Prescription drug addiction is the most underreported drug abuse problem in our country. It also one of the least understood. Many people falsely believe that abusing prescription drugs is safer than using illegal drugs, but addiction to and withdrawal from prescription drugs can be just as dangerous — if not more dangerous — than what you experience with illegal substances.
If you’re addicted to prescription drugs, Casa Palmera can help. Our residential prescription drug addiction treatment program will provide you a safe, structured environment to come off your prescription drugs and address the root causes of your addiction. For those with chronic pain, our pain management program will teach you the skills necessary to cope with your pain in a healthier way.
Causes of Prescription Drug Addiction
Just like there are many reasons why people become addicted to drugs or alcohol, there are many reasons why people become addicted to prescription drugs. One of the biggest risk factors of prescription drug addiction is long-term use of opiate-based painkillers like Vicodin or OxyContin. Long-term use of opiates can create a physical dependency that requires the user to continue using the drug or risk painful withdrawal symptoms. Someone who’s trying to treat chronic pain or an injury may innocently begin taking opiate-based pain meds and quickly slide into accidental addiction and dependency.
Another major risk factor of prescription drug addiction is the false belief that they’re safer than illegal street drugs. The truth is that misusing prescription drugs is just as dangerous as abusing illegal drugs. Prescription drug abuse can lead to addiction, dependency, withdrawal and many serious — and even deadly — health consequences.
Finally, prescription drugs are often easier to obtain than illegal drugs. More and more doctors are prescribing prescription medications to treat a variety of physical and mental health issues. This high rate of prescription makes it easy for people to obtain prescription meds through a variety of resources, including false prescriptions, multiple prescriptions from multiple doctors, and using other people’s prescribed medications.
Signs of Prescription Drug Addiction
People who abuse prescription drugs will exhibit a number of signs of addiction and dependency. They will continue to use the drug even after the reasons it was prescribed for has ceased. They will develop a high tolerance for the drug and experience withdrawal symptoms if doses are missed. Changes in mood and behavior will occur, including secretive or deceitful behavior to obtain the drug, and hostile, agitated or anxious behavior if the drug isn’t received. Other signs of prescription drug addiction are financial problems to support their pill habit and withdrawing from friends, family and society.
Treatment for Prescription Drug Addiction
If you or someone you love exhibits any of these signs of prescription drug addiction, residential treatment at Casa Palmera can put you or your loved one on the road to recovery. Our prescription drug treatment program provides a structured environment that’s free of temptations and distractions, and provides round-the-clock care and support to help the individual focus on recovery. Our caring, highly skilled staff will provide supervised detoxification from the prescription drug’s harmful toxins, individual and group therapy to learn new behavior skills, and holistic therapies such as yoga, meditation and other therapies to heal the spirit and mind as well as the body.
At Casa Palmera, we also offer chronic pain management to help you control pain without the use of prescription drugs. The Casa Palmera Chronic Pain Program is led by physicians who specialize in treating patients who are compromised by pain and have a history of prescription drug abuse. Our program includes holistic therapies such as massage, acupuncture, neurofeedback/biofeedback, stress reduction, yoga, laser therapy, physical therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and more to reduce pain without medication.
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