Prescription drug abuse is becoming a big problem in the United States, and prescription painkillers like OxyContin and Vicodin are among the medications most commonly abused. A recent government report found that abuse of prescription opioid medications increased by more than 111% between 2004 and 2008.
People engage in prescription drug abuse for a variety of reasons, but the biggest reasons for its increasing prevalence are the drugs’ availability and the misperception that drugs prescribed for medical use are safer than illicit street drugs.
Drug rehab centers are helping more and more clients who arrive with a prescription drug abuse problem, many of whom are addicted to prescription painkillers. Some prescription drug addicts don’t realize they have a problem, or even that the drugs they are taking can be unsafe, until they end up being treated in the emergency department of their local hospital. During the 2004-2008 period of the previously mentioned study, emergency room visits due to prescription painkiller abuse more than doubled.
In response to this massive increase in prescription drug abuse, drug rehab centers like Vista Taos are providing services that can be tailored to the specific needs of those addicted to painkillers. The drug rehab center at Vista Taos provides individualized treatment plans designed to meet the unique needs of each recovering addict, including the many who struggle with prescription drug abuse.
