Rising Popularity of Prescription Drug Abuse
What is prescription drug abuse?
In the simplest of definitions, prescription drug abuse means taking a medication that is not prescribed for you. However, it also refers to taking a prescription medication in doses or for reasons other than what it was initially prescribed for – in other words, taking it just to get high or for recreational and not medicinal reasons.
According to the DEA, there are three distinct categories of prescription drugs that are the most commonly abused and considered as being primary substance threats along with alcohol. These substances are also viewed as serious public health threats by numerous health organizations and medical professionals including:
- Stimulants such as amphetamines and appetite depressants
- Opioid-based analgesics (painkillers) such as hydrocodone and oxycodone
- Central nervous system depressants such as barbiturates and benzodiazepines
Prescription drug abuse is most commonly seen among teenagers and senior citizens. Seniors oftentimes abuse them without even knowing that they are. They are building up a tolerance to the prescription medication and have no clue that this is happening. On the other hand, the teen crowd tends to start abusing prescription drugs due to curiosity, because they want to experiment, or peer pressure.
Why has prescription drug abuse become so popular?
There is no straightforward answer to this question or a specific reason for the rising popularity of prescription drug abuse. There are numerous schools of thought that have hypothesized why prescription drug abuse has become so popular. One of the primary reasons for this growth in popularity is probably related to the fact that many of ones in question are widely available and widely prescribed.
Another reason for the rising popularity of prescription drug abuse is probably a matter or affordability compared to other street drugs such as cocaine, heroin, or methamphetamines. The more these drugs are prescribed, the higher the demand for them. The higher the demand, the more they are produced. The more they are manufactured, the more readily available they become.
Interestingly enough, this widespread accessibility and availability has led to prescription drugs surpassing alcohol and nicotine for being abused by teenagers and young adults. Due to the addictive nature of most of these, they are considered a public health threat as well as a legal issue. There are roughly 40 million reported cases every year of death due to overdose and serious illness that is associated with prescription drug abuse.
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