Tens of thousands of addicts seek help each and every month for prescription drug abuse. While most drug abuse treatment admissions involving prescription drugs are of the opiate class, there are a significant number of addicts abusing amphetamine's. Many of these prescription drug abusers can be found on college campuses throughout the country.
The 2009 Treatment Episode Data Set provided by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA)states there were 142,493 admitted to inpatient drug rehab centers throughout the country in 2009 for opiates other than heroin, which involves prescription pain killers. Prescription pain killer drugs like Oxycontin, Vicodin, Percoset and others are the leading drug addiction problem currently.
While the 116,622 addicts admitted to inpatient rehab for amphetamine abuse are not specifically being treated for prescribed amphetamines, many experts estimate as much as one third of college students abused amphetamines prescription drugs like Adderral, Ritalin and others without a prescription. Even more students abuse prescription amphetamines that do have prescriptions.
Many college campus officials are taking proactive measures to curb the abuse of these amphetamine prescription drugs by implementing policies to improve the awareness of abuse, and legal consequences of selling prescribed drugs to others. Many drug rehab counselors feel that drug abuse of prescription drugs, regardless the drug, contributes significantly to illicit drug abuse and addiction.
Opiate prescription drugs lead to heroin addiction while Adderral and Ritalin abusers are eight times more likely to move onto abuse cocaine, methamphetamine and tranqulizers, and five times more likely to abuse pain relievers with 90% having abused alcohol in the last 30 days. (SAMHSA).
The statistics are not limited to the the nations larger cities and schools, as many as 100,000 prescription drug addicts struggle in Oklahoma with Oklahoma drug rehab centers indicating these numbers are low and do not include abuse of prescription stimulants.
Many inpatient drug rehab counselors are concerned with the swing in treatment admissions and the overall outlook on drugs and the danger contained therein. Prescription drug addiction is reaching epidemic proportions and more people are entering inpatient drug rehabilitation clinics for marijuana addiction than ever before.
Alcohol continues be the number substance abuse problem on average nationwide with 465,573 people entering alcohol treatment in 2009 according the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). This accounted for 23.4% of overall treatment admissions that year. Marijuana addiction and treatment admissions is rapidly gaining ground in many states however.
Missouri inpatient drug rehab and addiction treatment programs starting seeing a shift ten years ago. Current trends indicate more people are smoking weed than drinking alcohol along with increased prescription addiction treatment occurring. 10,474 addicts entered a drug rehab in Missouri in 2000 and that number jumped to over 12,000 in 2010. 10,600 people entered alcohol treatment centers in 2010 while 11,927 sought alcohol treatment in the year 2000.
Prescription drug addiction also saw in increase across the board for inpatient addiction treatment programs. NSDUH's 2009 reports a shocking 141,380 prescription drug addicts entered inpatient drug rehab programs in 2009 which up 400% from 28,448 in 2000.
Inpatient drug rehabilitation programs often fall very short of getting to the core issues surrounding addiction. Yes the person is in a controlled environment and away from drug using family or friends, but is there any real handlings of physical and mental issues while in most inpatient drug rehabs?
When a person experiments with alcohol or drugs or takes drugs at all, it is to solve some type of mental-emotional or physical problem. When the person feels better alcohol or drugs then have value and are looked on as the cure for the unwanted physical or mental pain.This relief is the reason the person continues to use drugs or alcohol, or both multiple times. Inpatient drug rehabilitation programs should address all the mental and physical issues while in treatment.
When an individual reaches this pinnacle point the abuse will get more intense the individual will realize the inherent dangers and take control. For those that continue the abuse and get lost in abyss of addiction, the drug use has value and then becomes a learned behavior. Being subjected to pro drug or alcohol abuse influences greatly diminishes any chance of curbing the addiction problem.
The greater the problem means greater relief felt which places greater value on the alcohol or drug abuse. Unraveling this takes time, and has to start from the ground up in an inpatient drug rehab center setting. Drug rehabs should consider the physical damage done and the emotional damage done during the rehab process.
There are biochemical influences caused by drug or alcohol toxins which set in motion a series of events internally that also influence how the person thinks and feels, which enhances the desire to continue the abuse. Inpatient drug rehab programs should work towards lessening the toxic influence of drugs with nutrional therapy. Some inpatient rehab programs have experienced improvement in psychological test scores with a strong nutritional program alone.
Improving the addicts overall feelings, both mentally and physically greatly decreases the desire to continue the abuse. Inpatient drug rehabilitation programs of three months or longer that encompass physical and mental healing along with learning how to live life again have much higher success rates.
