Prescription Drug
Addiction
Prescription Drug
Addictions may be defined as a pattern of compulsive
drug use that’s characterized by a continued craving for
drugs and the need to use these drugs for psychological
effects or mood alterations. Abusers of prescription
drugs generally find that they need these drugs to feel
‘normal’. Users will exhibit drug seeking behaviors and
are often preoccupied with obtaining and using drugs of
their choice. The methods in which users obtain their
drugs may be through legal or illegal channels and
sources.
The American Society of Addiction Medicine
considers addiction:
“a disease process characterized by
the continued use of a specific psychoactive substance
despite physical, psychological or social harm.”
If these types of drugs are stopped abruptly, the
dependent person will usually go through ‘withdrawal’
(much like people who quit smoking) because the body is
no longer receiving the outside source of the ‘chemical’
it has grown to expect.
The risk for addiction is greatest amongst women,
adolescents and the elderly. The list that follows is
also considered ‘high risk factors’ when looking at drug
addictions: fatigue or overwork, poverty, depression,
medical condition that requires pain medication,
excessive alcohol consumption and family history of
addiction. Statistically speaking, women are two to
three times more likely to be prescribed drugs such as a
sedative and they are about two times more likely to
become addicted to the substance. Next, seniors take
more drugs than the rest of the population, increasing
their odds of becoming addicted. Finally, recent studies
have shown that the sharpest increase of users of prescription drugs for non-medical purposes occur in the
12 to 17 and 18-25 age groups.
As you can see from the statistics people of all ages
all across the world are affected by prescription drugs.
If you’re looking for un-biased opinions and free
informational articles on prescription drugs feel free
to browse through our site, or find out more about the most common prescription drug adictions below.
Common Types of Prescription Drug Addictions:
• Morphine Addiction
• Methemphetamine Addiction
• Hydrocodone Addiction
• Codeine Addiction
• Retalin Addiction
• Demerol Addiction
• Methadone Addiction
• vicodin addiction
• xanax addiction
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