Prescription drug abuse is as serious as any other form of drug or substance abuse. Although alcohol and illegal drug abuse are talked about in our society more frequently, the consequences of prescription drug abuse are equally devastating to the abuser and his or her immediate family and friends. The first step to recovering from prescription drug abuse is to consciously recognize that you have a problem. Next, you must be willing to seek the help necessary for your recovery. As with all recovery processes, the road can be long and challenging. The reward of true freedom makes the journey worth it, though. Read on to learn recover from prescription drug abuse.
Instructions
1. Determine whether or not you abuse prescription drugs. As with many other addictions and cases of substance abuse, you may try to convince yourself that you do not have a problem. The key to determining whether or not your circumstances constitute “abuse” is to compare the prescribed amount(s) and frequency of your prescription drugs(s) with the amount(s) and frequency you actually engage on a regular basis. Essentially, if you take any more of a prescription drug than your doctor has advised you, you are abusing that drug. For example, if your doctor advises you to take 25 mg of a prescription once a day, but you take 50 mg every day, that constitutes abuse. Also, obtaining and taking a prescription drug that you do not personally have a prescription is clearly abusive behavior.
2. Consider the consequences of your prescription drug abuse. You may feel guilty when you take more of a medication than prescribed. Many people go to great lengths and efforts to obtain more amounts of a prescription drug. The time spent feeling guilty and visiting doctors is lost time. Moreover, prescription drugs cost money, whether out of pocket or through a deductible amount. Also, taking a drug in amounts higher than at which it was prescribed, or more often that it was prescribed can cause serious health problems.
3. Identify the benefits that will result from you beginning a prescription drug abuse recovery program. Once you recover, you will be free from guilt. You can then use that energy to engage in activities that make you feel positive feelings, like pride and happiness. Less doctors visits means more money in your pocket and time to spend otherwise. Also, when you stop abusing prescription drugs, you do not have to worry about more health problems beyond what you may have already created.
Tags: prescription drug, drug abuse, prescription drug abuse, prescription drugs, amount frequency, drug abuse, drugs with