The thought of entering the drug trade never really crossed my mind until this year. When getting ready for my wisdom teeth removal surgery, my dentist said he would carefully evaluate my recovery process and prescribe a painkiller, if needed. I left the clinic that day with a prescription for Vicodin. And a refill. No questions asked. Careful evaluation, indeed.
After the pain finally went away, I still had a few Vicodin pills left and mentioned it to a couple of friends who suddenly became very "interested" if I was looking to make a "profit." My friends told me to take advantage of the pain and that it would be easy to get another refill if I pretended my pain had worsened. I could even get a stronger dose or a stronger drug. They were right; it would've been easy. After all, they had all done it themselves.
A recent study conducted at the University of Michigan found that about 20 percent of college students take prescription drugs for recreational purposes. According to the National Center on Alcohol and Substance Abuse at Columbia, from 1993 to 2005, the number of college students abusing tranquilizers like Xanax and Valium went up 450 percent. For opioids like Vicodin, the increase was 343 percent.
These medications, along with the stimulant Adderall and the painkiller OxyContin, are the new drugs of choice on campuses. It's not a shock that there are students out there who like to experiment with various states of mind. It is a shock, though, that these prescription drugs are perceived to be nontoxic compared to coke and ecstasy.
The DAILY encourages you to share your thoughts on this story. Please help us keep the discussion lively, but civil. Comments that are abusive to others, off-topic or vulgar, or comments that misrepresent someone's identity, will not be tolerated. We reserve the right to delete any comments in violation or to close comment threads on articles.
Very good article. And very important information, I hope people read and take it seriously. I can tell you from experience, that hydrocodone is not only overprescribed, highly addictive, but also sneakily lethal. (Continued…)
Maintenance medications for opiate addiction and nicotine addiction have resulted in significant improvements in success rates.
Family therapy is an effective treatment for adolescent drug abuse. (Continued…)
well i would say this article would give you something valuable for your life if you take it seriously.
my sister was taking hydrocodone from long time and now her bones are bending but she is so addicted she cant stop it. (Continued…)
This is the sad truth of our days, I am disappointed and I am not willing to accept it. Doctors should know better, this is a high responsibility and they should be aware of that. (Continued…)
The process of overcoming the barriers, getting across to the addicts and making them realize what can be done to come out of the spell of ecstasy addiction . (Continued…)
Spring Break
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Please e-mail online@dailynorthwestern.com to flag a comment or for more information.
Viewing Comments 1 - 6 of 7
mary
posted 4/11/08 @ 10:32 AM CST
Very good article. And very important information, I hope people read and take it seriously. I can tell you from experience, that hydrocodone is not only overprescribed, highly addictive, but also sneakily lethal. (Continued…)
Josie Smith
posted 5/26/08 @ 3:59 PM CST
Maintenance medications for opiate addiction and nicotine addiction have resulted in significant improvements in success rates.
Family therapy is an effective treatment for adolescent drug abuse. (Continued…)
diana
posted 6/18/08 @ 6:27 AM CST
well i would say this article would give you something valuable for your life if you take it seriously.
my sister was taking hydrocodone from long time and now her bones are bending but she is so addicted she cant stop it. (Continued…)
Vicodin Addiction
posted 9/23/08 @ 8:41 AM CST
This is the sad truth of our days, I am disappointed and I am not willing to accept it. Doctors should know better, this is a high responsibility and they should be aware of that. (Continued…)
katiesmily
posted 11/03/08 @ 7:25 AM CST
It's not a shock that there are students out there who like to experiment with various states of mind.
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Katie
Drug Rehab
bevanstraut
Ecstasy Addiction
posted 1/09/09 @ 5:16 AM CST
The process of overcoming the barriers, getting across to the addicts and making them realize what can be done to come out of the spell of ecstasy addiction . (Continued…)
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