minds, where they see them as harmless. Sadly, this is not the case, and in some cases our prescription drugs can be just as harmful as illegal drugs (King 68).

The rate of death due to prescription drug abuse in the U.S. has escalated 313 percent over the past decade. According to the Congressional Quarterly Transcription’s article "Rep. Joe Pitt Holds a Hearing on Prescription Drug Abuse," opioid prescription drugs were involved in 16,650 overdose-caused deaths in 2010, accounting for more deaths than from overdoses of heroin and cocaine. Prescribed drugs or painkillers sometimes "condemn a patient to lifelong addiction," according to Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This problem not only affects the lives of those who overdose but it affects the communities as well due to the convenience of being able to find these items in drug stores and such.

A new escalating drug abuse epidemic has come about in the recent years; people are now choosing prescription pills as their new drug of choice. The use, abuse and death caused by prescription drugs has increased significantly within the past couple years. All types of prescription pills are more easily accessible from their doctors, family members or off the street. Doctors are handing out prescriptions for pills, such as pain management pills, muscle relaxers, and anti-anxiety, like they are candy and not potentially dangerous to the consumers. In today’s society doctors are over prescribing pills to Americans and the prescription pill distribution should be more closely monitored and controlled. Although there are people who benefit

Most people are familiar with prescription medications; almost everyone has taken them at one point or another during their lifetime. Not all prescription drugs are addicting, but a large number of them are. Prescription drug abuse is a disease that has become a major problem in the United States, which affects over six-million Americans. Prescription drug abuse not only affects the individual, but can additionally have far-reaching consequences that affect family, personal health, employment, communities and society as a whole. Research has shown that at least 10% of people prescribed an addictive medication will become dependent on the medicine. Due to prescription drug abuse, states are beginning to monitor doctors who prescribe certain medications, more closely, which may scare some physicians away from prescribing helpful medications to people who truly need them.

The CDC reports that “66 percent of drug overdose deaths involved an opioid. In 2016, the number of overdose deaths involving opioids was five times higher than in 1999. From 2000 to 2016, more than 600,000 people died from drug overdoses.” That means that at least someone reading this will at least know a family member, neighbor, friend, or even you that is currently facing the opioid addiction.

The use of illegal drugs is most often perceived by society as purely negative. As in, individuals who partake in the illegal activity and are caught deserve to be punished and serve their time in jail. Now, this solution may aid in keeping criminals away from society for the time they are serving but it does not help dramatically reduce the likelihood that these individuals will relapse into their drug addiction once they are out. Drug and substance abuse should be perceived as public health and safety crisis rather than a moral dilemma. Therefore, the criminal justice system needs to implement a treatment program that goes along with a drug user’s jail time to increase the chances that they will become actual functioning and contributing members of society.

Medication mishandle—of licit and unlawful medications alike—is a major medicinal and social issue and draws in a considerable measure of research consideration. In any case, the most alluring and most effectively fundable research points are not generally those with the most to add to enhanced social results. In the event that the logical exertion gave careful consideration to the significant open doors for enhanced strategies, its commitment to people in general welfare may be more prominent. The ebb and flow look into motivation around tranquilize strategy focuses on the science, brain science, and humanism of drugtaking and on the current collection of medication control intercessions. Be that as it may, that collection has just

Prescription drug abuse is not a new problem within our society. Prescription drug abuse has in fact been an ongoing problem that is currently spinning out of control. There are many people within our society that are currently dealing with prescription drug addiction. Prescription drug abuse is the intentional use of a medication without a prescription; in a way other than as prescribed; or for the experience or feeling it causes (The Science of Drug Abuse & Addiction, 2014). Prescription drugs are developed to assist with various medical problems, and when prescribed by a medical professional are helpful for patients. The using prescriptions for those other than intended for may cause a number of serious issues

The number of people dying from an opioid overdose has increased by 14 percent within the past year. It is estimated that 500,000 people died from an opioid overdose from 2000 to 2014. Hydrocodone and oxycodone are two of the most common prescribed opioid painkillers. The number of people dying from oxycodone and hydrocodone has increased by nine percent.

As of 2014, 20,000 deaths were associated with narcotics and prescription drug overdoses in the United States. The most recent death of Prince has continued to keep the conversation of drug overdoses. Many patients use prescription drugs to control pain especially those with cancer. Drugs used to help patients can cause a serious addiction and may become dangerous with abuse.

Although there are many things contributing to the expanding prescription drug abuse problem, there are also many ways to fix it. To prevent people from obtaining these drugs from home medicine cabinets, locking up the medicine cabinet or simply locking up prescription drugs elsewhere would prevent those searching for them from finding them. Another solution to this problem is to host Drug Take-Back events. In May 2011, the US Drug Enforcement Administration sponsored its second National Prescription Drug Take-Back event and collected more than 188 tons of unwanted or expired medications from 5,361 designated disposal sites around the country (“Is Substance” 1). Michele Leonhard, a DEA administrator who was involved in the planning of this event, commented, "With the support and hard work

For example, a heroin overdose may be able to be treated with naltrexone. This reverses the heroin effects and helps you regain consciousness almost immediately. Almost seventeen million people are on drugs such as heroin and the death toll in 2015 was around 122,000, and is still on the rise today. 1.6 percent of people in the United States have used this drug at some point in their life. Around the world, opioids are the number one common drug related death.

drugs you should consult with a doctor. Once a patient is unable to get their

Communities and workplaces can access various Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) initiatives and programs to prevent prescription drug misuse and abuse. SAMHSA participates in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Take-Back Initiative; the goal is to provide safe, secure, and environmentally responsible methods of disposing of prescription drugs. The general public can acquire education about the potential for abuse and trafficking of available medications such as pain medications that persisted in a hospice patient’s home that already passed. Residents of communities should have the right to report abuse incidences, drug trafficking and overdose incidences without consequences of legal responsibility.