PAINKILLER ADDICTION

Painkiller ADDICTION

Painkiller abuse continues to grow.......

Increasingly, drug abusers are getting their next fix from their medicine

cabinets, instead of from drug dealers.

More than 1.5 million Australians abuse prescription drugs. One in 10 teenagers admits to abusing painkillers, such as Panadine Forte and Oxycontin. Painkillers cause more overdoses than cocaine and heroin combined.

Access to prescription painkillers has never been easier. Many people start

taking prescription painkillers for a legitimate reason, for pain after surgery

or childbirth, or to deal with chronic pain. As the sense of euphoria and

relaxation provided by the drugs gets reinforced, they become increasingly

reliant on the drugs even when they no longer need them for pain.

Once hooked, patients may doctor shop to get multiple prescriptions to

painkillers, forge prescriptions, order painkillers from web sites that don’t

require prescriptions or take a road trip to Mexico to supply their habits.

Teenagers can get prescription painkillers from their parents’ medicine cabinets and their friends-even dealers. Because prescription painkillers are so readily available, they don’t have the stigma of illegal drugs, like heroin.

For many it may seem much easier and acceptable to swallow a pill than to find a vein, inject yourself with a drug and risk getting AIDS or overdosing.  The word "heroin" instantly evokes a negative image-usually that of someone homeless and on the street.

However, like heroin, prescription painkillers such as Oxycontin and stimulate opiate receptors in the brain, relieving pain and providing a sense of euphoria, and are highly addictive and difficult to quit without medical intervention and rehab.

Because opiates are so rewarding and reinforcing, once a person stops using them, the body goes into shock and withdrawal. Symptoms of withdrawal are similar to a severe case of the flu and may include fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, muscle and bone pain, insomnia, cold flashes with goose bumps and involuntary leg movements. To avoid pain, many people abusing painkillers keep using.

Patients may have accompanying mental illness and issues driving their addiction, such as anxiety, depression, life stresses, relationship problems, personality disorders or poor coping skills.

Relapse rates for patients who abuse painkillers are high, so creating a relapse prevention plan is crucial.  Patients learn the signs and symptoms that constitute a lapse, so they can stop a full-blown relapse.

As the supply and variety of painkillers increase, more people will try them for non-medical reasons, and some will become addicted. Increased awareness, is paramount right now to quell the surge in this type of drug addiction.

Most clients will need medically supervised detox prior to entering the Recovery Coaching Program.  Call us today for professional confidential help. 

PH 07 5606 6315 EMAIL: info@coachingwithsubstance.org.au 

Website: www.CoachingWithSubstance.org.au