Pain Killer Addiction And Abuse

Pain killer (and other opiates), and prescription drug abuse is one of the largest growing problems in America today. The users (and abusers) of pain killers and other prescription drugs come in all ages, shapes and sizes.

Prescription drug abuse in general is a huge problem today, but pain killers are probably the most largely abused prescription drug.

It has been hitting America hard for the last few years. It practically came out of no where. Kids as young as fourth and fifth grade are stealing pain killers such as percocets, vicodins, and oxycontins from their parents prescription bottles. Many of them are even buying the pain killers from their fellow classmates, again as young as eleven and twelve years old!

As a person who has had a pain killer addiction first hand, I don't think America is aware of just how out of control, and how dangerous this addiction is becoming.

Being addicted to pain killers is definitely no fun. Trust me, I know!

After doing pain killers for long enough, they actually start to change your brain chemistry, making it almost impossible for even those with the best of self control to quit.

Those who have never been addicted to pain killers just have no idea of how addicting pain killers and opiates are. It simply takes over you. The addiction becomes an obsession, and it really is nearly impossible to quit without the help of methadone or suboxone.

And people who take methadone to rid a pain killer or opiate addiction sometimes must stay on methadone for the rest of their life. And of course there are those who just use methadone as another drug to abuse, again covering their pain killer or opiate addiction up.

Suboxone is a great way to ease the pain killer or opiate addiction, but I believe for it to be effective you must take the drug for at least a year which can be quite expensive. And even coming off of suboxone is no fun, although it is no where as painful as coming off of pain killers and other opiates.

America really needs to get a control of the pain killer and opiate addiction problem that is simply taking over America.

I don't know if it is just the area I live in or what, but almost everyone I know has a problem with pain killers, other opiates, or other prescription drugs. I predict that this will be the next "drug epidemic" that plagues America (like crack did when it hit). It really is getting that bad, and quitting is unbelievably hard even with the help of other drugs.

Not to mention how many people switch from pain killers to heroin to "save money", or as a substitute when they cannot get pain killers (pills).

To get more information on pain killer addiction check out [http://www.mypainkilleraddiction.com]

It is a site that I put together with all kinds of information on opiates and other pain killer addictions. I also describe my story of addiction, how I got through it, information on withdrawal, what to look for if you're afraid someone you know is addicted, and much much more.

Drug Addiction and Psychological Assessment

As anyone has experienced in the field of drug addiction and substance abuse will attest, sobriety is the main goal for clients, but much more lies beneath the surface. The more reputable treatment centers are dual diagnosis programs. Without addressing the basis of the substance abuse, the rate of relapse becomes much higher. Identifying the root causes of the addiction and drug abuse plays an integral role in the individual's recovery and long-term success. However, these causes are not as obvious and apparent as the drug use itself. Identifying a person as 'drunk' or 'high' may not be that difficult, but identifying a characterological flaw (often labeled a personality disorder), a processing deficit, or poor ego strength as an underlying cause of substance abuse and drug addiction often takes a considerable amount of detective work. Enter the psychological assessment.

A Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC) or any other counselor working with the addicted population has to develop a treatment plan that addresses the individual's specific needs. The proficient treating therapist uses all information available in combination to assist and guide.

It is not enough to simply administer and score the psychological instruments. When performed by an experienced psychologist able to crochet information from the various instruments of the psychological assessment, the information gleaned from these assessments becomes an integral part of the foundation of treatment. Without this information, neither the patient nor the treating therapist has a clear blueprint for success. While such psychological assessments are not a guarantee of success, their absence virtually assures the patient will stumble from sobriety.

It should be emphasized that psychological assessments are not a panacea for all that is wrong for those with drug addiction and substance abuse problems but are rather a piece of a puzzle that requires a high level of professional expertise. Today's technological advances, such as the DESA (Digital EEG Spectral Analysis), fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging), and SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography), offer an objective look at the brain's altered functioning from drugs. They are invaluable tools in the hands of competent clinicians with which to assist in finding underlying causes of drug addiction and substance abuse.

In addition to data, these technologies can produce clear, computer-simulated pictures of the addicted brain and compare it in pictures to a normal brain. These technologies offer new meaning to the statement "This is your brain, and this is your brain on drugs." When a patient with cannabis-induced psychosis was able to see his brain on and off drugs, the result was a dramatic shift in his behavior.

When traditional psychological assessment instruments are coupled with technological advances, the results are dramatically enhanced. Those with drug addiction and substance abuse difficulties require and deserve all that psychology and therapy have to offer in the way of help. The disciplines are now equipped to offer more and better help than ever before.