One of the serious health problems in the US is the abuse and nonmedical use of prescription drugs. The numbers won’t lie, as there are 52 million people who take prescription medications for non-medical reasons. Those under this group are young people, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) survey entitled Monitoring the Future.
Senior high school students are found out that 1 out of 12 use prescription pain reliever called Vicodin for nonmedical use. Meanwhile, 1 out of 20 students were found to abuse OxyContin that makes these medications highly abused by adolescents.
Side-Effects of Abusing Prescription Drugs
Prescription drugs such as stimulants, opioids, and depressants may lead to various adverse health effects which include addiction. However, prescription drug abuse may differ in according to age and gender, among other factors. The sad thing about this is that the deaths due to unintentional overdose of prescription drugs such as opioid painkillers quadrupled as of 1999. In fact, it has allegedly outnumbered those that involve cocaine and heroin addiction.
Prescription Drug Abuse Treatment Methodology
When referring a child to a treatment center, it is important to know what to look for. This is due to the fact that not all treatments are designed equally. According to the NIDA, choosing a program must involve treatment methods that have strong scientific evidence. Additionally, it is crucial to note whether it has customized treatments to the individual needs of a particular patient. One good example is to look into the background and history of the patient with drug abuse.
Likewise, it is important to note that when choosing a treatment program must use a combinational approach on therapy. This must be able to address the detoxification and the continuing treatment of the patient.
Role of the Family in the Treatment Process
The NIDA also encourages the families of the victim to consider substance abuse to be tantamount to chronic disorders including asthma and heart disease. For this reason, it is essential to keep the connection to the community since a local support group is important.
Drug Abuse as a Social Issue
According to the NIDA director, it is difficult to determine the greater impact of prescription drug addiction if the social issues of the individual aren’t given any attention. For this reason, it is best to address substance abuse as a disorder from the perspective of the whole person.
Research on Early Warning Signs
The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse is focused on researching to uncover the link that exists between behavioral traits and substance abuse. This will eventually provide parents with the essential warning signs to avoid getting their children to addiction.
It is also their effort to determine if the treatment methods being used works or not. Hence, it is their responsibility to inform healthcare providers and individuals regarding their findings.
Moreover, the National Institute of Health provides resources that should fit adults, children, and young adults who are suffering from prescription medication abuse. This can be done with the use of diagnoses, tests, medications, and similar options for therapy.
Reference
http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/10/health/iyw-prescription-drug-abuse-how-to-help-health/