Oxycontin Treatment Rising

One of the most addictive drugs prescribed by doctors today is Oxycontin. It is the number one painkiller and should be given with a great deal of caution to patients who are in severe pain. Physicians should always take time to instruct the patient to discard any left over drugs when pain is gone. The doctor who prescribes oxycontin should be aware of any predisposition to addiction involving his patient, and prescribe something else less addictive if that's the case. Any use of the drug other than that prescribed by the physician is strictly illegal. Addicts will go to great lengths to obtain the drug and Oxycontin is as addictive and dangerous as heroin. Parents should make their children aware that they should not take any drug unless the doctor prescribes it specifically for them. It should always be kept away from children and certainly not passed to anyone else for their use for pain, not even a family member. It must only be used by the prescription holder under the strictest of orders form their doctor. In spite of the fact that it is prescribed by the doctor, it should not be assumed that it is safer than the drugs out on the street because it is acquired with a prescription. It must be used according to the strictest instructions by the physician.

One of the tell-tale signs of abuse of oxycontin or any controlled substance is what some addicts will resort to, one of which is known as doctor shopping. Their need becomes so great that addicts will make appointments to see multiple doctors, knowing the symptoms and showing signs of pain to get the drug prescribed. Also, improper prescribing practices by the physician will permit the addict to acquire larger doses while faking their pain. Addicts will also use the internet to get the rug. Proper pain management seldom results in addiction.

According to the DEA the need for Oxycontin addiction treatment and rehabilitation has doubled in the last 6 years. Nearly 7 million Americans are abusing prescription drugs, which is more than cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens, ecstasy and inhalants combined.  If you are one of those in need of addiction treatment for Oxycontin or any other drug, give us a call at Above It All Treatment Center and we will start you on the road to recovery.

Why Heroin?

Substance abuse specialists are seeing a sharp increase in heroin addiction, even as progress is being made against the misuse of oxycodone and other prescription opiate painkillers.

The trend, which mirrors national figures, worries treatment experts because it coincides with the imposition of state-mandated limits on the use of the most effective treatment drugs.  The American Society of Addiction Medicine reports that misuse of prescription drugs has dropped about 15 percent nationally since 2010, while heroin use has doubled since 2007.

Authorities said progress has been made against the misuse of prescription drugs through public education efforts that highlighted the drugs' highly addictive nature, together with an effort to get doctors to limit painkiller prescriptions and more closely monitor the patients using them.

While that curbed the availability of those drugs to abusers, heroin became a cheaper, more readily available alternative. The is so pure that some users start out snorting the heroin, avoiding the deterrent of self-injecting.

Heroin is a highly addictive illegal drug that has become a serious problem in the U.S., particularly over the last 30 years. Opium, from which heroin is derived, first became widespread in America during the early 1800s as the common pain killer morphine. In the late 1800s, heroin was invented and originally marketed as a safe substitute for morphine, which had been discovered to be addictive. Heroin was sold legally by pharmacies nationwide for decades until it became clear that it was even more addictive and destructive than morphine and the U.S. congress banned it with the Dangerous Drug Act of 1920.

The American market for heroin, however, has only grown since then. One of the factors that is causing the recent growth in U.S. heroin addiction is that the drug is more pure and less expensive than ever before. In the 1970s, a bag of heroin cost $30 and the average heroin user was a 28 to 30 year old urban resident. Today, the same amount of heroin costs just $4 and the average addict is a white, middle-class teenager.

The heroin that is available in the U.S. today is supplied completely from foreign sources of opium. The heroin that is on the U.S. market originates in four distinct parts of the world: Mexico, South America (mostly Colombia), Southeast Asia (mostly Burma), and Southwest Asia (mostly Afghanistan). A majority of the heroin that is used in the United States started out as poppies grown in Colombia and Mexico. Most of the heroin sold in the western United States comes from Mexico and most of the heroin found in the eastern U.S. is Colombian.

If you or someone you love is suffering from heroin addiction and needs heroin detox rehabilitation, we at Above It All Treatment Center are here to help. You can call our toll free number at (888) 971-2816 and have all your questions about heroin rehab and treatment answered. We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to help you break free from addiction.