According to National Institute on Drug Abuse, about 14.3 million people reported misusing any prescription psychotherapeutic drug in 2021. More and more people are abusing prescription drugs, with many people not understanding the detrimental consequences of prescription drug abuse. From rising accessibility to the miseducation surrounding how bad prescription drug abuse can be, many factors have led to a rise in prescription drug abuse. Keep reading to learn more about why is prescription drug abuse on the rise.
Unfortunately, many people do not realize that prescription drug abuse can lead to addiction. If you are struggling with a prescription drug addiction, you don’t have to suffer in silence– help is available! At Hammocks On the Edisto, we are a premier women’s treatment center in South Carolina committed to helping women overcome addiction and maintain long-term sobriety. We provide one-of-a-kind treatment to help patients receive the individualized care they need to safely and effectively overcome addiction.
Contact us today to start your road to recovery.
5 Reasons Why Prescription Drug Abuse Is On The Rise
You may be wondering “Why is prescription drug abuse on the rise”? While there are several contributing factors, below are some of the most common reasons why prescription drug abuse is on the rise today.
Increased Prescription Usage
With heightened prescription rates, this inevitably leads to a higher possibility for prescription drugs to be abused. This is because more and more drugs being prescribed leads to an increased availability to get those drugs and ultimately misuse those drugs. Although the majority of people who are prescribed drugs use them as directed, there are a rising number of people who are misusing these drugs. Whether by stealing prescription drugs from friends or family members, or they themselves going to the doctor (or multiple doctors) with bad intentions to abuse prescription drugs.
Lack of Education and Safety
Many people hold a misconception that prescription drugs can’t be bad because they are being prescribed to you by a qualified medical professional. However, unfortunately, many people do not understand 1) how addictive prescription drugs can be (especially if misused) and 2) how unsafe it is to abuse prescription drugs. Therefore, this lack of education surrounding the many risks that can occur from abusing prescription drugs, and the belief that abusing prescription drugs is “not as bad” as abusing illegal drugs are more factors that contribute to the rise in prescription drug abuse.
Easy Access
Similar to the previous point on increased prescription rates, inevitably, with more and more drugs being prescribed, this means there’s an increased availability to access and misuse these drugs. Whether from stealing from a family member or friend, or you yourself going to the doctor’s with bad intentions to abuse prescription drugs, increased accessibility is another factor that cannot be ignored.
Lack of Monitoring
Unlike abusing illegal drugs like cocaine or meth, which have a fair amount of monitoring and legal consequences, there is a lack of oversight when it comes to monitoring prescription drug abuse. For example, a person can rather easily go to multiple doctors with the intent of getting prescriptions from each doctor, and there is not much oversight into preventing someone from getting and abusing multiple prescriptions at once.
Easy to Conceal
Last but not least, prescription drugs are very easy to hide, conceal, and abuse. Unlike some other illegal drugs that are either injected or smoked, prescription drugs are small and typically orally consumed making it very difficult for others to recognize from the outside looking in that you are abusing prescription drugs.
Leading Women’s Treatment Center in South Carolina
Now you know more about why is prescription drug abuse on the rise. Prescription drug abuse can lead to significant physical, mental, and social consequences which should not be ignored. Unfortunately, prescription drug abuse is underestimated compared to other illegal drug abuse. That being said, prescription drug abuse can be detrimental to nearly all areas of your life. If you or someone you know is struggling with prescription drug addiction, help is available.
Hammocks on the Edisto is a women’s only addiction treatment center committed to helping patients break free of addiction for good. We offer a range of women’s addiction treatment programs to ensure our patients have as many treatment options as possible to best help with their recovery needs.
Contact us today to learn how you can start your road to recovery.
