Prescription Drug Abuse Is A Serious Problem - 1547 Words

Bailey Glanville Mrs. Landgrebe Advanced Composition/4 21 December 2014 Research Paper Prescription drug abuse is a serious problem in today’s society. Prescription drug abuse is taking medicine prescribed for someone else, for another purpose, a larger dose than prescribed, in a different way than one is specifically prescribed. (â€Å"Prescription Medline† par. 1). This includes using a prescription to get high by crushing, snorting, or injecting them (â€Å"Prescription Medline† par. 4 and 5). By using these methods to put them into the body, it gives a stronger high than by just consuming it (â€Å"Signs of Painkiller Abuse Addiction† par. 2). Even though prescription drug misuse and abuse can be found among all age groups, it is most common in†¦show more content†¦1), which is approximately 20% of the entire US population (â€Å"Prescription Drug Abuse† par. 1). Prescription drug abuse may be most persistent in the US but is also a problem in many areas around the world â€Å"including Europe, Southern Africa, and South Asia† (â€Å"Prescription Facts† par. 2) In 2010, around â€Å"16 million Americans reported using a prescription drug for nonmedical reasons in the past year† (â€Å"Featured† par. 3). Addiction is a â€Å"chronic, often relapsing brain disease causing compulsive drug seeking and use despite harmful consequences to the person and people around them† (â€Å"Prescription Drug Abuse† par. 3). Abusing these drugs causes changes in the structure and function of the brain (â€Å"Prescription Drug Abuse† par. 3). Reactions vary between people when taking drugs because no person’s body chemistry is the same (â€Å"Prescription Facts† par. 4). Signs, causes, and risk factors for drug abuse should be something everyone looks for. â€Å"Signs of prescription drug abuse include: stealing, forging, or selling drugs, excessive mood swings, poor decision making, and continually â€Å"losing† prescriptions to get more† (â€Å"Prescription† page 2). â€Å"Causes of prescription drug abuse are: to feel good or get high, relax or relieve tension, reduce appetite or increase alertness, maintain addiction/prevent withdraw, acceptance from peers/be social, or improve academic performance† and is