Oxycontin abuse is close to the top of the list of the drugs mentioned at alcohol and drug abuse centers when it comes to prescription drugs as stated by the United States Drug Enforcement Agency. Today, more and more individuals are turning to their medicine cabinets or to a friend’s to enjoy the high found with prescription drugs such as opiate painkillers with Oxycontin at the top of the list. In 2007, more than seven million individuals in America abused prescription drugs. The worst part of all is that close to six percent of all high school seniors had abused oxycontin one time during the year.

Oxycontin is often prescribed for seniors suffering with chronic pain like arthritis. The tablets once in the hands of abusers often crush the tablets to they can snort the drug or mix it with water to inject into their veins. The effects of this drug are the reason that oxycontin abuse is so high on the list for treatment centers. A rush is quite immediately with a feeling of well following shortly. The body begins to build up a tolerance to the drug, which leads to dependency brought on from oxycontin abuse. In some cases, individuals are so addicted to this drug that they will visit more than physician in order to obtain enough prescriptions to fill their addiction. Others buy oxycontin on the street whereas others steal from the pharmacies.

The first issues of oxycontin abuse in the United States was noting in farming areas such as Kentucky, Maine, Virginia, Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. The drug was given to workers that needed pain relief from such jobs as farming, logging, and mining. Rural areas of American have a larger oxycontin abuse problem that inner city treatment centers.

Oxycontin abuse begins when a person begins to use more than prescribed in order to receive that same high that was felt in the beginning. The more a person abuses oxycontin the more susceptible they will become to addiction. Once a person has abused the drug so long, the craving for the drug becomes intolerable and if they stop taking the drug, will have withdrawal symptoms. At this time, oxycontin abuse has grown into a full-fledged opiate addiction, which will need medical help in order to quit.

If you believe a friend or family may have an oxycontin abuse problem the signs you should watch for include muscle pain, bone pain, muscle twitching, insomnia, sweating, diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, slow breathing, pupils the size of pinpoints, unwarranted drowsiness, and confusion.

The scary part of oxycontin abuse is that in most cases, the person just looks like they tied one on and needs to sleep it off. This may be true with alcohol, however with oxycontin this can result in death. Oxycontin slows the breathing so low that a person can die and with high doses, breathing can stop altogether. If you or someone you know has an oxycontin abuse problem, you should seek medical help as soon as possible.

Opiate abuse includes drugs such as codeine and morphine, which is fast becoming a major problem all across the United States. Some believe that only a certain age group is involved with opiate abuse, however, this is very far from the truth. People from all walks of life and from every age group have problems with opiate abuse. In 2006, it may be hard to believe, but just fewer than 20 million people over the age of 60 abused some type of prescription drug. In some cases, the opiate abuse was an accident while others wanted relief from pain or wanted to sleep. Opiate abuse is very prevalent in the United States and is growing. These drugs are highly addictive, are found in medicine cabinets across America, and are almost considered the okay drug to use.

Since most opiate abuse is found among individuals with a prescription and it is a legal drug so to speak as long as you have a prescription, many people look on this type of drug abuse as fine, and dandy since it is not a street drug. The problem is these drugs are just as dangerous as the street drugs if not in some cases even more dangerous.

In 1997, 16,000 individuals were admitted for opiate abuse, but this figure is now out of sight at 90,000 in 2006. Heroin on the other hand, which has always been the opiate problem rose from 251,000 to 337,000.

Many people who become trapped in a cycle of opiate abuse likely did not realize the dangers in their prescription medications. Others deliberately abuse drugs like Oxycontin, Xanax, and Percocet for their euphoric effect, inhaling, smoking, and injecting them in ways similar to heroin or cocaine. Abuse of opiates leads to increasing dependency as the drug chemically alters the way the brain functions and the body develops a tolerance. Drugs taken safely in small dosages, for short periods of time, become traps as users take higher and higher doses and exceed the safe time limit, which is usually quite short, 10-30 days.

In many cases, those with opiate abuse problems did not realize the risk but then of course they are those that abuse the drug on purpose. In the majority of cases, most opiate abuse is seen with individuals between the ages of 17 and 24 along with elderly over the age of 60.

If you believe you have a family member or friend with an opiate abuse problem the signs to watch for include drowsiness, lethargy, reduced vision, constricted pupils, shallow breathing, shaking, vomiting, chills, and excessive sweating to name a few. Other signs of opiate abuse can include needle marks, raw nostrils, and red nostrils.

In most cases, the treatment for opiate abuse includes medications to help manage the withdrawal symptoms such as buprenorphine, methadone, and naltrexone. Along with the medication, counseling and behavior modification is also included in the treatment. Today, there are over 13,000 treatment centers in the US offering a wide array of treatment options for opiate abuse sufferers.

All over the United States, marijuana comes in first as the most abused illegal drug. It may be hard to believe but teenagers and younger children are the largest group of marijuana addiction and abuse cases. After speaking with high schools seniors across the nation, it was revealed that forty two percent had tried marijuana. This is often the first illegal drug a person will try before moving on to harder and more dangerous drugs. In 2007, fifty-six percent of the three million people that were using illegal drugs admitted to beginning with marijuana.

Many individuals with marijuana addiction and abuse still believe that marijuana is a safe drug and that using the drug will not lead to addiction or harm of any kind. If this statement is true then why has marijuana addiction and abuse been listed as the reason for individuals to be admitted to drug and alcohol abuse treatment centers just a little below alcohol and opiates. In 2007, sixteen percent of individuals admitted to rehab centers were admitted for marijuana addiction and abuse. There are at this time, more than seven million individuals in the US dependent on marijuana, thus the reason for admission to treatment centers for marijuana addiction and abuse.

There is a difference between marijuana addiction and marijuana abuse. Marijuana abuse is when individuals use the drug for non-medical purposes whereas addiction is when a person is dependent on the drug. A person can become addicted to marijuana due to the THC found in the drug. The drug provides a high that requires more and more of the drug in order to experience the same high. As a person smokes marijuana, the THC travels through the blood to the brain. Here it connects with nerve cells that control concentration, thought, pleasure, time perception, memory, coordination, and sensory awareness. The drug causes a person to have a dreamy detached state of mind thus the reason the user acts silly or giggles. In some cases, the effect of marijuana can last up to a full eight hours.

Marijuana addiction and abuse is still prevalent in today’s society and in most areas of the United States it is climbing. Reports from studies by the United States Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration showed a slow but steady rise of marijuana addiction and abuse over the last decade. In 1997, the report showed the marijuana addiction and abuse was at 12.8 percent for admission to drug rehab centers whereas in 2007 the percentage rose to 15.8 percent. The average age for a teenager to try marijuana was around seventeen.

Marijuana addiction and abuse is nothing to laugh at. It is very prevalent in our society today and needs to be addressed. Teenagers that begin with marijuana today may be the next heroin or oxycontin abuser of tomorrow. To find help with marijuana addiction and abuse you should speak with your physician and start changing your life for the better today.

Drug rehabilitation has many faces from outpatient care to the most popular inpatient drug rehabilitation care. Today, many cases of drug or alcohol treatment is often performed on an outpatient basis, however, the best rehabilitation treatment program is a residential or an inpatient drug rehabilitation program. This type of inpatient drug rehabilitation program lasts from three to six months and is often called “therapeutic community” inpatient drug rehabilitation programs. Even the National Institute on Drug Abuse agrees that this type of treatment program is the best for success stories. In the United States there are close to 14,000 different drug and alcohol treatment centers, however, only 3,000 are inpatient drug rehabilitation centers.

Inpatient drug rehabilitation programs offer many more benefits than outpatient programs. The sad news is that due to finances ninety percent of addicts are treated on an outpatient basis or in some cases, the addiction was minor. Outpatient programs have more dropouts than inpatient drug rehabilitation centers, which means that most return to drugs. In 1993, a study was published in the medical journal Psychiatric Quarterly that outpatients were four times more likely to be failures early on in treatment than inpatients. The study showed that addicts with meager social support or psychiatric conditions would benefit more from an inpatient drug rehabilitation program.

For those trying to kick the habit with an outpatient program while doing their daily life chores along with handling the cravings often cannot get through the day and turn back to their addiction. Many individuals using outpatient programs do not follow through with counseling often finding all kinds of reasons to miss a meeting or two and finally stop altogether. Individuals in an inpatient drug rehabilitation program are admitted and stay for the duration. They are on a schedule and must attend individual counseling sessions as well as group counseling sessions. The only stress in this environment is that you will have to do chores, attend classes, and attend counseling sessions. In this type of environment, patients learn to live life again without the use of the drug or alcohol they believe they have to have each day to survive.

Most inpatient drug rehabilitation programs are private nonprofit and private for profit centers. There are many different inpatient drug rehabilitation centers across the United States. In each state, almost all rehab centers receive some type of public funding, thus giving more individuals the chance to life a drug free life. In some cases, the criminal justice system sends people to inpatient drug rehabilitation facilities to ensure they receive the help they need to overcome their addiction.

If you have a loved one that needs inpatient drug rehabilitation due to alcohol or drug abuse, you may be able to receive help with finances through the federal Access to Recovery Program. You can find a large variety of drug treatment programs and inpatient drug rehabilitation facilities all across the United States. Every state has several different treatment programs to help you recover from drug abuse.

There are many different ways a person can find an alcohol treatment center that will help them conquer their alcohol addiction. However, before finding an Alcohol Abuse Treatment Program, you should do your homework and learn just a bit more about the various types of Alcohol Abuse Treatment Programs that are available.

One popular Alcohol Abuse Treatment Program is Alcoholics Anonymous. This organization teaches the 12-step program that helps a person learn to carry on with life after they have given up alcohol. However, some individuals may need to visit a hospital for detoxification prior to entering this type of program.

Every Alcohol Abuse Treatment Program will not provide with the medications and close supervision you may need during the withdrawal time period. Withdrawal from alcohol is serious and should not be done without the aid of a medical professional.

One thing that all individuals should remember when suffering from alcohol abuse and that is that alcoholism is a disease. In the United States today it is estimated that over five million individuals are affected by the affects of alcohol abuse. At this time, there is no cure for alcoholism, but there is an Alcohol Abuse Treatment Program that can help you learn to live with your disease and receive the help you need to become rehabilitated.

Those that abuse alcohol or are known alcoholics cannot give up the habit of drinking as the craving or addiction is too strong along with other withdrawal symptoms that are just too hard to handle. The craving is so strong for a drink that an alcoholic cannot control the craving and reaches for a drink. An individual that is addicted to alcohol will not only have physical problems but will also suffer from psychological problems according to the length of time a person has been drinking. An Alcohol Abuse Treatment Program will not only help the person control their urge to drink, but will work with any long-term problem that may have occurred due to the alcoholism.

Many people do not realize that a person addicted to alcohol, cannot just walk away from the club or the bottle hidden in their nightstand. Alcohol becomes a part of their live just as important to the alcoholic as their own arm or hand. Without the alcohol, the person cannot and will not function after drinking for a long period of time.

With the professional help at an Alcohol Abuse Treatment Program, the individual will learn to control the urge and live life without carrying around a drink. Even though the cause of alcoholism is not known, there are ways to control the urge and enjoy life without drinking.

The majority of Alcohol Abuse Treatment Programs do not only work with the alcoholic, but also have programs to aid family and friends understand the problems the person is facing and help each person stay on the road to recovery. Too many times, without the support of family and friends, alcoholics turn back to drinking.

Heroin addiction and abuse is not as concerning in the United States as it once was with marijuana and cocaine way up on the list above heroin. However, heroin is so addictive and the effects of the drug so overwhelming that heroin addiction and abuse should not be put on the back burner and ignored. In the US, there are around one million chronic heroin users, eleven percent of all emergency room visits are due to heroin abuse, and in 2006, 335,000 individuals were treated for heroin addiction and abuse. Of course, this is only the number of people that received help.

Heroin is an illegal drug and is not used for any type of medical treatment. It is however, created with a medical drug, morphine. The drug is then sold on the street to addicts. Heroin addiction and abuse is a larger problem than most people expect with availability all across the nation in every state. The sad news with heroin is that it is very addicting once a person uses it just a few times on regular basis. Heroin, a synthetic opiate, is extremely addictive and works on the central nervous system and the brain in systematically ways.

Heroin addiction and abuse is not something a person can just walk away from any time they please. Once the addiction or abuse is present, a person will need detoxification in order to rid their body of the drug. When a person intravenously injects heroin into the veins it binds to the opioid receptors found in the brain. This creates a rush in only seven to eight seconds. This is one of the reasons that heroin is so addictive. Once the rush is gone, the rest of the high is not so pleasant with symptoms including sleepiness, impaired mental function, slowed respiration, and heartbeat. The slowed respiration and heartbeat can be so severe that it can result in death.

The major deal with heroin addiction and abuse is that once a person is hooked, more and more heroin is needed to achieve the same rush. A study by the National Institute on Drug Abuse revealed that any usage of heroin including intravenous and intramuscular injection, sniffing, and smoking, are highly addictive.

Heroin addiction and abuse causes the addict to only live for the next fix. They have nothing else in life worth living for, the only think about how to get the next fix. The sad part is that a person abusing heroin will never decide to seek help on his or her own. It will take the persistence of family and friends to begin the treatment program. In most cases, for heroin addiction and abuse residential treatment programs lasting from three to six months have the best success for recovery.

The only treatment that works for heroin addiction and abuse includes drug detoxification, counseling, and behavior modification. Without this type of treatment program, many addicts return to their life of abusing heroin.