Pill Addiction
Anthony Duong
University of Texas at El Paso
Abstract
Prescription drug addiction is a rising problem not only within the communities but also around the whole world. Spreading awareness is the first step to ridding a problem all together. That is the purpose of this paper, to spread awareness to this growing problem within the community. To bring awareness to the community, information such as why and how are people getting addicted to these prescription drugs, must be presented. Then solutions can be made to fight this addiction to prescription drugs.
Pill Addiction
Addiction. The word alone sounds menacing. When thought about the substance of addiction is what is actually gives the word its reputation. Upon hearing the word many people automatically think of drugs, the most common ones being marijuana, cocaine, and ecstasy. However, there are other drugs that are highly addictive such as pharmaceutical drugs, both prescription and over the counter. Prescription drug abuse is actually very common; it comes in second most frequently abused drug, behind marijuana and ahead of cocaine and other drugs. Among the population of the United States, nearly 20 percent use prescription drugs for non-medical uses. This increasing problem has a wide spread of victims: the youth, young adults, adults, and even the elderly. With 1/5 of the population under the grip of prescription drug addiction, one can only think, “Why and how is this happening, and what can the community do to prevent it?”
With 20 percent of the population addicted to prescription medication, people begin wonder why people take these prescription drugs repeatedly, and how do they get addicted. The reasons why people take the drugs depend mainly depend on their age. Teenagers and young adults take prescription drugs because they think that they will enhance their looks, their athletic ability, or their academic life. Major drugs that are commonly abused by this age group are Prescription painkillers, Oxycontin and Vicoden for example, and ADHD medication such as Ritalin. Young adults, especially college students, take Ritalin due to their need for better performance. They use it as a means to focus more. They procrastinate so much until they have multiple papers due the next morning as well as a couple of finals or midterms. It may seem impossible but with Ritalin, it becomes very simple (McBride, 2009). Others take Ritalin to constantly stay focused in order to keep ahead of their academic life. However, these students don’t realize that they risk addiction with just the first pill. Other young adults take the Ritalin because they here rumors that they will benefit their appearance. One may here that taking Ritalin will make hunger signals less frequent, thus ensuring weight loss (Kids Health). These small misconceptions can lead to serious addiction. Oxycontin and other prescription painkillers are taken mainly for experimental purposes. Teenagers find the medication in their parent’s medicine cabinet and just decide to try it out of curiosity. They think that the pills are safe because they were prescribed by a doctor and because their parents and siblings may use them as well. Taking one pill can cause serious addiction to occur. This is because prescription painkillers such as oxycontin affect the same area as heroin (Above the Influence). Overall, teenagers and young adults have an increased chance of getting addicted just after taking their first pill.
Adults and the elderly normally take prescription drugs for pain but too often take them in the wrong dosage thinking that the pain will go away faster if the take more. In truth the effect will stay the same but the amount ingested increases. With increased intake, addiction is more likely to occur. With every extra pill taken the more dependent they will become on the painkiller.
Statistics done by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) show that:
· Between 1985 and 2000, the number of young people ages 12 to 25 who abused prescription painkillers such as oxycodone (Oxycontin) or hydrocodone (Vicodin) for the first time rose from 400,000 to two million (McBride, 2009).
· Between 1998 and 2000, the number of emergency room visits related to the improper use of Vicodin rose 48 percent, while the number of ER visits due to OxyContin increased by 108 percent (McBride, 2009).
· Prescriptions for ADHD medications increased by 72 percent between 1995 and 2000 (McBride, 2009).
After looking at these astonishing statistics another question rises: “How are the addicts obtaining the prescriptions?” Teenagers and young adults can obtain Ritalin from siblings who have ADHD or from friends who also have it. They can also get them from people who sell them on the streets (Inciardi, 2010). Oxycontin can be received in a number of ways. Teens and young adults can get them from their own homes. Parents who have been prescribed with Oxycontin or Vicoden tend to leave left over pills in the medicine cabinet “just in case.” This gives their children the chance to use and share them. They can also obtain them through online pharmacies. These pharmacies require very little of the purchaser, all they need is a credit card (Inciardi, 2010).
Teens trying to get Oxycontin seem to have it easy, but it is the adults who can get the drug in almost a heartbeat. All adults have to do is go to their physician and complain of pain. Their physicians would then write a prescription for the painkillers and they would just pick it up. Doctors initially prescribed opioids to patients that have gone through surgery or are in the process of a painful cancer treatment. They worked wonders for the patients but it came with a cost. Soon patients became addicted and kept going to their doctors for more. As time progressed, patients with minor back pains are even prescribed Oxycontin or Vicoden (Kluger, 2010).
With such easy access to these prescription drugs, addiction is almost guaranteed. The first pill is all it takes to set addiction into motion. In the first take of the pill, it begins to react with our brain by manipulating the brain’s communication of signals. Drugs such as Oxycontin and Vicoden mimic theses signals (also known as neurotransmitters) that are sent through the nerves and activate the receptors for these signals (Above the Influence). All drugs target the brains reward system by giving the brain dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter in the brain that controls many things including pleasure. The drugs activate this and it gives our brain what it likes; the drug is essentially giving the brain a reward of pleasure. “Whenever this reward circuit is activated, the brain notes that something important is happening that needs to be remembered, and teaches us to do it again and again…” (Above the Influence). All this occurs within the first use of the drug. Since the brain will continue to send out signals to keep doing the drug, the person will eventually become an addict.
The consequences of becoming an addict are severe. Sudden abstinence from the substance will cause withdrawal. Dependency on the drug become inevitable, and the drug takes over the person’s life. They start to live their lives for the drug; all of their actions are to obtain the drug. Some addicts even go to the extremes to get the drugs. In a recent issue of Windspeaker, J Hansford interviews three ex-addicts in an attempt to learn their stories. The ex-addicts explain their life as addicts and tell how the drug takes over their lives. One of the ex-addicts began his story with is first pill. He started using drugs due to sexual abuse he experienced as a child. His first encounter with a pill was when he experienced a migraine. It was the first step to a better life, so he thought. He continued to take the prescription drugs and became an addict. He would give anything to get a pill; he stole from family, pawned everything he had, and even went as far as making a friend go bankrupt. The other two addicts had similar experiences due to their life on the streets. The difficulty they went through because of the drug. One of the ex-addicts summarized his past life with this one statement, “It takes the pain away… you have no emotion.” (Hansford, 2010).
Some addicts go to even more extremes to get their pills; they go far beyond stealing from family or friends. An article done by Abby Goodnough of the NY Times explains these extremes. According to the article crimes involving prescription drugs have greatly increased with prescription painkillers such as Oxycontin and Vicoden being the main driving force for these crimes. The crimes come in a large variety ranging from home invasions, robberies, assaults, thefts, and even homicide. In Maine, “…a masked man broke into the home of a 77-year-old woman in June, knocked her to the ground and snatched her Oxycontin pills at knifepoint.” Another incident occurred in Massachusetts, “…three men armed with a knife, a bat and a revolver broke into a home in 2008, bound the owner’s hands and feet with duct tape and tore through drawers and cabinets until they found her husband’s Oxycontin.”(Goodnough, 2010). Once addiction occurs, the addict feels that he needs the drug to continue living. Extreme crimes occur because of the intense need for the drug. The effects of addiction not only affect the people who abuse the substance, but also their family, friends, and their community.
As the crimes get more and more aggressive, we want to know how can we prevent these things from happening. Many organizations, such as Above the Influence, and online websites such as prescription-drug-abuse.org, try to help individuals by spreading awareness and giving numbers for guidance. The first step to prevent addiction is by spreading information about the harsh realities of addiction. They also put up information on how to prevent addiction all together. Information such as disposing of left over prescription drugs and taking the drugs as prescribed. Disposal of the left over pills prevent young adults from trying the medication as well as distributing them to friends. In the past communities have had “take-back days” where people could dispose of their left over medication. Authorities were in certain places around the community so that people could turn in their medication to the location closest to them.
In conclusion, the reason why people get addicted to prescription drugs is because they think that they will enhance their performance and their outer appearance. They also get addicted to them because they take the medication in the wrong dosage, thinking that the effects of the pill will appear quicker. The easy access to the prescription drugs contributes to how people are getting addicted. Online pharmacies allow teenagers to purchase prescription drugs without a prescription. Doctors prescribe painkillers to patients who just complain about pain. This easy distribution of medication makes it easier for addicts to receive medication. It also raises the crime rates within the community, affecting not only family and friend, but the community as well. Agencies such as Above the Influence try to reduce addiction and the consequences that come with it. Communities could also set city wide events to spread awareness of the issue and even have an event similar to “take-back day.”
References:
Goodnough, A. (2010, September 23). A wave of addiction and crime, with the medicine cabinet to blame. Retrieved October 6, 2010, from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/24/us/24drugs.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=prescription%20drug%20addiction&st=cse
Hansford, J. (2010). Prescription medicines lead to lives with addictions. Windspeaker, 27(10), 24.
Inciardi, J. A., Surratt, H. L., Cicero, T. J., Rosenblum, A., Ahwah, C., Bailey, J., & Dart, R. C., Burke, J. J. (2010). Prescription drugs purchased through the internet: who are the end users? [Electronic version]. DRUG AND ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE, 110(1-2), 21-29.
Kluger, J. (2010, September 13). The new drug crisis: addiction by prescription. Retrieved October 1, 2010, from Academic Search Complete .
McBride, H. C. (2009, November). Why are so many young people risking their health by abusing adhd medications?. Retrieved September 30, 2010, from http://www.prescription-drug-abuse.org/prescription_drug_abuse_features/why-are-so-many-young-people-risking-their-health-by-abusing-adhd-medications.php
Prescription Drug Abuse. (n.d.). Retrieved October 6, 2010, from http://kidshealth.org/teen/drug_alcohol/drugs/prescription_drug_abuse.html#
The science behind drug use and addiction.. (n.d.). Retrieved October 3, 2010, from http://www.abovetheinfluence.com/facts/science-behind-addiction.aspx
Lauren C. (May 28, 2008) Pluggers: Have You No SHAME?! Retrieved from http://blonderandthinner.blogspot.com/2008/05/pluggers-have-you-no-shame.html
