Prescription drug addiction, like cocaine or heroin is a very expensive habit. Even though drugs like OxyContin and Xanax are prescribed by doctors they are every bit as capable of destroying an individual like any illegal street drug. The social, economic, physical and emotional effects of prescription drug abuse are the same as any illegal drug.
The Business of Finding Addiction Treatment
If you are a fan of celebrity news nearly every day you will hear about one of the rich and famous checking themselves into rehab for drug and alcohol abuse. For some celebrities like Amy Winehouse, Aerosmith Steven Tyler and guitar player Richie Sambora these visits to addiction treatment can be frequent and cost ungodly amounts of money. Some drug rehabs can cost up $100,000 a month. While their efforts to get sober should be commended one can’t help but think what an individual who does not have their financial means to go to treatment more than once.
The Misconception On Prescription Drugs
Because some prescription medication is very similar to heroin it is not uncommon for someone’s addiction to start with prescription drugs and then progress to heroin. Both are psychologically and physiologically addicting and can result in severe withdrawals if the addicted does not have the drug in their system.
The Modern Drug Addiction
The U.S. government has recognized that drug addiction has changed drastically over the past few years. Now individuals who suffer from addiction are more apt to get their fix from going to their medicine cabinet as opposed to hitting the streets for illegal drugs like cocaine or heroin. In 2009, during the duration of one month more than 5 million Americans reported that they abused prescription painkillers such as Vicodin, OxyContin, Xanax or Valium. The director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy states, “We believe there are two unique reasons for the growth in prescription drug abuse – easy accessibility to the drugs and the diminished perception of risk.”