Lots of folks who get hooked on prescription drugs did not actually mean to become addicts. The pill-taking starts for legitimate medical reasons, and then it spirals out of control. If you are ready to take back your life, or the life of your loved one, from the grip of addictive pills. Prescription drugs are perfectly legal, but they could turn out to be damaging too. Under certain circumstances, prescription drugs such as painkillers and anti-anxiety medications can be both safe and appropriate.
Prescription drug users get into trouble is when they try to use the pills to experience feelings of euphoria or relaxation to treat problems that the pills were not intended for. Prescription drug addiction begins with the thought, such as “These pills did a great job at making my pain go away. Maybe, they will also help me deal with my emotional pain.”
As prescription drugs have become more and more available in our society, the deadly problem of prescription drug abuse has grown intensely. An estimated 6.9 million people ages 12 and older use prescription medications for non-medical reasons. The drugs abused included pain relievers, which are the most common, tranquilizers, stimulants, and sedatives.
Remember that just because it is legal does not mean the prescription drug will not kill you. The most important thing to understand about this type of drug abuse is that it is almost identical to other forms of illegal drug abuse like cocaine, heroin, etc. Just like cocaine can cost your career, ruin your marriage, and ultimately put you in the morgue through an overdose, prescription pill-popping can do the same thing. In fact, this way of using prescription drugs causes more deaths than heroin and cocaine combined, according to the U.S. DEA.
If you or your loved one is suffering from prescription drug addiction, call a treatment center because these pills are dangerous; the decision to delay seeking addiction recovery treatment could ultimately be a fatal mistake. At professional treatment centers like Alta Centers, you will find effective addiction treatment programs, which are perfect for one’s location, health insurance, and other specific needs.
There’s a reason that prescription drug addicts go to extremes such as “doctor shopping” or digging through a friend’s medicine cabinet; these pills are extraordinarily addictive. Prescription opiates such as hydrocodone are in the same opiate family of drugs as heroin. This is serious stuff, and it demands serious, medically-assisted treatment.
One of the most important features of treatment centers is the help you will receive during the first few days of sobriety, i.e., the detox period when drug withdrawal symptoms will kick in. These symptoms can be physical illness, mood swings, depression, and aggression.
Along with easing the withdrawal symptoms, prescription drug addiction treatment programs will also help you get to the root causes of your addiction through individual and group therapy sessions. In this way, you can leave your rehab stay with the solid foundation and resources necessary to prevent relapse.