It was also reported that the second most popular category of drug use is the non-medical use of prescription drugs. In fact, 2.6 percent of the population ages 12 or older (an estimated 6.2 million people in total) were current users of prescription drugs taken non-medically. Of these, an estimated 4.4 million used narcotic pain relievers.
Though these staggering numbers are indeed tragic, the nerve-deadening effects of narcotics and the abuse of these substances is nothing new.
Dating back to the end of the 17th century, opium and its derivatives have been plaguing society, but recorded history of this painkilling poppy goes thousands of years earlier. The addictive qualities are no secret, yet newer forms of opiates have been continually introduced throughout the ages.
Coming closer to modern medicine, morphine was introduced as a new drug, then heroin and then methadone and many other synthetic opiates. All of these drugs were packaged and sold by pharmaceutical companies. A number of them have since become illegal because of their abuse potential and destruction to individuals and families.
The trend in popping a pill for any malady has continued to increase, and the accessibility and variety of drugs now used by millions of Americans is higher than ever as new pharmaceuticals become available and are advertised and sold, regardless of the negative side effects and illicit usage.
In "Clear Body, Clear Mind," a book about the sauna detoxification program, L. Ron Hubbard wrote, "Too often the attitude is 'If I can't find the cause of the pain, at least I'll deaden it.'" This includes physical and mental discomfort, depression or anxiety.
Hubbard's decades of research in the field of substance abuse and rehabilitation helped form the basis for what are now called the Narconon® Drug Rehabilitation and Drug Education programs. These form a secular network of treatment and prevention centers currently in 36 countries and rapidly growing due to the fact that the methodology gets such good results.
"Having a clear understanding of the cycle of addiction is vital to anyone dealing with it personally or trying to help a family member," says Luke Catton, president of Narconon Arrowhead, the largest facility in the Narconon network. "The amount of misinformation associated with drug use and supposed remedies runs rampant through our culture today. People need to know the truth about what all drugs really are and what they can do to an individual, including side effects and abuse potential."
