Prescription drug abuse also known as pharming is one of the fastest growing drug abuse concerns in the United State as state by the US Drug Enforcement Agency and the US Department of Health.

In 2007, close to two million individuals were using painkillers in an abusive manner with marijuana only a small percentage above on the list of abused drugs. More than sixteen citizens of America have at least one time abused a prescription drug. In 2006, the alarming statistics show that almost 3% of 14 year olds, 7% of 15 year olds, and 10% of high school seniors had a prescription drug abuse problem with vicodin.

There is long list of prescription drug abuse problem all across America through all walks of life. The majority of prescription drug abuse is with such drugs as vicodin, oxycontin, valium, and Xanax. These drugs are painkillers, muscle relaxants, or anxiety medications. Today, in the United States, prescription drug abuse is fast becoming an epidemic. The problem is no longer just an accidentally addiction caused by taking more than prescribed to ease the pain of arthritis or other chronic pain diseases, today prescription drug abuse is seen in all ages and across all types of individuals. The sad part is that most people do not consider prescription drug abuse a major problem as the drugs are not street drugs, thus they cannot harm you. Wrong! Any drug can become a problem if abused.

Oxycontin happens to be one of the most popular prescription drug abuse problems. This drug is an opiate and causes a euphoric effect shortly after taking. However, if the drug is crushed and either injected or snorted the intense high is even greater. This rush tends to have abusers doing whatever it takes to get their hands on more oxycontin. After using the drug for a while and becoming dependent, the drug can cause permanent damage to the brain.

Not only is prescription drug abuse on the rise, it is also one of the hardest drugs addictions to treat, at least in the case of opiates. In order to recover from prescription drug abuse a person will need to go through a medical detox program to ensure they can survive the life threatening withdrawal symptoms.

Ritalin, which is a stimulant, is also quickly rising on the prescription drug abuse scale, many times due to students cramming for tests and needing to stay away. These drugs can be very dangerous if taken in high doses with side effects that can include high fevers, paranoia, and irregular heartbeat.

Prescription drug abuse amounted for around forty percent of all substance abuse cases for first time abusers in 2007. Treatment for prescription drug abuse should be found for anyone suffering from addiction. The best way to start is with your physician. He/she will be able to refer you to the proper treatment center that can evaluate your level of addiction to know how to proceed in your prescription drug abuse treatment program.

Percocet is an opiate painkiller prescription drug with highly addictive properties. If the drug is used, as the doctor prescribed it is generally safe besides the normal side effects, however, once a person begins to abuse the drug trouble starts. Percocet abuse can lead to addiction, physical problems, emotional problems, work problems, and relationship problems. The emotional and physical addiction to percocet and other opiates is very hard to break. In fact, the only way in which to kick the habit is with medical help.

Percocet is one of those drugs that started to soar on the drug abuse list since 2000. By 2005, more than eleven million individuals in the United States had a percocet abuse problem. By 2007, painkillers such as percocet were only a tad below marijuana for individuals seeking help for addiction. Today, schools are reporting that students in both middle school and high school are taking drugs like percocet and oxycontin to name a few of the opiates found in the education system. Percocet abuse is rising in every state across the nation.

Percocet abuse is not only found among teenagers and street gangs. Percocet abuse happens to be senior problem as well. Many individuals are given this type of drug as a painkiller and due to the intense pain; patients take more than is prescribed to rid their body of the pain. The problem with most opiates is the high is very addicting and once a person begins to abuse the drug it will soon turn into an addiction.

Teenagers and others that want to enjoy the high found with percocet abuse often crush the pills in order to snort or add the crushed powder to water in order to shoot up. Where are the kids finding these drugs? The answers are in parent’s medicine cabinets, through a physician due to an injury, at clubs or rave parties. The drug has a way of chemically altering the way the brain functions providing a feeling of well being.

The sad news is that once an individual has a percocet abuse problem, they cannot just throw the bottle away and rejoice. A person with a percocet abuse must go through withdrawal symptoms which are often life threatening. In order to detox or rid the body of the toxins of drug abuse the person will need to receive medical care.

In 2007, close to ten percent of all individuals admitted to drug and alcohol treatment centers were in the group of percocet abusers or other opiates such as oxycontin. Treatment for those suffering percocet abuse includes counseling and behavior modification. In some cases, according to the length of time a person has been abusing the drug, medications may be needed to help with withdrawal symptoms. The drugs often used include methadone or buprenorphine.

At this time, there are not as many drug and alcohol treatment centers that are certified to give the drug needed for those with percocet abuse problems. The majority of times, the detox period will need to be handled in a hospital.

Today, more and more individuals are using painkillers such as oxycontin and vicodin for all kinds of chronic pain conditions such as cancer, arthritis, or injuries. These painkillers prescribed to patients with pain act just like morphine or heroin once they hit the bloodstream. The drugs are carried to the brain and affect receptors to cause the pain to be ignored in a way. However, with painkiller addiction the more the drug is abused the greater the risk for chemically changing the functions of the brain. Some individuals may have a painkiller addiction accidentally such as seniors that are in severe pain and only want the pain to cease, whereas others love the well being high that accompanies opiate drugs.

All across America painkiller addiction is growing, which is a sad side effect of modern medicine. This growing problem is causing an uproar in law enforcement agencies, between medical professionals, and throughout the education system. In 2007, for first time users of a little over 2 million people the choice of drugs were painkillers. Over one and half million individuals were addicted to painkillers as well and non-heroin opiates were about 10 percent of those entering drug treatment centers.

As the baby boomers become older, more painkillers will be found in medicine cabinets all across America, allowing the risk of more and more painkiller addiction problems, from those wanting to rid their body of pain and from those stealing the drug from family members and friends. Some painkillers, such as oxycontin causes very high intense cravings, which can lead to violent behavior if a person cannot get their hands on the drug thus the reason for pharmacy robberies.

If you believe, a loved one has a painkiller addiction problem you should watch for signs such as weakness, confusion, sleepiness, nausea, dizziness, slow breathing, seizures, and small pinpoint seizures. For those that are snorting or shooting the drug into the veins you will notice a redness of the nostrils or needle marks.

Painkiller addiction treatment is the same as for any other opiate. In most cases, it will include medication, counseling, and behavioral modification. The drugs often used for those suffering from painkiller addiction in the detox period include naltrexone, buprenorphine, and methadone. Withdrawal from pain killers can start within just a few hours of the last dosage, professional medical supervision is needed to ensure the addict does not have life threatening withdrawal symptoms.

Today, in the United States there are over 13,000 drug rehab and alcohol treatment centers, however, at this time only a few offers medication treatment for painkiller addiction or other opiate addiction. In order for a facility to be able to administer the needed drugs for recovery from painkiller addiction, the doctors must be certified. In the majority of cases, a person with a painkiller addiction will need to visit a drug detox center prior to receiving drug abuse treatment. A good treatment program will include a detox program along with counseling.

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.

Methamphetamine known as meth is fast becoming the most abused illegal drug in the United States. A matter of fact, meth abuse is one of the fastest growing problems to hit America. This illegal drug started on the west coast smuggled in from Mexico, however, now it can be found in every corner of the United States.

The major reason that meth is such a huge problem is that it is so extremely addictive that many people can become addicted to this stimulant with the first use. After a person is addicted, then meth becomes a bigger problem. Meth abuse is one of the hardest drugs addictions to treat. Not only is meth abuse hard to treat, but it is also the cause of permanent damage to the person body. Along with being a devastating problem for the body and for treating it is also a huge tornado on relationships, emotions, and work.

By a report in 2006, close to two million individuals have tried meth in the United States. Meth abuse is more prominent with individuals under the age of 25 with most trying the drug at age 19. From 1997 and 2007, the number of individuals admitted to treatment centers for meth abuse tripled and is still rising.

On the street you will hear meth called chalk or speed, which is actually easily made with ingredients from over the counter cold medicines. This is one reason that in many states you cannot purchase medicines over the counter like you could prior to 2004.

Meth is growing quickly due to it being a cheap drug that most teenagers can purchase with their allowance and with an intense quick hit with a high that can last up to eight hours.

One main reason meth abuse is concerning parents and law enforcement is that the drug causes a person to feel very energized but with a high agitation shortly after the rush. Not only that but violent behavior and mood swings have been noticed.

Meth releases dopamine in the brain, which creates powerful feelings of pleasure. Along with this it also blocks the ability of the brain to reabsorb the dopamine, which creates the long lasting high. Chronic meth abuse can and does change the function of the brain by reducing motor skills, impairing verbal learning, emotional problems, and cognitive problems.

Not only will meth abuse cause the above problems with the function of the brain but physical problems also occur including severe weight loss, rotted teeth, insomnia, anxiety, confusion, delusions, paranoia. Some individuals feel things crawling on their skin causing them to scratch causing sores.

A person with a meth abuse problem will need to seek help through a drug rehab center that has a drug detox service as detoxing will need the supervision of a medical professional. The best treatment as stated by the National Institute on Drug Abuse is comprehensive cognitive-behavioral interventions. This type of program for meth abuse involves behavioral therapy, family education, individual counseling, 12-step support, drug testing, and encouragement for non–drug-related activities.