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Published: 2014-03-29 00:31:25 +0000 UTC; Views: 2062; Favourites: 68; Downloads: 0
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-The United States consumes around 80% of the world's population of pain medication.-More people overdose on prescription drug medications than they are killed by firearms every year.
-Every nineteen minutes someone dies from a prescription drug overdose.
-Some of the most common abused drugs are those for pain such as Oxycontin and Hydrocodone.
-CRC Health Group & U.S. Center for Disease Control & Prevention
A lot of people don't consider prescription drugs as that big of a deal. They focus more on the illegal drugs instead of caring about the drugs that are more easily accessible. But prescription drug addiction is a massive problem. It's as bad as alcoholism and yet no one bats an eye at it. People become addicted and abuse it and, much like everyone else who has an addiction, they don't see it as being a problem. They are in need of help without even knowing it.
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I have held a huge secret from my online community and friends and have wanted to tell it for a while now, and finally I have a way to do it through this image. I have lived with a prescription drug addict for around 20 years now. I have seen how it affects you. It's not just something teenagers get into because their parents leave them around like the media focuses on. Because the addict I know is my own dad.
It's not something you can just brush off. If people have had alcoholics in their family, pills do the same thing, especially pain medications. They make you stagger around, they make you pass out (sometimes in your own food), they make you talk like an idiot and say hurtful things, they make you go into fits of anger. They make you desperate. I could tell you a lot of stories, some terrible and some amusingly sad, about the things I've seen from this type of addiction.
But what's even worse than what it does to the person taking them, it's how it affects people around them. Addicts will manipulate you, make you feel sorry for them, hurt you with words, make you afraid to do much because you're too embarrassed. And what sucks is no matter how much you argue with them, how often they may stay clean but revert back, no matter how many times you move out and move back in, no matter how many times they sneak behind your back or just flat out lie, no matter how much you beg for them to stop, even when they almost die from it, they can't. Because that's how addiction works.
This problem has made me very depressed over the years, and it's not even me who's the abuser. I hope that by sharing a part of my story, it will open up people's eyes on this problem. It's not funny and it's not something to brush off. This problem has affected me deeply and there's nothing that will ever fix it. It has ruined a part of me and frankly it probably screwed me up a little.
So before you pop another pill, think about how it affects your loved ones. And if you happen to know someone who has the problem, try your best to help them. But if it doesn't work, believe me, I've been there. Sometimes nothing ever works. But just know you're not alone.
I really want to thank some of my close friends for being there for me over the years as I have had issues with this problem. You guys know who you are. Without you there's no telling how I would be handling all this right now. Sometimes just having someone there can make a world of difference. I love all you.
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Comments: 70
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This all sounds terrible. Im sorry for your dad.
I myself have not dealt with this extreme additiction, but I've definitely been on quite a few recreational drug binges. My dad was kind of an alcoholic though but he hasnt had a drink for at least 6-7 years now 
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I'm happy to hear your dad has been sober for awhile! It's true that any sort of abuse has such significant negative effects on everyone around them.
And thank you kindly for the words c:
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I know. Its funny because I dont really think about it that much, I kind of take it for granted I guess. But when I really think about how he quit drinking and how much better everything has been since that I really really appreciate it! I hope this makes any sense xd
No problems!
Edit: also what you said about people talking way more shit about illegal drugs than legal or prescription ones (which are also illegal to have on you/use if you do not have a prescription) is spot on. Many many many "classic" illegal substances are way safer in terms of, well, not actually accidentally killing yourself from doing them and are less addictive, life consuming etc etc. Many people also underestimate how alcohol can ruin ones life.
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I'm sorry to hear that you had to live through this. You've always been one of the most mature, level-headed people that I know, and I imagine this might account for some of that... having also lived with a family member addicted to pain-killers (and then, later, an alcoholic), I know how much it forces you to grow as a human being so that you can become equal to the challenges that you face. Thank you for sharing this. I have no doubt that this has given at least one person pause to think about their own situation... and probably many more have thought about situations in their past, or those of close friends and family. You are a wonderful person, never forget.
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It's very true. I'm lucky to have not grown up in a home where I had to grow up too early (As bad as it may have been, I almost always came first and I was always loved) but it definitely does make you mature and learn from the mistakes you see. On a positive note, I have absolutely zero desire to ever try any form of drug. When people my age have experimented I scoff at the mere thought of it. I refused to drink anything before I turned legal age even and I avoid clubs because I know drugs and alcohol are abundant in them, even though my friends always wanted to drag me to one. I suppose I'm a bit prude in the sense, but I just don't see any of it being worth it from what I've seen with my own eyes. I don't even rely on pills too often. I'll take them, but usually I prefer other remedies first (heating pads are my friend for any sort of pain!). So it had some positives coming out of it at least.
And I certainly hope so... Even if it is just one I'd feel very happy about it. Thank you so much
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Wow you've been through a lot.
I can honestly say I dodged a bullet when it comes to this sort of thing. My sister and I were given to our grandparents when we were young because my mother was unfit to be... well... a mother. And we found out later it was because of drugs (as well as some mental health issues).
Hearing stories like this, as well as hearing about the things my mom has done make me appreciate where I ended up.
I'm sorry you've had to go through this. No one should have to suffer through this kind of thing. Even worse still is the amount of people who have suffered through the same thing as you. There's so many!
I can't begin to imagine what you've gone through, but you and your family are in my thoughts and prayers. I hope things get better for you all.
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I'm so sorry I didn't reply to this! I think I accidentally deleted it from my inbox or something O.O So sorry this is MONTHS late!
That's absolutely a good thing, yeah. Seems drug addiction and mental illness often go hand in hand more than we'd like to say. My dad specifically suffers from what I think is a type of depression. He's had a rough life, and I think he has convinced himself that pills are a coping mechanism. It's the strangest thing. Thankfully he's been, give or take a couple incidents, clean for the past year and half.
I could write a pretty hefty book on the things I experienced or the stories my mom has told me about it. But I'm at least glad that, no matter how terribly addicted my dad was, in the end he was a good father and loved me. He just has a "dark side" I suppose you can say.
Thank you very kindly for your words.
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It was very brave of you to share, and the piece is very evocative and effective, too. I hope you and your family are doing well. .-.
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Thank you muchly~
Things are currently going well. So I hope it stays that way for a long while.
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I never understood the entire getting addicted to painkillers thing, until a few joints in my body decided to rebel with excruciating pain. They gave me vicodin. Frankly that terrified me. It did little to ease the pain, but it made one not care anymore. I buried the pills in the yard.
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Yeesh, that does sound scary. I definitely have known about how some medications can make you just "not care". It seems pretty common, almost to the point I'm surprise people haven't been terrified of it. But then again, sometimes certain people would like nothing more than to just "not care"...
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my mother was an alcoholic, prescription pain killer abuser, and illegal drug abuser. She would, lie, sneak around, clean up and revert back. She would steal my father's information and open credit cards and everything else.
We nearly lost our house and became homeless because of her. And what did she do? She blamed my father for not going out with the family and for leaving her home alone all day even though i went to school and he had a full time job. She would complain and rant and mentally abuse both me and my father and then when we would offer to do what she wanted, like go out to eat, go camping, ect. she would decline.
She went from being a nice, caring person, to being an abusive, manipulative bitch to be honest.
She's the reason I literally have a fear of Alcohol and I refuse to go to a psychiatrist to get help for my bipolar disorder and discuss my transgender stuff. I have this fear that I'll become dependent and abuse the prescriptions.
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"And what did she do? She blamed my father for not going out with the family and for leaving her home alone all day even though i went to school and he had a full time job."
My father will never admit he is the one with the problem and instead blames my mom or me for it. I flat out called him an abuser just recently and instead of admitting it he told me how immature I was and spouted Bible verses at me (that's one of his major attacks since we are religious and he uses it as a way to cause guilt) but unlike previous times I did not falter and he got very thrown off. It's very interesting but very aggravating how addiction affects people this way. They can't say they are in the wrong, but when logic fails to give them an excuse they can go to whatever means necessary to defend themselves, no matter how stupid or hurtful it can be.
I can totally understand this though! I think going through all this made me similar. I don't know if I have the same addictive tendency as he does and don't want to fall down that route. Thankfully alcohol in particular isn't that great to me (I get super quick headaches from it) and I always find alternatives to pain than pills, usually a heating pad. At most I'll take one ibuprofen (even though you can take 2 at a time). But I'm just so bent on not becoming that way that I avoid it at all costs. It may be a reason why I have never gotten and fear to get into a relationship too, because I've seen the pain and struggle my mom has been through all these years and don't want that to happen to me.
Why is it that you fear psychiatrists? Just the fear of getting a pill-pusher type?
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yea.. I'm afraid of the pill-pushers. but aside from that, I'm also afraid that all of my issues may seem so minor with how I dismiss them, and have been dismissing them until recently may make them not believe me.
I guess you could say I'm terrified of getting either side fo the extreme with the people.
Not to mention I need to discuss my transgender and gender identity issues and i don't think I'd have an easy time getting them to allow me to do hormone therapy and the like...
As for relationships, I've been in a few, and because my mother mentally and emotionally abused me to some extent since I was 11 I have this urge to be extremely protective like a safe harbour for my partner. I don't want to ever abuse someone like she abused me and my father.
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I can completely understand that for sure. I honestly can't say what a counselor would say since I only ever experienced one. I know sometimes you really have to search around to find good ones who'll understand you and help you. Sometimes it seems the search is just too exhausting, even though when you find the perfect one I hear it makes a world of difference. Again, can't say from experience. But I can definitely see where you're coming from.
Oh yes, I can definitely see having issues with that as far as getting your family or psychiatrists to approve. That's one of those things I hear so many people struggle with. But if you really feel that's something you want to pursue I say you should never let that go. I see so many people who want to transgender but give up because their families don't approve and it's quite saddening. I hope you can find someone that'll listen. I know they're out there somewhere. Just where is the hard part to figure out.
At least that sounds like a good positive, least in moderation. I can see the potential to be "clingy" I suppose, or overprotective to the extreme. But at least you aren't the type to copy what your parents did to you, which is a significant difference.
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I've known enough alcoholics in my time to see what kinds of tolls addiction has. And I think I told you about my brother's incident with sleep aids and how he abused them. The moment he went too far one night and survived, he learned to never use them again.
Hate to admit it, but I know that I've built up a dependency for an antipsychotic prescription called Geodon (it's for my bipolar disorder). When I go a night without taking it, I can't sleep, I get nervous and paranoid, and I begin having auditory hallucinations if I go long enough without it. (That is, hearing voices)
But what I hate even more is being chained to that drug, because I need it to function. I've been talking to my doctor and we've been discussing the possibility of weaning myself off of it eventually, but that's going to take a while.
Point being, I know more about this subject than I may have led on. So as weird as it sounds, I have a connection to not only you, but your dad as well. At least on some level.
It's weird, you'd think I'd have more to say on this subject all things considered, but I'm honestly struck silent on what to say for the most part. I will say this, though: that was mighty damn brave of you to do this, Filly. I'm honestly proud of you for opening up like this, and can only hope and pray your dad gets the help he needs.
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oh my gosh why did I never reply to this? I must have accidentally deleted it from my inbox O.O
I only wish my dad was able to have that epiphany. He's almost killed himself a couple times, once he technically O.D.ed and was on the verge of death. It's terrifying to think about because my mom and I were going to go get my hair cut after school, but decided not to last minute and went home and subsequently found him. If we had decided to do it there's 100% chance he would be dead now, no doubt about it. When we found him he barely had a pulse. God works in the strangest ways...
But of course, that never stopped him. I'm quite honestly surprised he's been clean this past year and a half. I think moving out for the third time kinda temporarily struck something. There's no telling how long that'll last.
At least you are aware you have a dependency on it, and actually find yourself disliking having that dependency. So that's one thing you can say about it. But it's pretty crazy how that stuff works... medicine can be a healer and a destroyer all in one.
And thanks Revvy <3 I still remember going through a lot of problems with it during ToH... and I think that whole tournament helped me a lot. But you've helped me the most. I think you were the first person I told about it. And I'll never forget all your help over the years either
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It takes a lot of strength to come forward and say something like this. So do not let go of that strength.
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This is a really great image to use, it really caught me off guard when I first saw it.
I saw this in my inbox last night but since I don't personally relate to it, sometimes I feel like I have nothing intelligent to say. This was really a reality check in a way for me since it isn't something people know or hear much about. It never really occurred to me how big of an issue this is too, not to mention how easy it is to access prescription drugs as well. All the best to you and your family!
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I suppose off-guard can be a good thing!
That's actually a pretty interesting thing to hear at least. It's good that the poster is doing something good for education on this then. That's a huge bonus.
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If you'll excuse me, I need to spread this thing around :c
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I'm really upset they don't talk about this enough. They really should. I'm sorry you've had to go through some hard times, for years I've had to deal with someone in the family with a similar addiction. We're all here for you, and everything is going to be okay.
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I really don't know why they don't. They discuss how teenagers get pills because their parents leave them out which is legit because most addicts become addicts in late teens-twenties but they rarely address the actual addiction itself. If they do it's usually just people overdosing out of depression or suicide but long-term pill addiction is nothing like the media portrays. It's much closer to alcoholism in how it makes you behave. People don't usually imagine that but pain meds give just as big of a high as other drugs can. And just as dangerous.
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Yeah...all kinds of over the counter or prescription medication is making people addicted. People need to know more than just "don't do cocaine" and things like that. And then there's marijuana always portrayed in a bad light, at least it doesn't destroy families like medication can. I hope they focus on this soon because it's serious. Thanks for making a piece about it, because people need to know.
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This is really sad... 
Though, I think I once saw in the TV a show about American jails. In one of them there was a woman, and she was there, because she was addicted to pain medicine.
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That's a good thing at least something is showing it! I know there are a few specials here and there but I wish there were more.
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Yeah, true! Mmm, it's a subject that needs attention :S
In my country there has just been a lot of focus on mental illnesses and such.
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I don't know WHAT to write, but I feel like I want write SOMETHING. Years ago, I was close to getting addicted to pain medication, but nothing as strong as those two, and I think you are brave to tell people, and the way you tell about this in this way is also a really good one. I wish I could help, with anything, and if I can, could you please tell me?
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I know that Oxycotin/Oxycodone and Hydrocodone are the ones I've dealt with the most. That and Xanax. I really hate when people say they pop a Xanax to feel better. It makes me very angry cause that's a terrible drug when abused.
And it's okay, the thought of helping means a lot. I most certainly will
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I saw a program where one of the characters abused oxycodone (they called it oxy I think?), and even though it was just one person playing they were abusing it, it made me feel scared. I was really close to do something like that (albeit with a much, for lack of a better word, "tamer" one)
Same here. When people abuse something at all I get mad, but especially medications get me furious.
I had chronic pain and was close to getting wheels for life, and the doctors just kept prescribing pain meds and in the end I had to take the maximum dose just to MAYBE not feel as much pain in the afternoon or be able to sleep at night, and it was terrible. (it also happened when I was 16)
But I'm sorry, I suppose you didn't wanna hear my life story, so if you want me to, I'll remove this comment.
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Oh no it's perfectly fine! Sharing just helps the cause even more and I don't mind it at all.
I can only imagine how aggravating it can be to be in pain and not know a proper way to deal with it. I know a lot of people like that and they just can't handle the pain so that is why they drown themselves in pills, but at the sacrifice of basically turning themselves into a zombie. There seems to be very little middle ground which is quite saddening. Especially with how many people out there suffer from pain.
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That is the closest I've ever read someone describe it. Zombie. That's what it feels like. Just going, day in and day out. The pain clouding your thoughts... It's horrible, and I hope I will never have to do it again.
It actually made me both immune against the pain pills I used, so they don't help, and really anti against pills of almost any kind. So when I need a pain pill nowadays, I try everything else first, and only when I KNOW they won't work I will take one.
Also, if anyone would want to have someone to talk to when it comes to things regarding this, I can be there for you. Just note me.
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I never like taking pills for this reason. I have a rather low tolerance for pain medication anyway. When I got my wisdom teeth removed I only took half a pain pill and that made my head foggy and I almost passed out onto the floor a couple times!
That's a smart thing to do at least. I mean, a lot of studies say that our medicine is both helping us and damaging us simultaneously, so trying other ways before taking a pill helps not only to avoid the addiction, but that as well. Pain is just such a hard thing to help. Pain isn't something most people want to feel and it's a horrible thing to control.
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Lucky you. For me it helps quickly, but leaves just as fast. Apparently, I have a high "burn-rate" or whatever they called it.
I actually got my wisdom tooth pulled out two days ago, and they had one mis-hap after the other, such as accidentally stabbing me in the mouth so I now have a bruise in my mouth to having a anaesthesia dose crack in my mouth and it came down to my stomach, so it made me sick and now I can hardly even sleep without them, which I hate.
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Oh my gosh!! D: That's awful! Wisdom teeth surgery is bad enough normal, I can't imagine it with complications! I hope you didn't get dry socket?
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dry socket?
And also, I now have a hole right where it is.....
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Yeah, that's something you get when you get air pockets in the holes left behind where your teeth were removed. It's incredibly painful, so I hear. You usually get it if you drink out of a straw.
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Ah, no air pocket, but a hole :c
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Aww darn :c Well it'll heal up sooner than you think if all goes well! Mine did at least.
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I can't even fully describe just what I'm feeling here. Because in my family there are a lot of us that have to use medication to deal with conditions. My mother, some days it seems like the meds are more the problem then the condition itself.
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"... some days it seems like the meds are more the problem then the condition itself. "
I really do wonder about that sometimes. In some cases, medication can be the cure to a person's pain or illness. In others, it can really destroy them. I suppose since it's so broad it's too difficult to really moderate it... very sad. :c
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that hits close to home and is very powerful.
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