Get the idea of 110 tons of highly addictive opiate pain pills—this is the amount our nation consumes, and is the vast majority of the world’s supply. This amount is enough to give every single American 64 pills (like Percocet or Vicodin).
Unfortunately, this idea is reality. Americans consume 80 percent of the world’s pain pills, according to the alarming findings of a recent study. Our nation’s pain pill prescriptions have continued to surge, with a 600% increase in the past decade.
Many doctors seemingly have no qualms with prescribing these drugs. In fact, they often seem a little too willing to do so as our prescription drug abuse epidemic continues to spin out of control. Americans gulp down these medications like candy, while more and more of them aren’t even taking them for medical conditions but instead are abusing them to get high. The abuse of pain medications takes nearly 15,000 American lives every single year.
Is Pain Pill Abuse The New Trend
Americans consume 80 percent of the world’s pain pills, leaving a mere 20 percent for the remaining billions across the world in hundreds of other countries. This seems to indicate that Americans are a country full of “wussies.” It’s true, we live in a “now” culture. Americans want to get rich, get rid of their headaches, lose weight, be happier, etc.—and they want it now. Thankfully, there’s a pill for everything nowadays.
Abusers of pain pills such as Vicodin, Percocet, Valium, Xanax, etc., are addicted to the opiates contained in these drugs—oxycodone and hydrocodone. Because of the intense addiction, it is not uncommon to see pain pill dependents stealing these medications from their loved ones or even complete strangers.
These pain pills are not harmless and require very strict regulation. There is a reason 80 percent of the world’s pain pills are consumed by Americans—they are extremely addictive. Classified as Schedule II Narcotics by the DEA, these types of opiates are described as having a “high potential for abuse which may lead to psychological and physical dependence.”
One scenario is this: An individual has some sort of an accident, and a pain medication is prescribed for pain relief that is legitimately needed. However, the body forms a tolerance to these drugs and requires increasingly higher dosages, which leads to an addiction similar to that of a heroin addict. The only difference is, these drugs are legal when prescribed to you and, in many ways, more easily obtained.
Another common scenario: An individual had an accident last year but maybe didn’t use up all his pain medication. A friend tells him to bring his pills, and they are used as a way to party and get high. Often the form of the pill is compromised, and chewing or crushing the drug for consumption can more rapidly lead to addiction and overdose.
The Complications & The Solution
Even with short-term use, the adverse effects of pain medications include symptoms as mild as constipation and sluggishness to depression, tremors, hallucinations and extreme irritability. Over prolonged use, these effects become riskier and one also can experience withdrawal symptoms upon cessation of use.
One of the biggest risks is the potential for addiction that has led many to drug rehab or worse. Right now pain pills send more to drug rehab than cocaine and heroin and cause more drug deaths than these two drugs put together.
Those addicted to pain pills need immediate drug rehab and tighter enforcement and education has to be put in across the country.
For more information on drug rehab contact us today.