Prescription drug abuse and misuse impacts approximately 16 million people annually. This potential for long-term addiction demands extensive and qualified prescription drug treatment.
At Next Wind Recovery, we offer clients the opportunity to health with us through comprehensive treatment for addiction and concurrent mental health disorders. Our dual-diagnosis program helps individuals get back on their feet and learn to manage their holistic health goals through manageable and realistic expectations.
Learn more about treatment for prescription drug abuse at our top-rated drug rehab in New Jersey.
Why are Prescription Drugs Abused?
Unfortunately, prescription drug abuse is not uncommon and can be quite easy to develop if individuals are unaware of the dangers of the medications they are taking. Prescription drugs can easily be misused, thus starting the cycle of abuse.
Misuse of prescription drugs can happen in several ways. The first and most common way an individual can misuse a prescription medication is by taking too much of it. This can occur when an individual takes more than prescribed by increasing the dosage or taking the medication too frequently. This conditions the body to need a larger amount of medication. The larger dosage can become problematic, causing unwanted side effects and dependency and increasing the risk of overdose.
Another way that prescription medications can be abused is by stealing them. A prescription is designed to meet the needs of a specific individual taking into account their weight, history, and current needs. Taking someone else’s medication is dangerous. Taking the medication to get high or to alleviate unwanted physical or psychological pain in an unregulated manner is problematic. It can lead to tolerance and dependence on the medication, leading to addiction.
Prescription medications can also be abused by taking them with other contra-indicated medications. By doing so, individuals increase the risk of potentially dangerous side effects and harmful outcomes related to use. This method of abuse can cause an increased risk of health complications and dramatically increases the risk of addiction.
What are Prescription Drugs Commonly Abused?
Several drug types are commonly abused throughout the United States. You may have been prescribed one of these medications without knowing its potentially addictive aspects. Depressants, stimulants, and narcotics make up the three main categories that addictive prescriptions are derived from.
Depressants are addictive medication that includes sedatives, barbituates, and benzodiazepines. These medications sedate or depress the body’s functions. These are commonly prescribed for sleep or to prevent tremors and help individuals maintain a seizure-free state. These drugs often produce a euphoric, hypnotic, and trance-like state when abused. They can also depress a person’s nervous system to the point where they stop breathing, slip into a coma and die.
Another common prescription medication that is commonly abused is stimulants. While the main stimulants that people think about, like meth and cocaine, are illegal, a much more common and easily accessible stimulant is being prescribed to adults and children across the nation. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, better known as ADHD, medication is a stimulant that is designed to help individuals focus and can be as addictive as other stimulants if it is not monitored. This medication can cause fog in the brain, nausea, increase metabolism that contributes to rapid weight loss, and can speed up the heart, creating life-long cardiac concerns.
The most commonly abused prescription medication is narcotics. This class of drug, known by its origins, opioids and opiates, both naturally occurring and synthetic, are addictive and can create several long-term health problems for individuals. These painkillers depress the nervous system and slow the transfer of the pain signal from the source to the brain. Opioids do this by blocking the pain receptors and flooding the reward system in the brain, tricking it into believing the current state is normal and ideal. Individuals who try to stop using opioids and are not monitored by a medical professional can experience long-term depression, sedation of their organ ability, and intense cravings.
How to Find Treatment for Prescription Drug Abuse in New Jersey
New Jersey addiction treatment is available at Next Wind Recovery. Our comprehensive treatment facility is designed to support clients through multiple levels of addiction treatment, providing streamlined transitional care from day one.
At Next Wind Recovery, we have designed New Jersey outpatient treatment programs to support your progress through prescription drug treatment and accompanying mental health treatment. We know that many times, individuals with mental health disorders can easily become addicted to drugs because of the lies and tricks the brain plays.
Let us provide you with comprehensive treatment for prescription drug abuse at Next Wind Recovery today.