In the fight against drug addiction in Oklahoma, it’s vital to know what drugs are actually causing the biggest problems. You might think that famous illegal drugs like cocaine and heroin are the most dangerous drugs, but the truth is far more surprising. It turns out that prescription drugs are killing far more Oklahoma citizens than their illegal cousins. More than four out of every five drug overdose deaths in Oklahoma is due to prescription drugs, not illegal street drugs.
There are many reasons that prescription drug abuse is spreading through the state, and the residents of Oklahoma need to put attention on the issue now before the problem gets even worse. Narconon Arrowhead is helping shed light on prescription abuse so that the tide can be turned around right now.
Getting Hooked on Prescription Pills Accidentally
Many prescription drug addicts don’t set out to abuse drugs. They start out being prescribed drugs by their doctors and think that these pills are necessary to their health and well-being. While it might sometimes seem that way, the truth is that many medical situations do not need powerful opioid painkillers or psychotropic drugs to be managed. When doctors freely give out these drugs, they are giving out pills that can be just as powerful as the street drugs we all have heard about.
Patients start out trying to follow their doctors’ directions, but these powerful drugs can quickly build up in the body. When a person builds up a tolerance to his pain pills, they simply won’t create the effect he is looking for any longer. He’ll have to start taking more in order to achieve the same pain-numbing effect.
Doctors usually aren’t willing to up the dosage too quickly, however. This leads patients to start trying to find other ways of getting more pills. They can go to multiple doctors and try to pretend they have never been prescribed pills before. This is known as “doctor shopping,” and it’s illegal. Patients can also try to forge new prescriptions that up the dosage. Whatever they try, prescription drug addicts need to recognize that they are playing a dangerous game that can end up in overdose and death.
Intentionally Abusing Prescription Drugs
Not all prescription drug addicts are accidental drug abusers. Some intentionally set out to use pain pills and psychotropic drugs to get high. They hear from friends that these pills are incredibly powerful, so they set out to see if it’s true. They will get some of these pills and crush them up in order to snort or inject the resulting powder. If prepared properly, these drugs can give the same high that an illegal opioid drug would.
Addicts that are intentionally using these drugs to get high will sometimes make up fake symptoms for a doctor, or they might try to go to dealers on the street. However they get their hands on prescription pills, they are committing a crime by using these drugs in a way that they weren’t intended.
Handling Prescription Drug Abuse in Oklahoma
The first step in handling prescription drug abuse throughout the state is getting all citizens educated on just how dangerous these drugs really are. If more citizens of the state knew how these drugs can turn you into an addict (even unintentionally) more patients would probably look for alternatives to popping pills.
The next step is to help the thousands of Oklahoma residents that are already addicted. Narconon Arrowhead is here to help every addict turn his life around and stop using drugs for good. Addiction can be permanently handled, but it requires the specialized care available at Arrowhead.
Reference:
PRWeb.com: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2014/06/prweb11942352.htm
