It’s very rare for someone to purposely become addicted to prescription medications, although it has been known to happen to some people. For most people, however, their addictions to prescription drugs evolved because they couldn’t break the vicious cycle they found themselves in. Perhaps that’s where you see yourself right now, and you’re wondering how you can break free.
Prescription Drug Abuse Treatment
Regardless of the reasons behind your prescription drug abuse, which has led to a full-fledged addiction, it can be nearly impossible for you to break free on your own. Prescription drugs counseling works by first, providing you with the support you need to stop using the drugs, and then addressing the emotions and pain that might surface when you stop. For many people, talking with a professional for the purpose of getting help with prescription drugs is the first step toward recovery and freedom.
Prescription Drug Addiction is on the Rise
Experts all over the world agree that prescription drug addiction is on the rise, particularly for those who use Opioids. That’s because Opioids affect the pleasure centers in the brain. When you use these or other types of prescription drugs, your brain experiences a sense of euphoria. When the drugs are out of your system, that euphoric feeling disappears, which leads you to want to experience it again.
The Cycle
It’s common for the cycle that leads to prescription drug addiction to begin relatively harmlessly. Perhaps you are prescribed a pain killer after a serious injury, or maybe you had pain and your friend offered you one of their prescription medications as a way to temporarily relieve it. Like most, your intentions were innocent, but over time, those intentions probably led to abuse.
Prescription drug abuse is very different from addiction because when you’re abusing the medications, you don’t really feel a compulsion or a need to have them. You might start out by taking the drug because it’s become a part of your routine, or you liked the way it made you feel, so you took it when you didn’t really need it. Over time, prescription drug abuse leads to addiction.
When you’re addicted to a prescription drug, you feel compelled to use it, and if you run out, you’ll do whatever you need to do to get more. You might contact your doctor for a refill when you don’t need one, or you might even attempt to go to a different doctor. Many addicts will try to purchase the medications from their friends or even on the street. These behaviors are typical of addicts, and when they try to stop, it’s very likely for the cycle of addiction to present itself all over again.
Denial
If you’re addicted to prescription drugs, you might be in a state of denial. After all, if a doctor prescribed it, it can’t really be bad, can it? Unfortunately, it’s that type of thinking that led to your addiction. Prescription drugs can absolutely be addicting when they’ve been taken for a long period of time, or when they’ve been abused for a while. If that’s where you’re finding yourself now, there is help available to you.
Perhaps you have noticed that you seem to be caught in the cycle of prescription drug addiction. You want to get help with prescription drugs, but you’re not sure who to go to or what you should do. Up until now, you might not have even realized you had a problem. Please contact me and let’s discuss how I can help.
