Drug Abuse and Addiction

It’s these quiet, progressive changes that make prescription drug addiction especially dangerous. Unlike illegal drug use, which may set off obvious alarm bells, misuse of legally prescribed medication can go unnoticed for months, or even years. In this post, we’ll walk through what prescription drug addiction looks like, the effects it can have on your body and mind, and how to seek help before it’s too late. In order to purchase a prescription drug, you need a prescription from a licensed doctor or physician. For many people, prescription medications are beneficial and even life-saving.

Addiction Treatment

• Prior to completion of a formal addiction treatment program, the treatment team will devise an aftercare plan for the client.
• Stimulant abuse is becoming more and more prevalent in the younger generations who feel they must do more, be better, or be faster.
• But as the drug wears off, they’ll sometimes slip into a state of depression and not be friendly to others.
• When prescription drug abuse takes hold, professional treatment offers a way out.

Treatment plans need to be reviewed often and modified to fit the patient’s changing needs. It occurs when you use alcohol, prescription medicine, and other legal and illegal substances too much or in the wrong way. While some individuals may not show many outward signs of abuse, most people exhibit some indications that should trigger further consideration among friends and loved ones. Drug dependence is usually defined as causing tolerance and withdrawal–the physical effects.

Commonly Abused Drugs

Medications work in a variety of ways, and fall into several different categories, typically based on the system or disorder they treat. Prescription drug abuse is a serious problem in the United States, and understanding its signs and symptoms can help to identify people who may need help. Many prescription drugs are abused in order to achieve feelings of euphoria or relaxation, so it’s important to be aware of any changes in behavior that could indicate a problem.

• This can lead to the ongoing desire to have euphoric effects, leading to opioid misuse and dependence.
• The medications that tend to have higher rates of prescription drug addiction are sedatives, opioids, and stimulants.
• You may start abusing prescription drugs to relieve pain, cope with panic attacks, or improve concentration at school or work.
• For example, the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids shared the story of John who fell victim to drug abuse when he was prescribed Vicodin for a back injury.
• We provide in-clinic, on-site, and behavioral health support services across the region.
• When a loved one can identify the potential signs, it fosters the ability to encourage someone who is struggling to seek professional help.

How does codeine make people feel?

At this point, an signs of prescription drug abuse individual may continue taking opioids even though they no longer need them for pain relief, or will turn to illegal opiates like heroin to continue their addiction. Depressants, stimulants, and opioids are commonly abused because they affect the brain’s chemistry. These changes to brain function may be beneficial – for example, benzodiazepines can produce feelings of calm and relaxation that help those suffering from anxiety function normally.

• It can also cost them a fortune, especially if they need to take higher doses of drugs to achieve the same high.
• There are a number of physical, psychological, and behavioral signs and symptoms that can indicate an addiction to prescription drugs.
• It is imperative to understand the signs and symptoms of a potential opiate addiction and act quickly to address it.
• A 2007 study by researchers at the University of Michigan examined the prevalence of substance abuse in college students by race.
• Depressants, also called sedatives or tranquilizers, are essentially the opposite of stimulants.

Addictions

Withdrawal symptoms can include depression, tiredness, increased appetite, insomnia, slowed thinking and movement, Sober living home and restlessness. Aerosols are inhalants, substances that produce intoxicating chemical vapors. Inhalants are products easily bought and found at home, school, or the workplace, such as spray paints, deodorant and hair sprays, vegetable oil sprays for cooking, and fabric protector sprays.