The Connection Between Prescription Drugs and Heroin Abuse In recent years, much attention has been paid to the increase in the number of people who are abusing or addicted to prescription drugs. Prescription pain medicine such as Vicodin, Oxycontin, and other similar drugs have become known for their addictive qualities, and the number of people who take them without prescriptions or in larger quantities than recommended by doctors. However, the prescription drug abuse epidemic has another, less explored side to it: the connection between prescription drug abuse and heroin addiction. According to recent studies, many heroin users used or abused prescription medication before moving on to heroin. In one small sample, 50% of heroin users' previous drugs of choice were prescription pills.1 From Oxycontin to Heroin One of the main reasons for the connection between prescription drug use and heroin addiction is that many of the most abused prescription drugs have a similar chemical composition to heroin. Vicodin, Oxycontin, morphine, and many other pain medications come from the "opioid" family of medications. As the name implies, these drugs contain medicinal-grade opiates. When a user can no longer find pills or the effects of prescription medication are no longer enough to sustain their habit, switching to heroin engages the same addiction centers in the brain as the addict's former drug of choice. Another reason that users often migrate from prescription medication to heroin use is price. Prescription pills, with or without a prescription, can often be very expensive, making it hard for users to sustain their habits. Heroin, on the other hand, can be found for much cheaper. Youth at Risk While people of all ages and classes can become addicted to drugs, the prescription drug and heroin epidemic is hitting American youth especially hard. In 1999, the number of young adults (aged 15-24) who died of a heroin overdose was 198. By 2009, the number had jumped to 510. Of the teens that are addicted to heroin, nearly 90% of them are white.2 "Kids in the city know not to touch [heroin], but the message never got out to the suburbs," says Capt. John Roberts, a Chicago policeman whose son was killed by a heroin overdose. When suburban children's ignorance of the true dangers of heroin use is combined with their belief that prescription is less dangerous than illegal drugs, the results can be disastrous. Preventing Prescription Drug Abuse The key to stopping the escalation from deadly prescription drugs to heroin is to be aware of the dangers of abusing legal medication, and make sure that others are aware as well. Many people 1 2
become addicted to prescription drugs because they believe they are less addictive, or that they are easier to quit. This attitude, combined with easy access to medication found in their parents' medicine cabinet, makes young people especially vulnerable to prescription drug addiction and eventual heroin use. If you believe that someone you know is abusing prescription drugs, getting them help as soon as possible is paramount. Affordable drug rehab centers like Yellowstone Recovery can help people recover from their addictions and develop healthy life habits that will prevent them from further drug abuse.