David was going through a very hard transition in his life from the elementary levels of school to high school. Along the way, he started hanging out with the wrong crowd and doing all sorts of drugs like smoking marijuana and drinking alcohol. In his senior year he realized he wanted to do something different with his life and he joined the boxing team and quit drugs, but one Saturday night that all ended. David was offered a patch that was supposed to make him feel an extremely good feeling. He didn't know what was in the patch, but it contained Fentanyl; a special pain reliever for cancer patients. His friend told him to cut open the patch and ingest what was inside. The next morning, David never woke up. Eight weeks later, his mother found out that it was Fentanyl that killed her son (Fox News). "In 2004, there were 15 million Americans ages 12 and up that took Prescription Drugs and used them non-medically "(Prescription Drugs: Their use and Abuse). All around the country more people are being introduced to prescription drugs and addiction rates increase every year. “In 2013 21.5% of high school seniors admitted to taking prescription drugs for a non-medical reason", in 2012 that number was at 21.2% (National Institute on Drug Abuse). That number slowly increases every single year. This problem is really turning into a pandemic in modern society, therefore it is necessary to examine the causes of prescription drug abuse and implement the solutions such as providing more education and regulating the distribution of prescription drugs.
One of the main causes of prescription drug abuse is the insufficiency of education for both doctors and patients. If David knew more about the dangers of prescription drugs, his death would ha...
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Works Cited
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Fox News. "Mother Shares Tragic Story of Her Son's Death by Prescription Dr." Mother Shares Tragic Story of Her Son's Death by Prescription Dr. Fox News, 2 May 2013. Web. 07 Dec. 2013.
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National Institute on Drug Abuse. "Prescription Drugs." National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). National Institute on Drug Abuse, Dec. 2012. Web. 19 Dec. 2013
Prescription and pharmaceutical drug abuse is beginning to expand as a social issue within the United States because of the variety of drugs, their growing availability, and the social acceptance and peer pressure to uses them. Many in the workforce are suffering and failing at getting better due to the desperation driving their addiction.
The documentary states that over 27,000 deaths a year are due to overdose from heroin and other opioids. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in 2015 prescription pain relievers account for 20,101 overdose deaths, and 12,990 overdose deaths are related to heroin (Rudd et al., 2010-2015). The documentary’s investigation gives the history of how the heroin epidemic started, with a great focus on the hospice movement. We are presented with the idea that once someone is addicted to painkillers, the difficulty in obtaining the drug over a long period of time becomes too expensive and too difficult. This often leads people to use heroin. This idea is true as a 2014 survey found that 94% of respondents who were being treated for opioid addiction said they chose to use heroin because prescription opioids were “more expensive and harder to obtain (Cicero et al., 2014).” Four in five heroin users actually started out using prescription painkillers (Johns, 2013). This correlation between heroin and prescription painkiller use supports the idea presented in the documentary that “prescription opiates are heroin prep school.”
Results from the 2010 national survey on drug use and health: summary of national findings. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.samhsa.gov/data/NSDUH/2k10NSDUH/2k10Results.htm
Almost one hundred years ago, prescription drugs like morphine were available at almost any general store. Women carried bottles of very addictive potent opiate based pain killers in their purse. Many individuals like Edgar Allen Poe died from such addictions. Since that time through various federal, state and local laws, drugs like morphine are now prescription drugs; however, this has not stopped the addiction to opiate based pain killers. Today’s society combats an ever increasing number of very deadly addictive drugs from designer drugs to narcotics to the less potent but equally destructive alcohol and marijuana. With all of these new and old drugs going in and out of vogue with addicts, it appears that the increase of misuse and abuse is founded greater in the prescription opiate based painkillers.
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The most common prescription drug that many teenage drug abusers may be stealing or trying to purchase online would be opioids, also known as narcotics, which include drugs such as OxyContin, morphine, and Percocet (5). Narcotics are drugs that are used to relieve pain, triggering a sense of euphoria from the brain’s pleasure center. Many teens may abuse narcotics to feel that sense of pleasure (5). Another prescription medication that teenagers commonly abuse are stimulants, such as Adderall, Ritalin, and Dexedrine. These drugs stimulate dopamine production in the brain, lifting moods and calming anxiety, which is why it is a commonly abused prescription drug (5). Due to the easy accessibility with some of these prescription medications and their high potential for abuse, teenagers who abuse them are putting their mind’s and bodies at risk for the many side effects that come along with abusing drugs, which can sometimes be fatal.
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Drug abuse has changed over the years due to the trends that Americans face from the encouragement of different cultures. The abuse of substances creates many health problems. The following will discuss the past and current trends of drug use and the effects these drugs have on the health of the individuals who abuse the drugs.
Gwinnell, Esther, and Christine Adamec. "drug addiction." Health Reference Center. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 20 Jan. 2014.
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West Virginia has one of the highest rates for prescription drug abuse, and overdose in the nation. In order to change this it is important to understand what pharmacists do, their role in prevention, and the severity of prescription drug abuse. Pharmacists are known to dispense prescription drugs to patients and inform them about their use; However, one aspect of their career most people overlook is that Pharmacists must keep a sharp eye out for criminals looking to abuse these prescribed drugs.
Drug abuse has been a hot topic for our society due to how stimulants interfere with health, prosperity, and the lives of others in all nations. All drugs have the potential to be misapplied, whether obtained by prescription, over the counter, or illegally. Drug abuse is a despicable disease that affects many helpless people. Majority of those who are beset with this disease go untreated due to health insurance companies who neglect and discriminate this issue. As an outcome of missed opportunities of treatments, abusers become homeless, very ill, or even worst, death.