In US, an Epidemic of Prescription Drug Abuse

In US, an Epidemic of Prescription Drug Abuse – This is the VOA Special English Health Report from voaspecialenglish.com | http Officials in the United States say deadly abuse of painkillers and other prescription drugs has reached epidemic levels. More than thirty-six thousand people died from drug overdoses in two thousand eight, the latest year available. That was almost as many as from road crashes. More than half of the overdoses involved drugs that need a doctor’s approval. And three-fourths of those deaths involved what are called opioid pain relievers. These include drugs like methadone; morphine; hydrocodone, also known as Vicodin; and oxycodone, or OxyContin. Death rates from prescription drugs were highest among people forty-five to fifty-four years old.A recent government report said painkiller deaths more than tripled in the past decade. They now top the number of heroin and cocaine deaths combined. The Obama administration released a plan last year to try to deal with the problem. Some abusers seek help at places like the Malibu Beach Recovery Center near Los Angeles. They learn yoga and other ways to deal with anxiety, stress and pain. Joan Borsten heads the center. She says stopping is difficult because “in the case of pain pills, the body has stopped producing its natural defenses to pain,” and users have to have more and more. Around the country, special drug courts work with addicts to get them counseling and treatment. Mary Ann Gunn is a retired drug-court judge. She now appears on “Last Shot With …

Bucking the Trend

Filed under: drug abuse help

“Drug abuse prevention is a high priority from the City Council to the city manager to police services. Our young people are part of a high risk group and the drug take back box is just one more thing we can do to help.” In order to maintain as much …
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Drug Abuse Foundation to honor former Delray mayor

Filed under: drug abuse help

With 50 years of community service on his resume, former Delray Beach Mayor Leon Weekes has dedicated his time to help others. The Drug Abuse Foundation wants to take the time to have a reception in his honor at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Siemens-Evert …
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Operation Christmas Cheer: With help, couple defeats drug addiction demon

Filed under: drug abuse help

What follows is a love story, but it might not sell to the Harlequin crowd. David Tate and Erica Snow were introduced four years ago by a mutual friend — their drug dealer — when both showed up to score a few rocks of crack cocaine. Snow, born and …
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