Drug Addiction in a Bottle

Drug Addiction in a Bottle

In 2009 more people died from prescription drug overdoses then in car crashes. The centers for Disease Control states that 37,000 died in 20009 from accidental drug overdoses. Painkillers that are opiate based such as Vicodin, Percocet and OxyContin are the most abused prescription drugs throughout the country. One reason why prescription drugs are so widely abused is because they are so accessible. Teenagers and young adults are able to get the pills in their parent’s medicine cabinets. Some individuals go from doctor to doctor (doctor shopping) getting prescriptions or get them from pain management clinics which have gained the reputation of being a source for people to support their addiction. It is also not uncommon for individuals who suffer from addiction to obtain their drugs through means of the internet. Websites selling prescription drugs are surfacing on the internet regularly. The government is working diligently to prevent how easy it is for people to get their hands on prescription drugs. Law enforcement has created databases that doctors now have to use to log every prescription they prescribe. Beginning on October 1, doctors will also be required to write their prescriptions on new security prescription pads to prevent people from writing fake ones. Despite all of these efforts addiction to prescription drugs continues to be a growing problem. Because prescription drugs are prescribed by doctors they are often not viewed as dangerous as illegal street drugs like heroin. That is a misconception. Prescription drugs have led millions of people down the dark road of addiction and without professional help it can be nearly impossible to reverse the downward spiral. Left untreated prescription drug abuse can lead to numerous health issues including death. Just because they come in a bottle with a doctor’s name on it does not mean prescriptions are safe.  The risk that is involved with prescription drugs should not be ignored.