Prescription Dependency, Prescription Drug Addiction, & Prescription Drug Abuse Information
November 2004 - GCR Newsletter

Although prescription medications are considered legal drugs, problems can arise when people take these drugs without a prescription, or become addicted to them. Prescription dependency affects all different types of people no matter their age, race, gender or socioeconomic status. In recent years prescription drug abuse has been popularized through the media and people with celebrity status having this problem. In many cases prescription drug abuse cannot be stopped or prevented if the person with the problem knows a doctor or pharmacist willing to over prescribe their medications. In addition prescription drugs are not illegal to have unless they are in very large amounts. Prescription dependency is often very hard to detect because people usually take their medications in relatively private settings. These pills do not usually smell or taste like anything and cannot be sensed by people around the user.

One of the only ways to know if someone is dependent on prescription drugs is to see them take them or see the effects of the drugs on the person. Because there are a variety of prescription drugs that people become addicted to, there are also a variety of different symptoms that come with each drug. Some people may be dependent on uppers such as Ritalin or Adderall, and others on downers/depressants such as Oxycontin and Vicodin, each drug comes with its own set of symptoms. In addition to being hard to detect, prescription dependency is also hard to confront. Many people do not believe they are doing anything wrong because at one point the drugs were available to them without consequence. If they do know something is wrong, they are usually in denial about how much the drugs have been affecting them. Prescription dependency is a condition that can be treated if the person is willing to get help. Because prescription drugs come in a pill form just like aspirin or any other over-the-counter medication, people believe that they are not as harmful or addictive.

People who become dependent on prescription drugs have a very difficult time stopping their use without the help of an outside force. More commonly people have a hard time admitting that they even have a problem. Some people come out of denial themselves because the drugs stop taking away their emotional pain, however some people must have their loved ones or their doctor confront them about a problem. In some cases an intervention may be necessary, however some people can be convinced that they need to get help. Prescription drug addicts have a difficult time even after they have gone through a treatment program because their drugs of choice or a variety of them can be found in practically anyone’s medicine cabinet. While relapse is a problem that may come up for some addicts, many treatment programs offer substantive relapse prevention programs, classes and workshops as well as aftercare support options that can help with these problems.

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