Worried About Someone Addicted to Prescription Drugs or Pain Killers? Learn About the Leading Reasons for Prescription Drug Abuse

Drug addiction is a disease characterized by uncontrollable and compulsive drug craving and use. Often times, an individual will begin taking a prescription drug for an illness or medical condition, only to become addicted to the very drug that was meant to help them.

Some prescription drug addictions are started and maintained by an individual illegally obtaining the medication. The medication may be in the home of the addict, although prescribed to a family member. Some addicts purchase the medication illegally through friends or associates in order to keep their addiction going. Click here to read about signs you might be an addict. But why does the person become addicted to the medication? To help answer that question, consider these five leading causes for prescription drug addiction:

1. To Feel Good or Receive a High
Many people become addicted to prescription medication called opioids, because the drug creates a false sense of well-being. Opioids are medications that are commonly prescribed to treat pain, such as morphine, codeine, hydrocodone, oxycodone and benzlmorphine. These pain relieving drugs can sometimes cause an intense feeling of euphoria, which the user may to seek (again) after the medication wears off.

2. Peer Pressure or a Desire to be Social
Prescription drug addiction often occurs due to peer pressure. This is especially true among young people. An individual may take the drug at the urging of his or her friends, with the intention of taking the medication only once, but then ends up becoming strongly addicted. Other individuals may be offered prescription medication in a social setting and take the drug to feel accepted or to feel like part of the group.

3. To Relieve Anxiety or to Relax
Some people become addicted to certain type of prescription medication because they are going through a difficult time. The person may be suffering from loneliness, depression, loss of a loved one or other tragedy. He or she may desire the drug because they feel it helps to relieve the anxiety and stress that has been brought on from the hardship.

4. For Appetite Suppression
Many times prescription medication can have side effects, such as suppressing the person’s appetite. In these instances, the user may feel compelled to keep taking the prescribed drug more or longer than necessary in order to lose or maintain a certain weight. An individual who already has an eating disorder, such as anorexia or bulimia, may be at a higher risk than someone without this problem.

5. To Improve Mental or Physical Performance
Individuals who feel extreme pressure, either from themselves or others, may have a tendency to become addicted to prescription medications. This may be an individual who is striving for excellence in academics, or someone who wants to thrive at sports. For example, some athletes believe that stimulant drugs such as Adderall or Ritalin, commonly prescribed for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), offer them a boost of energy and focus. The athlete may take the drug initially for the disorder and then become addicted, or may feign the symptoms in order to get the drug prescribed to them. Students who need to stay alert or awake to study may also become addicted to certain stimulant medications.

Although these are some of the leading drug addiction causes, there are many other reasons people become addicted to prescription medication. Some researchers even believe that certain individuals may be genetically predisposed to become addicted to drugs.

However, regardless of how the addiction begins, medical help will be needed to stop the drug seeking behavior. A person who thinks he or she may be addicted to a prescription drug should contact a health provider immediately. Withdrawal of the drug will be difficult and time-consuming, but with proper help and support, it can be done.