Nearly Half of Americans Know a Person Dependent On Drugs, Survey Finds

With approximately 50 percent of the USA population on prescription drugs and 10 percent
on antidepressants, it is clear that things are going seriously wrong with human health in the
modern world, notes engineer-turned-author Steven Magee, who has written several books
on the related subjects, including Health Forensics.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
and the federal government have taken several steps to address the damage done by the
ongoing opioid epidemic that took over 33,000 lives in the United States in 2015. As drug
overdose deaths continued with an upward trend during the year, more than half a million
individuals perished to drug overdose between 2000 and 2015.
According to a recent
study, lawmakers in
the U.S. states enacted
81 laws that regulated
the dispensation of
controlled substances
by doctors,
pharmacists and
patients between
2006 and 2012. The
majority of these
statutes aimed to
prevent patients from
doctor shopping and
mandate doctors to
use tamper-resistant
prescription pads to prevent fraud. However, the implementation of controlled substance
laws was not associated to the hazardous use of opioids.
In addition, various state-level monitoring programs were also set up to provide data on the
controlled substances dispensed in the state to identify individuals at risk of developing the
problem of substance abuse and raise a red flag on illegal prescriptions. However, the study
concluded that the adoption of controlled substance laws neither reduced the potential risk
involved due to the use of opioids nor decreased overdose rates.
Although with the good intention to fight the menace of substance abuse law enforcement
agencies, media and other institutions are driving the war against drugs, the ubiquitousness
of addiction continues to spread across all social stratas. However, almost half of Americans
were found to know someone with the problem of drug dependence, according to a survey
as below.

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Easy availability of medications and drug abuse
A 2016 survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation aimed to take a closer look at the outlooks on
the health problems in the U.S., especially issues related to access to substance abuse
treatment and mental health services. Approximately 44 percent reported that they know of
someone who has an addiction to painkillers, including 26 percent knowing an acquaintance,
21 percent reporting a close friend and 20 percent confirming a family member. In the 2017
survey, 56 percent of the respondents reported that they or someone in their household
considered to have a pre-existing condition.

According to 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 75 percent of all opioid
misuse began when people used medication that was not prescribed to them. It also stated
that 90 percent of all addictions, regardless of the drug, started during the adolescence and
young adulthood. In addition, 80 percent of heroin users reported that they started abusing
substances with prescription medications, suggesting that the drug addiction in the U.S. is
driven by the access to both prescribed and illicit drugs.
Abusing drugs is dangerous
Even though prescription drugs are advised by a doctor, they are by no means safer than
drugs procured from the streets. The prevalence of drug abuse in the U.S. is one of the major
public health concerns that cannot be solved by punitive actions alone, particularly due to the
mushrooming of drug dealers and increased tendency among the users to indulge in doctor
shopping.
Sovereign Health understands the plight of someone who wishes to quit the abuse of harmful
substances regardless of the adverse impact on their lives. If you or your loved one is grappling
with the problem of substance abuse, it is important to seek professional assistance to avoid
the aggravation of the related symptoms.
Our customized drug treatment programs are tailored according to individual needs in order
to provide holistic care. Get in touch with Sovereign Health of San Clemente through our
helpline number (866) 819-0427 to know about the comprehensive and evidence-based
intervention plans at our addiction treatment centers in California and other parts of the U.S.

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