Why are opioids addictive?Opioids are highly addictive because they flood the brain with endorphins and dopamine, which produce feelings of pleasure, satisfaction, and euphoria. The “high” is so powerful and unlike any natural rush of endorphins and dopamine that the only way a person can experience those feelings again is by using opioids. There are […]
Tag: Oxycontin
Battling Prescription Drug Abuse in Texas
Like most states in the U.S., Texas is facing a severe problem with abuse of and addiction to prescription opioids. What is Prescription Drug Abuse? Prescription drugs are carefully controlled substances that are prescribed by a doctor to an individual patient for a specific condition. Taking a drug that was prescribed to someone else, in […]
Are Sleep Aid Medications Gateway Drugs?
According to a 2017 review published in the journal The Gerontologist, about 1 in 5 adults use an over-the-counter sleep aid medication to get some shut eye.1 While the study cited Benadryl as being one of the most commonly used sleep-inducing drugs (even though it’s actually intended to treat allergy symptoms), the long-term use and […]
Teen Prescription Drug Abuse: Parents Should Safely Store Medication
You may have heard some families are locking their medicine cabinet in their homes, and you may think that seems a bit ridiculous. If you haven’t gotten the memo yet, parents it’s time to clean out your medicine cabinets and lock prescription opioid painkillers away. Teen prescription drug abuse is becoming a serious problem in the United States today. According to the Partnership for a Drug-Free America: 1 in 5 teens has abused prescription pain medication.
How Does Prescription Drug Abuse Lead to Heroin Addiction?
The rise in prescription drug abuse has created an unexpected trend, a rise in the use of the opioid drug heroin. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), 1 in 15 people who abuse prescription pain relievers will try heroin within ten years.1