- Opioids, often called narcotics, which are most often prescribed to treat pain;
- Central nervous system (CNS) depressants, which are used to treat anxiety and sleep disorders; and
- Stimulants, which are prescribed to keep people awake or to treat what psychiatrists call "attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder" or ADHD.
If you gather together any six Americans over the age of 12, chances are
statistically strong that at least one of them has used prescription drugs
for nonmedical reasons. Nearly 50 million people - that's one sixth
of the US population - have sometime in their life abused one or more
prescription drugs, risking the possibility of prescription drug addiction,
permanent brain damage, or even death. The obvious point is this: no one
becomes a victim of prescription drug addiction and ruins their lives
for months or years without first taking prescription drugs. And although
people taking legitimate prescriptions for real medical problems can sometimes
become addicted, the vast majority of prescription drug addiction victims
take prescription drugs to get high, and eventually they get hooked. Prescription
drug addiction can develop from almost any prescription drugs that are
used for "recreation". It is true that some drugs are more addictive
than others, but the door to prescription drug addiction is frequently
opened by young people experimenting with so-called "less addictive"
drugs. This kind of activity, which can seems "safe and fun",
is what leads thousands of people every day to stronger, more addictive
drugs. And there are dozens of really addictive prescription drugs - pain
relievers, tranquilizers, stimulants, sedatives - drugs that rapidly accelerate
a cycle of abuse to dangerous dependence and ultimately to the kind of
prescription drug addiction that ruins careers, destroys families, and
kills thousands of people a year. The most commonly abused prescription
drugs are: