Posted by azdrugrehabctr on August 24, 2016 under Addiction Trends, AZ Drug Rehab News, Prescription Drugs | 
Amphetamines are not a new drug. In fact, amphetamines were developed in the late 1800’s, but were not used in more pharmaceutical applications until the 1920s. Amphetamines are a stimulant that provide a person with an extreme amount of energy, the ability to focus and complete tasks. And while drug manufacturers did not start mass producing amphetamines until the 1920, there is evidence that people have been relying on the drugs for much longer than that.
In the late 1880’s there are reports of dockworkers in New Orleans who were expected to work over 70 hours a week. In order to sustain the schedule, they were given amphetamines, or more specifically, cocaine. The cocaine was so effective that eventually the drug spread throughout the south, fueling workers on cotton plantations, railroad work camps and construction sites.
It did not take long for cocaine’s popularity to spread throughout the country until it was made illegal in 1914. However, in 1929 a new type of upper came on the market, Benzedrine. This drug rapidly became a staple among Americans, with 8 to 10 billion tablets produced a year. Once Benzedrine dropped out of production, Adderall and Ritalin where there as replacements.
Originally manufactured for ADHD among children, Adderall and Ritalin are fast becoming popular among adults and college students. The drugs went from solutions for childhood ADHD, to cramming and finishing projects for college students and now business executives are abusing the drugs to increase their workload abilities. All the while cocaine is still a major problem in this country.
Because of the heroin and prescription painkiller problem in the United States, cocaine abuse and ADHD medication abuse may not get the attention they need. However, the drugs are being abused and schools, colleges and the workplace may be fostering environments where the use of these drugs are increasingly more acceptable, and the ramifications of such a pervasiveness are detrimental to society.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on August 18, 2016 under Addiction Trends, AZ Drug Rehab News, Opiate Abuse, Prescription Drugs |
A recent Gallup Poll shows that more Americans are concerned with prescription painkiller abuse than heroin abuse. However, heroin abuse is still also a major concern. In fact, prescription drug abuse only narrowly beat out heroin abuse, in the eyes of most Americans. These types of polls are important for law makers because it shows that American residents are feeling the effects of prescription painkiller and heroin abuse at home and want something to be done about it.
The survey also showed that more women than men thought the prescription drug abuse was a problem. It also seems that people who make more money are more likely to view prescription drug abuse as a problem. 30% of those making $36,00 or less agreed that prescription drug abuse was a problem, compared to 47% of people who make between $36,000 and $90,000.
The information gathered from the Gallup poll can be used in a variety of ways. Lawmakers who are advocating for more federal funding that can be used for treatment centers or prevention programs can focus their efforts toward those that agree that prescription drug use is a real issue. As more and more people are affected by the opioid drug problem in the United States, it has become increasingly imperative to create more treatment programs with more beds available to those in need. Often times policy makers and treatment providers have a difficult time obtaining funding for these treatment centers without the help from the Federal government.
Because America is in the middle of a presidential election, some wonder if the information from this Gallup Poll will be used to help shape the platforms of the presidential nominees. While there are many issues to discuss, the opioid epidemic is certainly one of them.
Now that American citizens seem to understand the seriousness of the prescription painkiller and heroin problem in this country, there is a better chance that more effective change is near. And the opioid problem is not the only issue that Americans worry about. The poll also showed that 44% of Americans consider drugs in general as a major problem facing the country, this is up from 2014 when 34% of Americans felt this was an issue.
