In US, an Epidemic of Prescription Drug Abuse

In US, an Epidemic of Prescription Drug Abuse – This is the VOA Special English Health Report from voaspecialenglish.com | http Officials in the United States say deadly abuse of painkillers and other prescription drugs has reached epidemic levels. More than thirty-six thousand people died from drug overdoses in two thousand eight, the latest year available. That was almost as many as from road crashes. More than half of the overdoses involved drugs that need a doctor’s approval. And three-fourths of those deaths involved what are called opioid pain relievers. These include drugs like methadone; morphine; hydrocodone, also known as Vicodin; and oxycodone, or OxyContin. Death rates from prescription drugs were highest among people forty-five to fifty-four years old.A recent government report said painkiller deaths more than tripled in the past decade. They now top the number of heroin and cocaine deaths combined. The Obama administration released a plan last year to try to deal with the problem. Some abusers seek help at places like the Malibu Beach Recovery Center near Los Angeles. They learn yoga and other ways to deal with anxiety, stress and pain. Joan Borsten heads the center. She says stopping is difficult because “in the case of pain pills, the body has stopped producing its natural defenses to pain,” and users have to have more and more. Around the country, special drug courts work with addicts to get them counseling and treatment. Mary Ann Gunn is a retired drug-court judge. She now appears on “Last Shot With …

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The notion that a counselor must be physically present for success is simply not true. http://t.co/r5R6C53j – by ChangngLives (Changing Lives )

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Little did I realize that one of my kids would become a heroin user for 6 plus years. http://t.co/7qY9SYGg – by ChangngLives (Changing Lives )

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Left untreated, the emotional, psychological and physical consequences can be devastating, even fatal. http://t.co/yiOZxtBU – by ChangngLives (Changing Lives )