Prescription drug abuse paves wide path to illicit drug use

America’s war on street drugs routinely garners headlines but much less attention is given to the problem with prescription drug abuse, despite the fact that it is more widespread than abuse of all types of illicit drugs combined, excepting only marijuana. And despite their therapeutic purposes, controlled prescription drugs can be just as deadly as heroin, cocaine or other street drugs.

“Americans are so accustomed to trusting the medical community that they don’t have the same sense of danger about these drugs that they do with street drugs,” stated Ryan Thorpe, Director of Admissions at Narconon Arrowhead, a residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility in Canadian, OK. “Children are given prescription drugs throughout their childhoods, so how bad can it be to raid the medicine cabinet, accept a few pills from a friend or order your own supply from an unscrupulous Internet site? It can be bad enough to account for 23 percent of all drug-related emergency room admissions and more than 20 percent of all single drug-related emergency room deaths. ER admissions from this cause have grown three to four times faster than admissions for heroin or cocaine use.”

“One of the worst aspects of this problem is that it predisposes young abusers to street drug use,” added Thorpe. “Teens who abuse controlled prescription drugs are twice as likely to use alcohol, five times likelier to use marijuana, 12 times likelier to use heroin, 15 times likelier to use ecstasy and 21 times likelier to use cocaine. Effective rehabilitation that eliminates drug cravings and restores a person’s ability to enjoy a drug-free life is essential, along with drug education that keeps new teens and young adults from falling into the same trap.”

Thorpe explained that the Narconon Arrowhead program has been successful in helping adults both young and old create new drug-free lives for themselves for more than 40 years. “Six out of 10 of our graduates are drug-free two years after completion of our program, regardless of the type of drug that was being abused. This is the kind of success that will turn this dangerous situation around.”

For information on Narconon’s successful drug treatment and educational programs and materials, contact Narconon Arrowhead at 1-800-468-6933.