PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

OPIOID PAINKILLERS PRODUCE A SHORT-LIVED EUPHORIA, but they are also addictive.

Long-term use of painkillers can lead to physical dependence. The body adapts to the presence of the substance and if an individual stops taking the drug abruptly, withdrawal symptoms occur. Or the body could build up a tolerance to the drug, meaning that higher doses have to be taken to achieve the same effects.

Like all drugs, painkillers simply mask the pain for which they are taken. They don't cure anything. Someone continuously trying to dull the pain may find himself taking higher and higher doses—only to discover that he cannot make it through the day without the drug.

Because it reacts on the nervous system like heroin or opium, some abusers are using one brand of oxycodone painkiller, OxyContin, as a substitute for, or supplement to, street opiates like heroin.

OxyContin, widely known as hillbilly heroin because of its abuse in Appalachian communities, has emerged as a major crime problem in the US. In one county it was estimated that addiction to this drug was behind 80 percent of the crime there.

VICODIN IS A STRONG OPIATE PAINKILLER, the most popular one in America.

Vicodin has a high potential for abuse and is highly addictive. Despite the danger of addiction, one in five teens in high school have tried Vicodin. Some of those teens will become addicted. Vicodin is not as heavily regulated as some other prescription drugs, so that may contribute to its extensive distribution.

There is a range of effects from Vicodin. Some of these effects include the short-term symptoms of use, longer-range effects like addiction, withdrawal sickness and the mental and moral decline that accompanies addiction in the overwhelming majority of cases.

IN THE CASE OF PRESCRIPTION DRUGS, many people get started on their way to addiction by accident. They may suffer some kind of pain or injury and have the drug prescribed by a doctor. As they build a tolerance to the drug, they need more and more to keep the pain away. They may exceed the amount the doctor is willing to prescribe and then start getting the drug illegally.

Others start abusing painkillers from the beginning and not by accident—snorting, injecting or ingesting more than would normally be recommended.

Once people are addicted, there is not much difference in how they got started abusing the drug. The addiction eventually becomes more important than just about anything else in life. Care of themselves, their business or their family takes a back seat to acquiring the drug.

In other cases, items of value may go missing from their home or business or the homes of family members. It may be very hard for a family to understand that someone they have known and loved for thirty years has suddenly changed so much—but that is the nature of addiction.

Most commonly prescribed painkillers (OxyContin, Vicodin, Methadone, Darvocet, Lortab, Lorcet and Percocet), while offering relief from pain, can also cause individuals' bodies to start needing the drugs in order to just feel normal.

These are ten warning signs to watch for if you think someone you know may be experiencing a dependency on these drugs:

OPIATES, ORIGINALLY DERIVED FROM THE OPIUM PLANT, HAVE BEEN USED FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS for both recreational and medicinal purposes. The most active substance in opium is morphine—named after Morpheus, the Greek god of dreams. Morphine is a very powerful painkiller, but it is also very addictive.

DROGEN SIND IM WESENTLICHEN GIFTE. Die eingenommene Menge bestimmt die Wirkung.

Das gilt für jede Droge. Nur die Menge, die benötigt wird, um die Wirkung zu erzielen, ist unterschiedlich.

Viele Drogen haben aber noch eine andere Eigenschaft: Sie wirken sich direkt auf den Geist aus. Sie können die Wahrnehmung des Konsumenten von dem, was um ihn herum geschieht, verzerren. Infolgedessen können die Handlungen der Person seltsam, irrational, unangemessen und sogar zerstörerisch sein.

Drogen blockieren auch alle Empfindungen, sowohl die erwünschten als auch die unerwünschten. Während sie also kurzfristig Schmerzen lindern, schalten sie auch die Fähigkeit und Wachsamkeit aus und trüben das Denken einer Person.

Medikamente sind Mittel, die dazu bestimmt sind, die Funktionsweise Ihres Körpers zu verbessern, indem sie die Arbeitsweise des Körpers beschleunigen, verlangsamen oder verändern. Manchmal sind sie auch notwendig. Aber Medikamente sind trotzdem Drogen: Sie wirken als Stimulanzien oder Beruhigungsmittel, und zu viel davon kann tödlich sein. Wenn Medikamente missbraucht werden, können sie genauso gefährlich sein wie illegale Drogen.