In America, prescription medications are the second most widely abused substances, right after marijuana. Using prescription medications for non-medical purposes is becoming increasingly common for both adolescents and young adults. This is raising concerns among parents and health professionals. The most-abused prescriptions are opioid painkillers (Percocet, Vicodin, Lortab, and oxycodone), sedatives, and hypnotics (Xanax and Ambien), and ADHD drugs (Ritalin, Dexedrine, or Adderall). At Liberty Bay Recovery, we provide prescription drug addiction treatment in Portland Maine through our painkiller rehab center and our oxycodone addiction treatment center.
Although these medications can be invaluable to health and well-being, they can be extremely dangerous if they are misused. Large doses and other forms of misuse can have serious consequences for the mind and body and may even be fatal. The standards of prescription drug abuse involve using drugs for recreational or other non-medical purposes or taking prescription drugs that belong to someone else. When prescription drug abuse starts taking its toll on you or someone you care about, it’s important to seek help as soon as possible. The caring and experienced staff at Liberty Bay Recovery are ready to help those struggling with addiction reclaim control over their lives.
What Is Prescription Drug Abuse?
Prescription drug abuse is defined as a routine of using prescription medications that cause damage to any area of an individual’s life, such as work, school, family, or intimate relationships. As mentioned, opioid painkillers, sedatives, and stimulants are the most widely abused prescription drugs. If the problem remains untreated, then addiction and declining health may result. Of course, prescription drug addiction treatment Portland trusts can help you or a loved one overcome prescription drug abuse.
Drug Addiction Signs
The most common signs of prescription drug abuse include the following:
- Arrests or convictions for drug-related crimes
- Increasingly poor performance at school or work
- Failing to show up for important meetings or appointments and missing deadlines
- Neglecting work, school, or domestic responsibilities
- Increasing isolation from friends and loved ones
- Lying about or denying drug abuse
- Sudden and otherwise unexplained health problems
- Strained relationships with family, friends, and significant others
- Risky behaviors such as impaired driving and unprotected or promiscuous sex
- Maintaining drug abuse even in the face of severe negative effects
Prescription Drug Addiction
Clinicians at a prescription drug addiction treatment center structure recovery programs for prescription drug abuse to help people quit abusing these substances. These programs may be on-site (inpatient) or off-site (outpatient). They typically involve counseling, life skills and coping education, relapse prevention, diet management, and stress management education. In many cases, people who abuse drugs reap benefits from outpatient treatments that analyze their drug usage and design a custom plan to fit the individual’s unique needs and situation.
Prescription Drug Dependency
Prescription drug dependency is a health problem that becomes worse over time, eventually resulting in drug-seeking behavior. The four primary symptoms of this involve the following:
- Cravings: The person becomes preoccupied with the drug and experiences overwhelming urges to use it.
- Loss of Self-Control: Once drug use has started, the individual finds it impossible to resist.
- Tolerance: Chemical alterations in the brain and body mean a person needs progressively larger doses to achieve the same effect from the drug.
- Physical Dependency: The same chemical alterations mean that the person begins to actually require the drug to function normally. If the need is not fulfilled, unpleasant and often severe withdrawal symptoms occur.
Some people think that because doctors prescribe these medications, they have little or no potential for harm. Unfortunately, this isn’t true. Any substance can cause harm if a person uses it improperly, and some prescription medications are more likely to cause addiction than others.
Trust from a professional drug rehab center is necessary to overcome prescription drug dependency successfully. Without this essential service, individuals who abuse prescription drugs might wind up in prison, the hospital, or a psychiatric institution, and their drug use may even kill them. Far from being an issue of willpower or self-control, prescription drug dependency is a psychological disease that, with help, can be managed.
What Are the Risk Factors?
Dependence on prescription medications impacts people regardless of their income, race, religion, age, or gender. Some of the biggest risk factors include the following:
- Positive or neutral feelings toward alcohol and drugs
- History of other forms of addiction
- Past emotional, physical, or sexual abuse
- Growing up in a dysfunctional household
- Family members with substance abuse problems
- Strained relationships with friends and loved ones
- Psychological disorders such as depression, anxiety, or psychosis
- Pressure from friends and peers
Many factors can contribute to prescription drug abuse, but it’s impossible to determine who will develop the problem. If you notice any of these warning signs in yourself or someone you care about, then now is the time to consider seeking addiction treatment services.
How to Rehabilitate
It is important for a doctor to monitor the rehabilitation process in order to control the symptoms of withdrawal, while also controlling the person’s relapse risk. The withdrawal symptoms a person experiences will depend on which drug or drugs they used. The amount of time rehab takes can vary and might take several weeks. The person’s current health, previous history of substance abuse, and several other factors all play into the length of a program.
Contact Liberty Bay Recovery
Liberty Bay Recovery offers prescription drug addiction treatment that Portland, Maine trusts. Our program is designed to address each facet of addiction to prescription drugs and its treatment. We approach each case on an individual level. This enables our staff to not only address the causes of the addiction but also help guarantee the patient’s continued drug abstinence and their ability to rejoin society. Contact us today by calling 866-824-5276 to learn more.
