In the U.S., well over two million people have diagnosable problems with prescription medications. Some of these people are affected by damaging, non-addicted abuse. However, many suffer from a full-blown prescription addiction. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to avoid getting addicted to a medication.
If you are already affected by prescription addiction in Utah, Painted Desert Recovery can help. We specialize in customized treatment options for women to help them overcome prescription addiction. This is vitally important since women are impacted by addiction just as often as men. With programs for each of the most commonly abused medications, we support your recovery every step of the way.
What Is Prescription Addiction?
Every day, millions of Americans take a medication that has the potential to produce prescription addiction. The three most widely used types of these medications are:
- Opioid painkillers
- Prescription stimulants
- Sedatives and tranquilizers
These three medications are also the most common targets of prescription drug misuse.
How does addiction occur? Opioids, stimulants, and sedatives all have the ability to change how your brain works. The specific changes vary from substance to substance. But in all cases, their presence in your system can eventually lead to physical dependence. Physically dependent people must keep taking medication to feel “normal.”
However, physical dependence alone does not equate to a pill addiction. Addicted people are also affected by compulsive, drug-seeking behavior. This means that they have an involuntary, emotional need to keep up their pill misuse.
Prevention Tip #1: Follow Your Doctor’s Instructions
All prescribed drugs come with dosing instructions. Those instructions tell you:
- How much medication to take at a time
- How often you should take a dose
- How long your prescription lasts
The first step in avoiding pill addiction is to follow your doctor’s instructions. Why is this important? Those instructions do more than just help you get the therapeutic benefits you desire. They also help protect your health. And part of this protection is making sure that you don’t take too much medication. This limitation helps minimize your risks for prescription addiction and overdose.
Prevention Tip #2: Don’t Take a Medication Not Prescribed to You
Doctors tailor their prescriptions to meet the needs of each patient. That personalization includes the medication type. It also includes the situation of the person receiving the medication. The prescription process helps doctors keep their patients safe at all times.
When you take a drug not prescribed to you, you break this crucial safety protocol. That’s true because you no longer have a doctor monitoring your health and well-being. This not only increases your risks for pill addiction. It also increases your overdose risks.
Prevention Tip #3: Steer Clear of Recreational Use
As a rule, addictive medications produce a compelling form of pleasure called euphoria. However, these medications serve a therapeutic purpose. Their ability to get you “high” is merely a side effect. When you take an addictive medication solely for its drug effects, you open yourself up to serious problems. That includes a much higher chance of getting addicted. Your overdose risks also undergo a similar increase.
Find Support to Avoid Pill Addiction at Painted Desert Recovery
If you would like to learn more about how you can avoid pill addiction in Utah, contact Painted Desert Recovery today. We’re dedicated to helping women protect their health and steer clear of addiction.
Painted Desert Recovery is also your source for the effective treatment of pill addiction. We feature specialized programs for opioids, stimulants, and sedatives, and tranquilizers. No matter which of these drugs is affecting you, we’ll help you recover your sobriety. For more information, call us at 844.540.0357 or contact us through our online form today.