Addiction

Addiction to Prescription Drugs in America

By April 28, 2015No Comments

The Numbers Remain High for Individuals With an Addiction to Prescription Drugs

addiction Rates of misuse and abuse of prescription drugs still remains high in America today. A staggering 52 million Americans aged 12 and over have taken prescription drugs for non-medical reasons at some point. This often leads to abuse and addiction for many of the individuals.

Once the stories of abuse and addiction leave the front page, it’s easy to forget that such a problem exists. Most Americans have little idea of the magnitude of the remaining problem. The tens of millions who have ever misused a prescription drug represent just one part of this epidemic. Experts also see that more than 6 million Americans have abused prescribed medications in just the past 30 days.

The most frequently abused drugs are on the list of those most often prescribed in our country: painkillers (5.1 million), sedatives (2.2 million) and stimulants (1.1 million). Opioid painkillers, anti-anxiety medications and sleep aids and drugs used to treat ADHD are at the top of the list of misused prescriptions even today. These drugs are highly addictive. So when you have high numbers of abuse, this can lead to higher numbers of addiction as individuals continue to abuse the drugs on a consistent basis.

Other news stories may have taken over the headlines, but the problem of prescription drug addiction remains. Fortunately, addiction to prescription drugs is a treatable concern. With intervention and treatment, young people, adults and older people can start on a journey to recovery from prescription drug abuse. If this describes you or someone you love, contact Family Guidance Center and let us help you. Hope is real and healing is possible.