Call 1-888-289-9923 24/7.
In a recent New York Times interview Dr. Nora D. Volkow, the neuroscientist in charge of the National Institute on Drug Abuse the subject of addiction was discussed. Volkow states that no matter what the addiction is, be it to sex, drugs, gambling, alcohol, eating… it all comes down to the same thing and that is dopamine. Individuals who struggle with addiction are generally trying to suppress some other feeling or issue that they do not want to deal with. Today one of the fastest growing addictions is to prescription drugs.
Volkow states, ““In the past, when we have addressed the issue of controlled substances, illicit or licit, we have been addressing drugs that we could remove from the earth and no one would suffer. But are lifesaving yet every bit as dangerous as banned substances. The challenges we face are much more complex because we need to address the needs of patients in pain, while protecting those at risk for substance use disorders.”
Addiction to prescription drugs is a disease that is affecting people of all ages and backgrounds. In the past decade the number of hospital visits due to health problems with prescription drugs has increase five times the number it used to be. The number of accidental overdoses from prescription drugs is four times the number it was a decade ago. These are nothing short of alarming numbers.
Whether an individual has an addiction to drugs or alcohol it is likely that they are using their chemical dependency to mask some other issues that they don’t want to deal with. Addiction treatment can help its clients to first become sober and then teach them the coping techniques they are lacking to handle their problems on a day to day basis without chemical dependency.
