Prescription Drugs

Most people who take prescription medications take them responsibly; however, the nonmedical use or abuse of prescription drugs remains a serious public health concern. Certain prescription drugs - opioids, central nervous system (CNS) depressants, and stimulants - when abused, can alter the brain's activity and lead to dependence and possibly addiction.

Millions of Americans are addicted to prescription drugs. Many of these addicts are average citizens, with no prior history of drug abuse, who became “hooked” after first using the drugs for legitimate medical reasons. Now, having escalated their drug usage, they cannot stop. The destructive course of addiction rips at the thread of family fabric.

Chances are you, or someone you know, is struggling with addiction to prescription drugs. Maybe it’s your spouse, a relative, a friend, or a casual acquaintance. Maybe it’s you. Maybe you’re not even sure if the drug use has shifted from therapeutic to abusive.

Prescription drug abuse may be defined as a pattern of compulsive drug use characterized by a continued craving for drugs and the need to use these drugs for psychological effects or mood alterations. Many prescription drug abusers find that they need to use drugs to feel “normal.” The user exhibits drug seeking behavior and is often preoccupied with using and obtaining the drugs of choice. These substances may be obtained through legal or illegal channels.

Although many prescription drugs can be abused or misused, there are three classes of prescription drugs that are most commonly abused:

• Opioids, which are most often prescribed to treat pain;
• CNS depressants, which are used to treat anxiety and sleep disorders;
• Stimulants, which are prescribed to treat the sleep disorder narcolepsy, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and obesity.

According to the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN), fourteen of the top twenty most abused controlled substances in the United States, are prescription drugs. Benzodiazepines rank highest on the list, and are followed by the opiates or painkillers.

Top 20 Most Abused Drugs

1. Cocaine
2. Marijuana
3. Heroin
4. Unspecified benzodiazepine
5. Alprazolam (Xanax)
6. Clonazepam (Klonopin)
7. Hydrocodone (Vicodin, Lorcet, Lortab)
8. Amphetamine
9. Diazepam (Valium)
10. Lorazeparn (Ativan)
11. Metharnphetamine (speed)
12. Trazodone (Desyrel)
13. Fluoxetine (Prozac)
14. Carisoprodol
15. Oxycodone (Percocet 5, Perdocan, Tylox)
16. Valproic acid
17. d-Propoxyphene (Darvocet N, Darvon)
18. Amitriptyline (Elavil)
19. Methadone
20. LSD

Source:
Drug Abuse Warning Network Emergency Room Data, 1999, Table 2.06A.

Narconon (from non-narcosis, or (“No-Drugs!”) is used both to refer to the Narconon Drug Rehab Program as well as to the international network of Narconon rehab centers. The Narconon program is designed to get drug, prescription drug, or alcohol abusers off drugs and back in control of their lives. Drug abuse is a hellish problem. It degrades individuals, destroys families, and corrupts communities. None of us are free from its effects. Many of us have watched it consume someone we love.

Utilizing the research and developments of American author and humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard, Narconon was founded in the Arizona State Prison by an inmate and former heroin addict, William Benitez. The original group of ten inmates expanded to over one hundred within the first year and due to unprecedented success of the program, Narconon rapidly spread to other prisons. In 1971 the program was made available to the public with the opening of the first street program in Los Angeles. After much success in the early days of the Narconon Los Angeles program, we have since grown into facilities that are more modern and are geographically better located. Today we are recognized as Narconon Southern California, Inc. in Newport Beach, California. Narconon has continued to breathe new life to thousands of substance abusers and their families for over 30 years, and will continue to be a vital part of our society for years to come.

Today there are Narconon centers throughout the Western world, in Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland and Australia, as well as across the United States.

According to one study by the National Institute of Drug Abuse, the majority of patients treated for heroin addiction or heavy cocaine addiction were using drugs again. Reports showed that drug use was at least once a week within a year after they finished treatment. These findings are unfortunately typical of most treatment methods.

In these times of failing drug treatment programs, Narconon deliver results documented by social research groups. An independent Spanish study done by Tecnicos Asociados de Investigacion y Marketing showed that 70% of Narconon graduates stayed off drugs. An independent American study reported that 86% of Narconon clients were still off drugs two years after their programs.

A Narconon graduate is not left with the urge to relapse, nor does he need to be put on other medications to make him stable. Narconon graduates are brought back to life: confident, in control and able to achieve their goals without the use of drugs.

For millions of individuals personally caught up in the trap of drug addiction or alcoholism, and the millions of others who are also directly or indirectly affected, Narconon drug rehab centers provide a real and workable route back to freedom from drug, prescription drug, and alcohol addiction.