Once you pop (pills), you just can't stop
Local rehabilitation clinics, medical experts say they have seen a rise in painkiller addiction among students.
Lesley Petrie
Issue date: 9/19/07 Section: News
Drug rehabilitation clinics near campus have reported seeing an increase in the number of college students seeking treatment for painkiller addiction, a trend that underscores a national increase in painkiller addiction.
Shahan Suzmeyan, a credential counselor and marketing manager for CRC Health Group, which operates the Jeff Grand Treatment Center for drug use and addiction near campus, said an estimated 100 college students have sought treatment at the clinic for painkiller addictions since January. Though not all of those students were enrolled at USC, Suzmeyan said there are typically about 10 USC students enrolled in treatment programs at any given time.
Suzmeyan said students are increasingly able to fuel painkiller addictions because it is becoming easier to buy drugs such as OxyContin, Vicodin and Darvon on the Internet from internationally-based pharmaceutical companies that are not as stringently regulated as those within the U.S.
College students are particularly attracted to Internet pharmacies because they can easily obtain prescription-strength pain medication without a prescription, and at the same time they can escape the stigmas normally attached to buying illegal drugs off the street.
"There's this proliferation of Internet-based pharmacies now - you just get online, and with a couple of clicks you can get whatever prescription medication you want delivered to your house without going through a doctor. They will sell you whatever you want and whatever you ask for," Suzmeyan said.
In addition, pain medication obtained traditionally from a doctor lacks the stigma of illicit drugs, increasing the social acceptance of painkiller abuse. Even the popular trends in drug abuse reflect the social acceptance of painkillers, Suzmeyan said.
Suzmeyan said that fentanyl lollipops - which contain 10 milligrams of the drug Fentanyl, a substance similar to highly-refined heroin in its neurological effects - is a favorite among students who use painkillers.
Shahan Suzmeyan, a credential counselor and marketing manager for CRC Health Group, which operates the Jeff Grand Treatment Center for drug use and addiction near campus, said an estimated 100 college students have sought treatment at the clinic for painkiller addictions since January. Though not all of those students were enrolled at USC, Suzmeyan said there are typically about 10 USC students enrolled in treatment programs at any given time.
Suzmeyan said students are increasingly able to fuel painkiller addictions because it is becoming easier to buy drugs such as OxyContin, Vicodin and Darvon on the Internet from internationally-based pharmaceutical companies that are not as stringently regulated as those within the U.S.
College students are particularly attracted to Internet pharmacies because they can easily obtain prescription-strength pain medication without a prescription, and at the same time they can escape the stigmas normally attached to buying illegal drugs off the street.
"There's this proliferation of Internet-based pharmacies now - you just get online, and with a couple of clicks you can get whatever prescription medication you want delivered to your house without going through a doctor. They will sell you whatever you want and whatever you ask for," Suzmeyan said.
In addition, pain medication obtained traditionally from a doctor lacks the stigma of illicit drugs, increasing the social acceptance of painkiller abuse. Even the popular trends in drug abuse reflect the social acceptance of painkillers, Suzmeyan said.
Suzmeyan said that fentanyl lollipops - which contain 10 milligrams of the drug Fentanyl, a substance similar to highly-refined heroin in its neurological effects - is a favorite among students who use painkillers.
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Addiction treatment
posted 8/26/08 @ 7:31 AM PST
So these painkillers are legal... I can only think about one thing now: that legalizing drugs is not a good idea at all, this article is mostly relevant and proves my saying. (Continued…)
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