But America’s fastest-growing group of drug addicts isn’t found on the streets. Instead, it could be the little old man or lady – or a family member -- who gets a fix from the medicine cabinet or at the local pharmacy. That’s because the United States is experiencing what some are calling a prescription opioids epidemic in abuse and overdoses.
Opioids are synthetic or natural chemicals that attach to receptors in the brain or body and help relieve pain. Heroin is an opioid, but there are also such prescribed medications as oxycodone, fentanyl and hydrocodone.
Government statistics claim that almost 15,000 people die annually from prescription painkiller overdoses, a figure that represents 44 deaths per day. While prescription painkillers garner the bulk of attention, heroin deaths have also increased nearly 40 percent between 2012 and 2013, the last year statistics are available.
Prescription drug abuse happens when a medication is taken in a way that a doctor did not intend. The abuse can include forged prescriptions, over-prescriptions, taking a friend’s medication, stealing medications and taking black-market drugs.
Some opioids are taken for pain, others for the high, to relax, relieve chronic pain and to ease anxiety. Because the drugs are relatively inexpensive, they have become popular among young adults looking for cheap highs and seniors who may have originally taken the pills for legitimate reasons but became too accustomed to the way they made them feel.