Addiction Info - Prescription Drugs
(OxyContin, Darvon, Vicodin, Dilaudid, Demerol, Lomotil, Xanax, Valium)Prescription drugs are often an unmentioned arena of addiction, though the patterns of loss & destruction wrought by Rx drugs are no less threatening than crack cocaine or heroin.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse estimates that more than nine million people in the US use prescription drugs for non-medical purposes.
Painkillers. Anti-anxiety. Uppers. Downers. Sleeping aids.
Many become addicted to this class of drugs following a legitimate prescription following an accident or surgery. Addiction begins, and the cycle of taking the pills to answer the addiction follows. “I take the pill…I feel good!” we hear the addicted say. It’s this connection which leads to addiction. Thus, the cycle of craving, use and then regret begin to become the new ‘normal’.
For many who have become addicted to prescription drugs, a medically supervised detox is imperative, as going “cold turkey” can be very dangerous. Several classes of prescription drugs require a medically supervised detox.Over time, as tolerance builds, the effects of Rx medications on each individual may vary, yet as highly addictive drugs, cravings will continue while major physical costs mount.
Life becomes more and more unmanageable. The things lost become more important & valuable.
The cycle of addiction can be broken – and it begins with getting the addicted individual in to treatment. The recovery process will begin for the entire intervention network.
