AUTHOR: Eric DATE: 5/16/2007 08:55:00 AM ----- BODY:
One of the fastest growing drug problems today is the abuse of prescription medications. Opiates in the oxycodone/hydrocodone families and benzodiazepines such as Xanex are especially popular, and are highly addictive. Many people are initially prescribed these medications for legitimate medical conditions and don’t see the warning signs of addiction before it’s too late. The fact that the doctor prescribed the drugs also delays recognizing that there is a problem since it adds legitimacy and justifies taking them. So, the situation goes on and on – and then I get the call from someone looking for a drug rehab program. When the legitimate reason for taking the drugs has passed, and the initial doctor will no longer write the prescription, users start doctor shopping – looking for a doctor unscrupulous enough to write a medically-unnecessary script. Or sometimes they get the drugs online. Regardless of the source, make no mistake - these drugs are just as addictive as street drugs, and for the user to stop taking them, they need a successful drug rehab program. I recently worked with a family whose son had been buying Xanex on the Internet. They were totally unaware of his problem but had become curious about the regular packages he’d been receiving in the mail. The parents pressed the issue, and he finally admitted he had a problem. His mother told me they had no idea what to do – not only was it a legal drug, she didn’t even know if there were drug rehab programs designed for his addiction. In fact, they didn’t even realized you could become addicted to prescription drugs. Benzodiazepine withdrawal can be one of the most difficult, so we had to be sure the program we found for him would be able to really handle his situation instead of just putting him on substitute medications. We located a drug rehab that could address his addiction fully and offer the care he needed. Needless to say, they were very relieved to find a program so quickly and be able to help their son. If you know someone who abuses prescription drugs, find a successful drug rehab program and get them help before it’s too late.

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