'Sharing' Drugs: An Indicator of Prescription Drug Addiction

When your friend asks to share your burger, follow the kindergarten rules and share. It will make you both feel good. However, if your friend asks to share your Vicodin prescription because she "couldn't get to the doctor to get her own," know that you may be facing someone with an addiction problem. They may already be in need of a good drug rehab program

The Bucks County Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependency held a symposium to address the growing prescription drug misuse problem. The findings might surprise you. In this area of Pennsylvania, prescription drugs are abused at a more frequent rate than illegal drugs. The days of the drug dealer lurking in dark alleys may be coming to an end. Nearly half of prescription drug abusers get their drugs from a friend or family member, at cost or for free.

The most commonly abused drugs are Oxycontin, Vicodin, Ritalin, Xanax and Percocet. These drugs are typically prescribed for pain relief, anxiety disorders and sleep problems. Some are even prescribed "off label" meaning they are given for something other than they were originally intended.

Officials find that there is not a general concern over prescription drug abuse. With the medical community saying the drugs are ok and with the easy availability of them (many right in the family medicine cabinet), these drugs are becoming the most troublesome. Add in the fact that they are easily ingested, no need for a needle or pipe, and it is easier to see why many people seem quite passive about the problem.

Aside from obtaining these drugs from a friend, the symposium also found that 20% of the prescription are obtained from doctors willing to be lax in their prescribing (as in, not seeing the patient at all) or from criminals who are illegally using a doctor's Drug Enforcement Agency license number.

Though law enforcement officials have set up monitoring programs to find and identify doctors who are over-prescribing these controlled substances, so many people are already affected that the only hope now is effective drug rehab. Don't let someone you love get lost in the cycle of addiction. If you suspect someone you love may be struggling with prescription drug addiction, contact Drug Rehab Referral now.