Study Shows Leap in Prescription Drug Abuse
The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse reports that abuse of prescription drugs has nearly doubled.
(PRWEB) July 12, 2005 -- Many of us were raised to think that there are such
things as good drugs, like different types of over the counter and prescription
drugs, and bad drugs like cocaine, meth, heroin or LSD. The simple fact is that
they are all still drugs and all drugs have immediate and long-term side
effects.
A new study from the National Center on Addiction and Substance
Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University found that the 15.1 million Americans
abusing prescription drugs exceed the combined number abusing cocaine,
hallucinogens, inhalants and heroin.
The CASA report reveals the findings
of a three-year study of prescription painkillers, depressants and stimulants.
The study found that while the U.S. population increased 14 percent from 1992 to
2003, the number of 12-17 year olds abusing prescription drugs leapt 212 percent
and the number of adults doing so rose 81 percent. The total number of Americans
abusing prescription drugs went from 7.8 million to 15.1 million.
Most
drugs simply mask the pain and discomfort for which they are taken and don't
actually "cure" anything. Aspirin, for example, doesn't cure a headache. It
simply "short circuits" the person's ability to get the pain messages coming
from the cause of the headache. The nutritional deficiency or physical problem
that originally caused the headache is still there, but it is temporarily no
longer perceived by the drug user. Usually, when the drug wears off, the ache
returns and will often be more severe because the original problem was masked or
hidden and not directly addressed or handled.
Additional disturbing
information from the CASA study shows that teens who abuse prescription drugs
are twice as likely to use alcohol, five times likelier to use marijuana, 12
times likelier to use heroin, 15 times likelier to use Ecstasy and 21 times
likelier to use cocaine, compared to teens who do not abuse such
drugs.
Some major factors contributing to the increase in prescription
drugs of young and old alike is the availability and promotion of them. The
airwaves, newsprint and internet are filled with advertisements for prescription
drugs and the prescriptions themselves are fairly easy to obtain. Most people
don’t view these drugs as being as harmful as street drugs, despite the similar
chemical make-up, side effects and abuse potential.
The fact that all
drugs are essentially poisons and can be harmful is a message that Narconon
Arrowhead has been sending out to people for many years. As one of the nation’s
largest and most successful drug rehabilitation and education programs, the
center has seen an increase of clients needing treatment for prescription drug
abuse.
Narconon® literally means NARCOtics-NONe, and the effective
program uses the drug-free rehabilitation methodology of American author and
humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard to help thousands of people across the country each
year through treatment and prevention campaigns.
For more information
about drugs and addiction contact Narconon Arrowhead today by calling
1-800-468-6933 or visit www.stopaddiction.com.
For more details on the recent
study from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse log on to www.casacolumbia.org.
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/7/prweb260254.htm