Dangers of Prescription Drug Abuse - Bay Area Drug & Alcohol Rehab

There is No Safe ‘Extra’ Amount of Prescription Painkillers

| Have you ever taken an extra dose of a painkiller to help with your aches and pains? Maybe you’ve taken another person’s prescribed antidepressant to help with anxiety, or a sedative for sleep? Did you ever drink alcohol with a drug you weren’t supposed to?

Prescription Drug Misuse is Quickly a Slippery Slope

Prescription drug misuse and abuse is a slippery slope that people all too often find themselves falling into. While some can recognize the problem quickly and correct the situation before it has escalated into a true addiction, many times abusers are unable to stop themselves once they’ve started – leading to addiction and dependency.

Prescription Drug Frequent Abuse – OxyContin, Vicodin, Valium, Ativan

The most frequently misused medications today are opioid painkillers (OxyContin and Vicodin); central nervous system (CNS) depressants used for anxiety and sleep disorders (Valium and Ativan); and stimulants that treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and narcolepsy.

OxyContin has been frequently cited as a prime element in the current opioid abuse crisis. For details on how the current opioid crisis began, see the LA Times article, ‘You want a description of hell?’ OxyContin’s 12-hour problem.

For details on side effects of Vicodin and other prescription pain relievers, see the WebMD Vicodin description.

Whatever your motivation – whether you “borrow” someone else’s sedative to get through a flight, or purchase them illegally after your doctor will no longer refill your prescription – misusing a prescription drug can have dangerous consequences.

Ongoing Opioid Use and Rapid Addiction

Taken exactly as prescribed, pain relievers can manage pain effectively. But chronic use or misuse of opioids can quickly result in physical dependence and addiction. Dependence means that the body adapts to the presence of the drug, and withdrawal symptoms occur if use is reduced or stopped. Tolerance to the drugs’ effects also occurs with long-term use, so a person misusing prescription opioids must take higher doses to achieve the same or similar effects as experienced initially. Addiction is a chronic, relapsing disorder characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use.

The epidemic of prescription opioid misuse and abuse has led to increased use of heroin.

Prescription Does Not Mean ‘Safe’

Abusing prescription drugs can lead to health problems, addition, accidents, legal trouble, family problems and even death. Just because it’s a prescribed drug, either for yourself or someone else, doesn’t mean it won’t have serious consequences to your health.

If you find yourself or a loved one succumbing to the pitfalls of drugs abuse, now is the time to look into an addiction treatment rehab from New Start Recovery Solutions.

Screening, Addiction Assessment, Intervention

New Start Recovery Solutions provides comprehensive screening and addiction assessment to individuals and families to assure placement into the appropriate level of treatment to start a full and successful recovery.

Dual Diagnosis Addiction Treatment

If you think you may be suffering from addiction, as well as PTSD, depression, trauma or other mental health issue (dual diagnosis) – please know that seeking help is the first step to addiction recovery and regaining control of your life.

Currently, New Start Recovery Solutions has very successful dual diagnosis addiction treatment programs in the Northern California area of the East Bay, San Jose, Sacramento, Walnut Creek and Chico.

The Road to Recovery Begins at New Start Recovery Solutions

Please Contact New Start Recovery Solutions to:

Schedule an Addiction Intervention
Schedule an Addiction Assessment
Schedule Detox
Learn More about our Addiction Treatment Programs
Learn More About our Court Liaison Services and Alternative Sentencing Programs.

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