Not a lot of attention is paid to prescription drug abuse. But nearly 20 percent of Americans have used prescription drugs for non-medical reasons. Three quarters of those may be abusing prescription drugs. Between 1992 and 2002, the number of prescriptions written increased by 61 percent. In that same period, the number of prescriptions written for opiates increased by almost 400 percent.
The Baltimore Sun reports:
“According to a report ... by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hospitalizations for poisoning by prescription opioids, sedatives and tranquilizers jumped 65 percent from 1999 to 2006. One-third of new addicts report that their first drug experience was with prescription drugs.”
Remember the Reagan-era anti-drug ads, “Just Say NO”? Well, since then, street drugs have taken the backseat to a far greater threat – prescription drugs, especially pain killers. Contrary to the popular belief propagated by the drug industry, taking prescription drugs is a health RISK – not a healthy treatment to a health problem. This backwards ideology has created a nation of extremely sick people, and a whole new generation of drug addicts. In fact, prescription drugs are now the preferred “high” for many, especially teens, as they are typically used legally, which eliminates the stigma of being a “junkie.” And even if you don’t have your own prescription, drugs of all kinds can be found in the nearest medicine cabinet in most homes.
If you don’t believe drugs have become extremely easy to get a hold of, take a look at the latest drug use statistics from the Kaiser Health Foundation.
-The average American, aged 19 to 64, now takes close to 12 prescription drugs!
-The average senior typically fills over 30 prescriptions every year, and even children, between the ages of 0-18, are taking an average of close to 4 prescriptions annually!
This brings up yet another problem, which is the increased health risk of mixing multiple drugs. Both of these issues – prescription drug abuse, and drug overuse – have a major impact on the health, well being, and longevity of the American population, as well as our health care system.
The Baltimore Sun quotes R. Gil Kerlikowske, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, as saying:
"With drug use accounting for tens of billions of dollars per year in health care costs, and drug overdoses ranking second only to motor vehicle crashes as the leading cause of accidental death, the nation needs to discard the idea that enforcement alone can eliminate our drug problem."
Reflect on this for just a moment…
Drug use accounts for tens of billions of dollars per year in health care costs… That’s tens of billions of dollars IN ADDITION TO the close to one TRILLION dollars those same drugs cost our health care system in the first place! This is about as close to insanity as you can get when thinking that “more and better drugs” are the answer to our nation’s failing health... Folks, it’s time to wake up from our collective slumber and cease to fall prey to this predatory type of “health care.”
Please, if you take only one fact away from this article, let it be the importance of thinking twice before taking a prescription drug. It is your body, not your doctor’s and not your pharmacist’s, so it is up to you to make the decision of what drugs to take, if any. Be SURE you are aware of the risks of any medication prescribed to you, and weigh them against any possible benefit. Then you can make a well-informed decision of whether it’s a risk you’re willing to take.
And as always, keep striving to Take Control of Your Health so that you require fewer doctor visits, and drugs, to stay in top condition.
Sources:
The Baltimore Sun April 21, 2010; Mercola.com
If you have any questions or comments, please contact Dr. Dan Thibodeau at 920-954-1002 or DrDan1221@yahoo.com
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