Describes the effects of prescription drugs and provides information about drug testing, dependence and withdrawal, and finding treatment.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that prescription painkillers are one of the most commonly abused drugs by teens, after tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana. Readers get the facts about narcotics, including opioids and opiates, the class of chemicals that includes oxycodone. The misuse of narcotic painkillers has more than tripled since 2001, according to the CDC. This frank narrative explains how opioid painkillers work on the body and brain, how to spot the symptoms of abuse and overdose, and how to fight addiction. Detoxification and rehabilitation programs and what it takes to recover are also examined.

Are You Addicted? Has addiction taken over your life? Do you want to stop using painkillers, but shame and embarrassment keep you from reaching out for help? You are not alone—millions find themselves in the clutches of addiction. Michael McGee, M.D., an addiction psychiatrist, has treated thousands of people struggling with addiction. His message: You don't need to suffer—you can live a life free of addiction. In this book, Dr. McGee offers a helpful first step to recovery. He explains what you need to know about addiction and how you can overcome it. He helps you understand: • Addiction is a brain disease—you didn't choose to become addicted. • Shame fuels addiction and keeps you from seeking treatment. • Treatment works—both residential and out-patient. • Medications relieve withdrawal symptoms and help you stay sober. • You can heal—turning emotional pain into growth and transformation. Don't Lose Hope! Millions Have Recovered from Addiction. You Can, Too!

If you have ever wondered what it would be like to travel the road that a drug addict has chosen, sit back and read about the road into living helland back. Marty Gruber abused drugs for 45 years, and he attempted suicide immediately before he found the door of escape from drug abuse, and the key to a meaningful life. With the aid of Providence Marty found long term meaning, and in the process he has been given the privilege of warning teens about the trap of drug abuse. Research performed in 2010 shows that 48.2 percent of Americas high school seniors have tried illicit drugs. In 2011 the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) reported that drug abuse cost the United States six hundred and nine billion dollars ($609,000,000,000 is not a typo). Most drug addicts die from their addiction because becoming drug free requires help, and many never find that help. Research shows that for each dollar invested in drug abuse prevention, a savings of up to ten dollars in rehabilitation treatment can be achieved. A teenager cant see as far down the road as a seventy-five-year-old man who has already been down that road to just short of its logical enddeath. In Martys case, this was attempted suicide. Marty has returned to warn others not to take the road leading to drug abuse.

There is currently a heroin epidemic afflicting North America, and it is not confined only to urban areas or to older, seasoned drug addicts. The latest epidemic has swamped suburban and rural areas and drawn many teens into its deadly wake. The drug can take over the lives of even first-time or casual users. Addiction makes slaves of heroin users and often leads to a life of sickness, crime, and regret. Addicts risk sacrificing everything they cherish in their lives for the drug, receiving jail time for drug-related offenses, and losing their own lives in the process. Discovering how the drug destroys the brain and body of a user, and how addiction devastates the lives it touches, can help one make the decision to avoid heroin at all costs. That is exactly what the information presented here achieves--readers will come away shaken, with a new and stark understanding of heroin's true toxicity and its utterly false and destructive allure.

A timely guide to the misuse and abuse of prescription painkillers that sorts the facts from the fiction for legitimate users and their loved ones. If you are concerned about a loved one's use of pain medications, you need to read this book, When Painkillers Become Dangerous Whether prescribed by a physician as OxyContin or purchased on the street as "hillbilly heroin," painkilling drugs are extremely effective in eliminating physical, emotional, and psychological distress. The problem is that these drugs are also incredibly addictive. Misuse of and addiction to prescription pain medications has become America's latest, complex, and alarming drug abuse trend. In fact, an estimated 2.6 million people currently use prescription pain relievers non-medically-a dangerous practice that could quickly reach epidemic proportions. Best-selling author Drew Pinsky, M.D., and five other leading experts offer practical, plainspoken, and much-needed information about addiction to painkilling drugs. They will help you understand:How addiction to painkilling medication developsWhat to do if a family member is addictedWhat happens in addiction treatmentWhy addiction is a family disease

Opioids include the illegal drug heroin, synthetic opioids like fentanyl, and prescription pain relievers like oxycodone, hydrocodone, and morphine. Because some people can obtain prescriptions for prescription painkillers, it can be easily obtained and easily abused. In fact, since 2010, opioid use has continually increased in the U.S. and Canada, leading some local governments and organizations to declare an opioid epidemic. This book examines the dangers of opioid abuse and the physical and legal consequences opioid abusers face. It also provides support for those who want to seek treatment or have loved ones with opioid addictions.

This accessible, easy-to-read book provides readers with different perspectives on the subject of painkillers, examining their history, production, uses, and dangers. Many different drugs are effectively used as painkillers—substances that greatly improve the quality of life for those who suffer from temporary or recurring pain. This book presents an in-depth overview of opiates, opioids, and other painkilling substances such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) that have been in use from ancient times up to the contemporary era. It also addresses the risks of painkiller use, their misuse, and potential overdose concerns. The latest in the Story of a Drug series and written by a subject expert who has published widely on drug use and pharmacology, this book presents a brief review of the science of how different painkiller drugs work before covering these substances' respective effects and applications; the issues regarding the production, distribution, and regulation of painkiller drugs; and research findings on painkiller use, abuse patterns, addiction, and policy issues. The easy-to-understand text presents scientifically accurate information that enables readers to better understand the key role of painkillers in our 21st-century world.