Has Prescription Drug Abuse Become Just Part of the College Experience?

                                                                                         

Years ago, kids used to look forward to going to college because they could drink. Sad to say, but they wanted the freedom to act like what they thought of as ‘adult.’ No restrictions, no one telling them what to do, no one questioning where they were going when they went out, who they’d be with or when they’d be home. For many students, that lifestyle also involved being able to drink and party whenever they felt like it. Unfortunately, times have changed: Now they might get involved with prescription drug addiction and abuse – which can have far more dangerous consequences than a few beers.

Why do young adults get involved with prescription drugs? Many of them weren’t drug users before, and many would never consider taking anything like cocaine, speed or heroin. But prescription drugs are a different story. They come from a doctor, even though they may have been prescribed for someone else, so they’re considered safe. And many feel it’s just a normal part of the college experience – like beer used to be.

Drinking beer is risky, and young adults tend to take risks while drinking that they wouldn’t take otherwise. They have accidents, have sexual experiences they wouldn’t otherwise consider, and sometimes they’ll get into a car and drive. Not to mention that their performance in school can suffer – one night of drinking impairs critical thinking for a month.

But, generally speaking, it takes a lot of alcohol – not just two or three beers with friends on a Saturday night - to come anywhere close to being as dangerous as prescription drugs.

What is likely to happen with prescription drug abuse? Well, you never know. The lists of side effects for many of the drugs they would take are long, and scary. Select a few of the most common – Ritalin, Adderall, Valium, Xanax, and OxyContin, for example - and check them out on the Internet.

While some of the side effects are rarer than others, plenty of them are very common and you never really know how the drugs will affect you.

Worse, is the combination of drugs: many people combine two or more. If those drugs are opiates like OxyContin, Valium, methadone, and so on, they could depress the central nervous system, including the respiratory function, to the point where the person dies. And many prescription drug-related deaths are caused by just that problem.

Another issue of concern is prescription drug addiction and physical dependence. A wise doctor prescribes potentially addictive drugs for a short period of time – they know the consequences. Physical dependence can occur in weeks and addiction, because of the predisposing mental and emotional factors, can occur in even less time.

Educate yourself on the prescription drugs being taken recreationally, and educate the young adults in your life so when they’re offered these drugs – which they will be – they know exactly what they would be taking and what the risks are.

Today, there are as many or more people arriving at addiction treatment centers for help with prescription drugs than street drugs. Don’t let someone you know fall prey to this latest, and very dangerous, trend in the college experience.

About the author:
Gloria MacTaggart is a freelance writer who contributes articles on health.

info@drugrehabreferral.com

http://www.drugrehabreferral.com


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