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Prescription
Drugs
In today's day and age, at least here in
America, it is hard not to hear of someone dying
or having serious problems with prescription
drug abuse. The unfortunate part of this is that
the media pretty much portrays only the rich and
famous that find their untimely, early demise
(Ana Nicole Smith, allegedly
Michael Jackson
(at least at this point), Billy Mays) from the
dangerous cocktail of mixing several
prescription drugs and alcohol, cocaine, or
whatever their drug of choice may be. Some of
the more commons prescription drugs of abuse are
opiates (pain killers) such as oxycontin (this
is one of the most abused), percocet, vicodin
(as portrayed on the show
House),
etc. Others are in the benzodiazepine family and
help to alleviate anxiety. One of the most
dangerous and highly addictive drugs in this
family is Xanax. Others include Ativan, Klonopin,
and Librium. It is my personal belief that Xanax
is the most abused in this family. I myself had
my own addiction to battle and checked myself
into treatment for detox. If you are abusing
these at a high level please, I implore you to
do the same if at all possible. If you stop
taking benzodiazepines, you could overload your
heart and it could be fatal.
Another fast-growing trend is the abuse of
ADD/ADHD drugs. These are the Ritalin's and
Adderall's of the world. These are stimulants
that enable the individual to better focus on a
task at hand. When I was taking my Child
Psychopathology course for my Masters degree my
instructor touted these drugs as miracle drugs
for those wishing to be "smarter" and have an
edge while studying. He made me think twice
about it but of course it was just a fleeting
thought. Unfortunately it is too easy to fall
prey to these drugs in today's extremely
competitive environment. What wasn't addressed
in this course is that children and teens taking
these drugs regularly have an increased chance
of developing bipolar later in life.
There are other prescription drugs of abuse but
these tend to be the most common. Nowadays, from
what I hear, teens and even children are
experimenting with pills they find in their
parents medicine cabinets. Teens and young
adults go to parties and swap pills without even
realizing how harmful these combinations can be.
It is being called the "silent addiction" due to
these facts. If you are a parent, please keep
your medications in a safe place. Educate your
children and teens on the dangers of these and
other drugs. Open a healthy dialogue and
encourage positive conversation about anything
that is bothering them. This truly isn't
something to mess around with.
If you are struggling with this terrible
addiction seek help immediately. If you are
lacking in a good positive support system try
our group free for 30 days. It has changed many
lives. You so deserve it.
Last update
August 22, 2009
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