Narconon Arrowhead Issues Warning As Painkiller Admissions Increase
Canadian, Oklahoma (PRWEB) February 13, 2014 -- According to the CDC (The Center for Disease Control and Prevention), deaths from prescription painkillers have reached epidemic levels in the past decade. The number of overdose deaths has become greater than deaths from heroin and cocaine combined. A big part of the problem is the nonmedical use of prescription painkillers—using drugs without a prescription, or using drugs just for the "high" they cause. Approximately 12 million Americans (age 12 or older) reported nonmedical use of prescription painkillers in the past year. Oklahoma ranks amongst the nation’s highest in number of prescription pain killer related deaths and pills sold [1].
It is well known that opiate-based painkillers such as morphine, Vicodin, Percocet, Roxicodone and OxyContin are addictive, which is why they are schedule II & III narcotics and have very strict laws controlling their sale and usage [2]. Yet, it is interesting that in 1995 the FDA approved OxyContin [3], a highly addictive opiate-based drug, and shortly after from 1998 to 2010, the production of these drugs increased 10 times [4]. Also, during that same time period, according to the CDC, overall drug overdose rates have skyrocketed [1].
Statistical Evidence of Increased Painkiller Admissions
There is statistical evidence that there is now an increase in people seeking treatment for are seeing prescription opiate addictions [1].
Narconon Arrowhead of Oklahoma is seeing the trend changing over the last 10 years. They, are amongst the many treatment providers thatare experiencing a large number of clients entering their program, who have first starting down the path of addiction through prescription painkillers. When they can no longer get legal prescriptions, then they often either obtain the prescription drugs illegally or they turn to illegal opiate-based drugs, such as heroin to reduce the painful drug withdrawal symptoms that accompany opiate addiction. That is the dwindling spiral of drug abuse, which can lead to overdose and death if not properly treated.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends better access to substance abuse treatment, stating that effective, accessible substance abuse treatment programs could reduce overdose among people struggling with dependence and addiction and they encourage states to increase access to these important programs.
For more information on heroin addiction or on Narconon Arrowhead’s effective approach to opiate addiction, please visit their site at http://www.narcononarrowhead.org or call 800-468-6933.
1. Center for Disease Control and Prevention - Prescription Painkiller Overdoses in the US: http://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/PainkillerOverdoses/
2. Drug Enforcement Agency – Drug Scheduling: http://www.justice.gov/dea/druginfo/ds.shtml
3. Wikipedia – Oxycodone- History: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxycontin#OxyContin
4. Wikipedia – Oxycodone- Statistics: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxycontin#OxyContin
Derry Hallmark, Narconon Arrowhead, http://www.narcononarrowhead.org, +1 818-317-8489, [email protected]
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