There’s a big prescription drug crisis happening in the United States, and it kills more than 15,000 people per year. In fact, there are more fatal overdoses from prescription drugs each year than heroin and cocaine combined. The United States prescribes more opiates, including codeine than any other country. Physicians prescribe enough narcotic pain medications to give every citizen of the United States multiple refills.
Some of the prescription pain medications that people abuse most often include:
Are You Abusing Codeine?
Prescription drug addiction kills so many people each year because it’s very hard to catch in its early stages. From the moment a person does heroin, he or she knows that there’s a problem, partially because it’s illegal. It’s much different when it comes to prescription drugs because doctors are the ones who often supply them. It’s up to the person using the prescription drugs or his or her loved ones to point out that there’s a problem.
Prescription drug abuse is an issue anytime a person uses a medication in a way other than what the prescription bottle says. This means that a person may begin taking twice his or her dosage to feel the effects of the medication. There are some people who begin mixing the medication with alcohol or other drugs. Even taking someone else’s prescription for legitimate pain is a form of abuse because a doctor didn’t prescribe it.
Do You Need Prescription Drug Treatment?
Abusing prescription medications like codeine is a very slippery slope. It can lead to addiction very quickly. These medications release pleasure chemicals in the brain, and eventually, the brain tells you it needs more. The brain of someone with an addiction may say something along the lines of, “Hey, remember how the pills made you feel good? Do that when you’re sad.” The brain begins to try to justify using prescription medications for many other reasons.
Every time you turn to a prescription drug to solve one of your problems, the habit of abuse gets even stronger. Eventually, you lose control, and your brain goes on autopilot. Everything you do revolves around using medications. When this begins to happen, you should consider going into treatment to get help. Whether you’re in pain or are just abusing the medication, prescription drug treatment can help you begin a new life.
The Benefit of Addiction Programs
Most people get stuck in the cycle of addiction and don’t even know why they’re still using drugs. In most cases, the person has turned these medications into a way to deal with the stresses of everyday life. By checking into a treatment center, these individuals can discover why they started abusing drugs in the first place – and how to stop. Most people achieve recovery through a wide range of individual and group therapy methods that help heal your brain.
If you’ve found that you can’t stop using prescription medications, give Crestview Recovery a call today at 866.262.0531. Let us get you back on track to a healthy life through one of our addiction programs.
Since 2016, Dr. Merle Williamson, a graduate of Oregon Health Sciences University, has been the Medical Director at Crestview Recovery, bringing a rich background in addiction medicine from his time at Hazelden Treatment Center. He oversees outpatient drug and alcohol treatments, providing medical care, setting policies, detox protocols, and quality assurance measures. Before specializing in addiction medicine, he spent 25 years in anesthesiology, serving as Chair of Hospital Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee and Chief of Anesthesia at Kaiser Permanente. This experience gives him a unique perspective on treating prescription drug addiction.
