Pill Pandemic
I have recently lost a good friend due to prescription drug abuse. She was age 40, she stood 5 foot 10 and weighed 70 pounds. Yes, I said 70 pounds. Her drug of choice was pain medication. She hardly ate and drank beer with her pills.
In 2006, 16.2 million Americans age 12 and older had taken a prescription pain reliever, tranquilizer, stimulant, or sedative for nonmedical purposes at least once in the year prior to being surveyed according to www.drugabuse.org.
Prescriptions have become so readily available that it is clearly a pandemic. There are so many websites that anyone can log into and obtain prescription medications online and have them delivered right to your front door without a prescription.
Opiates are often found in pain medications that block your brains receptors to pain. People often get a euphoric feeling when they abuse the pills and tend to get addicted very easily.
You can obtain information on different types of addictions and there is also an addiction hotline located here http://www.addictionsearch.com/treatment_articles/prescription-drug-addi.... If you find a pill that is not recognizable and want to see what the pill may be, you can use this link to track down what the pill may be using this link http://www.rxlist.com/pill-identification-tool/article.htm. RX List provides an easy identification tool.
If you know someone that is suffering, the best thing is to try and help before it is too late.
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I am sorry for your loss, and am honored that you decided to share your story with us.
Prescription drug abuse is a serious topic that colleges and universities have been working on; some, even more than alcohol (still the drug of choice). I think this education should start in middle schools and high schools (if not already), as there are many myths surrounding the misuse of prescriptions.
Do you have any words of wisdom, on how loved ones can help?