An introduction to prescription drug abuse and drug addiction in Vancouver, British Columbia by Options Okanagan Treatment Center in Kelowna, British Columbia treating Prescription Drug addiction and recovery.
A majority of prescription drug use occurs in Vancouver, British Columbia under the instruction and care of a doctor. Drugs are taken during a specific time period in dosage amounts that are closely monitored. Any prescription medication that remains after treatment has been completed is then disposed of for safety purposes. Abuse of prescription drugs starts with many individuals due to the fact that prescribed drugs are often not used as they have been directed. Approximately 60 million Canadians and Americans engage in some form of non-medical use of prescription drugs at least one time in their lives.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse ran a recent survey that showed how prevalent prescription drug abuse has become. In 2010, 1 out of every 12 high school seniors admitted to using Vicodin, while 1 in 20 took Oxycontin. Those are just two of the most common prescription drugs being abused, with depressants, stimulants and opioids also being widely used.
Prescription drug abuse in Vancouver takes place when prescribed drugs are used for recreation. The use may be a non-prescribed user or the patient that was originally prescribed the drug. Any drug that has been prescribed medically can be abused. Opioids are the most common form of prescription drugs that are abused. They are used for treating pain, as depressants prescribed to treatment anxiety and sleep disorders or as stimulants for treating ADHD in children. From 1991 through 2010, prescriptions for opiates increased to 210 million from 76 million, and stimulant prescribed during that same period increased to 45 million from 4 million. The number of individuals involved in prescription drug abuse increased also, mostly due to the increase in how many ailments are treated using addictive substances.
Opioid Abuse in Vancouver
Opioids, including hydromorphone and oxycodone, are mainly used as pain relievers. The pain that is treated using opioids can range from pain that is the result of surgery or another medical procedure or from a specific injury or many other reasons. When the opioid is taken, it reacts through attaching to opioid receptors inside the spinal column or brain. After the opioid is in place, pain messages that run along the body’s nerves to the brain are partially blocked. The blockage reduces how much pain is felt by the user. When opiates are taken in doses larger than what is prescribed it provides the user with a sense of euphoria. The euphoric response is very pleasurable and users frequently continue taking the drug to feel this sensation.
Opioids in Vancouver are one of the main illustrations of prescription drug abuse as well as its consequences. The user continues taking the opioid in order to feel that sense of euphoria. As this occurs, the user’s body starts building up a tolerance for the drug. The tolerance reduces the dosage’s effect. To get the same euphoric feeling, the user will need to take higher doses of the drug. Taking larger doses further increases a patient’s drug tolerance. A cycle is created where increased drug use in Vancouver results in the user’s body developing a dependence on the drug being within the person’s system. There isn’t any exact timeline for how fast dependence occurs from prescription drug abuse. Dependence to a prescription drug can start fairly fast after drug use extends beyond the stage of casually indulging in it on occasion. The higher the dose or amount of the drug taken by user, the faster a psychological or physical dependence can begin to develop.
There is a slight difference between dependence and prescription drug addiction. An addicted user is compulsive and needs to search for the drug. The compulsion is there despite all of the negative consequences that result from the drug use. The user will go to all extremes in order to get a hold of more of whatever drug the person is addicted to.
Options Okanagan Prescription Drug and Alcohol Treatment Centers in Kelowna, Salmon Arm and Vancouver, British Columbia – Men and Women are recovering and healing from Alcohol and Drug Abuse at our treatment center here in the Okanagan right now.
Our unique and distinctive Percocet Drug and Alcohol treatment program allows men and women to come in from Vancouver, Calgary as well as Edmonton as we offer airport pickup.
Numerous clients come to us from Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton and other locations in Alberta and BC for Opiate addiction treatment, Prescription Drug treatment, many other drug and alcohol addictions for rehabilitation because of the uniqueness of our treatment center.
Our Treatment Location:
Options Okanagan Prescription Drug Treatment Center
551 Sherrydale Crescent, Kelowna, British Columbia, V1V 2E6
Toll Free Phone Number : 1-855-335-0331