The Problem Of Prescription Drug Abuse

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).

Millions of people throughout the world are taking drugs on a daily basis. If you were to ask someone why they take prescription drugs, most people would be taking them for the right reason. However, it’s estimated that twenty percent of people in the United States alone have used prescription drugs for non-medical reasons.1 Prescription drug abuse is a serious and growing problem that often goes unnoticed. Abusing these drugs can often lead to addiction and even death. You can develop an addiction to certain drugs that may include: narcotic painkillers, sedatives, tranquilizers, and stimulants.1 Prescription drugs are the most common abused category of drugs, right next to marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and

    The opioid and heroin addiction is affecting the upcoming generation drastically. There are babies being born with an addiction to alcohol, opiates, heroin, alcohol, or multiple different things. These drug addictions at a young age take a toll on the children 's bodies, they shake violently and cry uncontrollably. 1 in 10 children born in a hospital are addicted to one of the above mentioned drugs. The babies aren 't the only youth affected, there are also teens/young adults that who are addicted to these drugs. This

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 social impacts of prescription drug abuse span many different areas, including one’s health, family, and community. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (2015), substance abuse can

McCarthy, M. (2007). Prescription drug abuse up sharply in the USA. The Lancet World Report. 369: 1505-1506.

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

Appalachia is a cultural, highland region of the southeastern US, containing the Appalachian Mountains, extending from Alabama up to Pennsylvania (CDC, 2010). Given its hallmark high poverty, low educational attainment and geographic isolation, the Appalachian region is a vulnerable priority population at a heightened risk for prescription drug abuse (CDC, 2010). As previously alluded to, the burden of opioid abuse and overdose deaths is substantially higher in Appalachia than other areas of the U.S. Since 1996, an increasing number of programs have provided the opioid antagonist naloxone hydrochloride, the method of choice to reverse the potentially fatal respiratory depression caused by overdose of heroin and other opioids (CDC, 2010). Community coalitions, law enforcement, concerned friends, families and good Samaritans alike have each asserted that naloxone’s virtually untapped potential to save lives is enormous. Adding further standing, naloxone is on the World Health Organization’s (WHO) model list of essential medicines and is described as, "a safe drug with a low risk of serious side effects" and that "any adult capable of learning basic life support can also learn to recognize an opioid overdose, and administer naloxone in time to save lives." Another benefit is that naloxone is extremely cheap; available at less than $2 a dose in many countries

To summarize, America is in the midst of a drug epidemic. An epidemic that we have been combating, but unfortunately we have not been wining. However, with public opinion shifting regarding punishment, new treatment options available and the medical community recognizing addiction for the disease it is, we are following a path to effectively dealing with this epidemic. Addiction

To start off, the article was selected because it provides insight about the implications of drug abuse. The article shows that prescription drug abuse among youths is, in fact, an actual issue in the United States. ‘’In 2008, over six million persons, or 2.5% of the U.S population aged 12 and older, reported past 30-day use of prescription-type physiotherapeutic drugs for nonmedical purposes.’’ (DuPont, 2010). He further explains that the data information (regarding prescription abuse) is more than

This Research Project will be on the effects of Prescription Drug Abuse, and the affects it can have on the lives of those abusing them. In the report I will go into further details on the difference between what it means to be physically dependent to prescription drugs, and what it means to be addicted to the prescription drugs. Questions will be left to ask as to why there are so many overdoses to prescription drugs, and what ages groups are more likely to abuse them What can we do to stop the easy access there is to most of these drugs? How do most of these prescriptions become so easily abused and What can the adverse side effects be? Out of 52million people 20% of those aged 12 and older have used prescription drugs for non-medical reasons, many would say it is because of them been so easily accessible, but I would argue and say it is because nowadays many of the younger generations are following what they see on t.v such as

Is it possible to stop prescription drug abuse? Prescription drug abuse is a growing problem in the country. The number of people becoming addicted to and abusing prescription drugs in the U.S. is growing every day. It is estimated that between 26.4 million and 36 million people abuse opioids worldwide, with an estimated 2.1 million people in the United States suffering from substance use disorders related to prescription opioid pain relievers in 2012 and an estimated 467,000 addicted to heroin. “The consequences of this abuse have been devastating and are on the rise (Volkow, (2014).” The abuse of prescription drugs is on the rise and has a negative effect on not only the people taking the drugs but their families, children and society.

Prescription drug abuse is the use of prescription drugs in the incorrect manner, whether it’s taking a larger dose, taking someone else’s drugs, injecting or snorting them, or simply using them to get high. The three types of drugs that are most abused are opioid painkillers, sedatives or anti-anxiety medication and simulants. Opioids are the most commonly used simply because they are easy to obtain. One of the seven deadly sins is pleasure without conscience. The abuse of prescription drugs is a direct reflection of this teaching. People destroy their bodies, life and relationships around them. Too many people are dying and abusing prescription drugs each year; creating informative programs in and out of school

In the past year studies by the Centers for Disease Control have shown that one in twenty people in the United States alone us painkillers just for pleasure. Abuse of prescription drugs is a huge issue in our country, although many people use them solely for medical reasons, most people do not. According to Nora D. Wolkow, M.D., “An estimated 52 million people (20 percent) of those aged 12 and older) have used prescription drugs for non-medical reasons at least once in their lifetime.” (National Institute on Drug Abuse). This is now extremely common and is only becoming a bigger problem by the day. Prescription drug abuse causes a crippling affect on the abusers body by creating serious brain damage, increasing the rate of crime, endangering the lives of the abusers and the people around them, as well as ruining families completely, and taking a huge toll on the lives of teenagers and the elderly.

The purpose of this report is to show the major problems we face in America if we do not address the misuse of prescription drugs. America’s pain pill and heroin addiction exceeds that of all other countries in the world, statistics from the UN office on Drugs and Crimes show. This report will show emphasis on the misuse of prescription drugs and some of the causes.