A Guide to Coping and Understanding
Third Edition
Rod Colvin, M.S.
Struggling with Addiction to Prescription Drugs?
If you or someone you love has fallen into the addiction trap, you know the pain and anguish it causes. Like most others, you also may feel too ashamed and embarrassed to talk about it. Author Rod Colvin understands your anguish. He watched his thirty-five-year-old brother, Randy, struggle and eventually die from his long-term addiction to prescription drugs. Drawing from his personal experience and his background as a counselor, Colvin now offers help and hope to those who struggle with this devastating disease. By arming readers with knowledge, he helps them along in their journey toward recovery.
Overcoming Prescription Drug Addiction covers such topics as:
- The nature of addiction as a chronic, progressive disease
- Drugs of addiction and how they hijack the brain
- The most commonly abused prescription drugs
- Steps to take if you or a loved one has become addicted to drugs
- Treatment options, including medical detox and family interventions
- Insights on recovery offered by addiction medicine physicians
- Compelling stories of recovery as told by former addicts
Colvin also examines how powerful narcotics are fraudulently acquired relatively easily through “doctor shopping,” “pharmacy shopping,” and buying drugs from rogue Internet pharmacies. He also describes steps taken by law enforcement agencies and state governments to curb the diversion of prescription drugs.
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From Readers:
“This book is awesome. I HIGHLY recommend it! It is easy to read, easy to understand, and great, solid information.” —Heidi
“This book has given me so much information…so much empowerment.” —Sophie
“Your book helped me get my life out of the gutter.” —JB
“A great book. Every page gave me new insights. A must read if you or someone you love is addicted.” —Linda
“There is so much material I can relate to. Your book is going to be a great help to my recovery.” —Brian
“I ordered our book and read it twice. Very valuable information for me and my daughter. You’ve done some serious research.” —Steve
“Your book helped me tremendously. You have made such a difference in my life.” —Sarah
The Book Answers These Questions:
- How does addiction “rewire” the brain?
- What happens if the drugs are stopped abruptly?
- What are the symptoms of addiction?
- Who’s at risk for addiction?
- When does proper medical use become addiction?
- How do most people become addicted?
- What are the symptoms of withdrawal?
- What is the difference between addiction and physical dependence?
- What are the top 20 most-abused prescription drugs?
- What is the proper use of benzodiazepines (Xanax, Valium, Klonopin, Ativan)?
How Can You Leave Prescription Drugs Behind?
Read stories of recovery from eleven individuals, including a homemaker, an attorney, a physician, a business woman, and a salesman.
- Learn how they become addicted.
- Find out how they made it into recovery.
- What were the turning points in their lives that made them seek recovery?
- What is their advice to others who are struggling?
Treatment for Addiction—What’s Involved?
- What are the treatment options?
- How does the newer drug, Suboxone, help with opioid addiction?
- What is involved in treatment with methadone?
- What is a medical detox?
- What is in-patient treatment?
- What is out-patient treatment?
- What is a partial-day treatment plan?
- What is rapid detox for opiate addiction?
- Does insurance pay for treatment?
- What is relapse prevention education?
How Can Family Members Ease Their Pain?
Addiction affects everyone in the family. No one escapes the pain and the chaos.
- What can family members do to help the addict and themselves?
- What does it mean to enable an addict?
- Find out if you’re enabling the addict.
- What are the levels of enabling?
- What is a family intervention?
- How can you set up an intervention to get your loved one into treatment?
- Understand that addiction is a progressive disease.
Advice from Addiction Medicine Specialists
Read the advice of addiction medicine specialists. Their topics:
- Addiction is an illness.
- How to build on hope.
- Be cautious with benzodiazepines.
- Stages of chemical dependency.
- Addiction to pills means greater denial.
- Addicts are not having fun.
- Warning signs of addiction.
- How to avoid isolating, a trigger for relapse.
Getting Pills to Feed an Addiction
Did you ever wonder how an addict can obtain so many prescriptions? This chapter tells you. It discusses:
- Doctor shopping
- Why doctors often misprescribe
- Diverting drugs from pharmacies
- Why forged prescriptions get filled
Do You Have Chronic Pain?
Twenty percent of Americans have chronic pain. How do you avoid addiction if you need pain pills for chronic pain? This chapter answers questions such as:
- Why is most pain undertreated?
- Does all pain treatment lead to addiction?
- What percentage of people become addicted?
- Why don’t doctors understand pain management?
- What are the barriers to effective pain management?
Elders and Drug Abuse and Addiction
Are you a senior citizen? Or, are you caring for one? Seniors have twice the risk of becoming addicted to medications. This chapter answers such questions as:
- How do you recognize addiction in seniors?
- What should you do if a senior loved one is addicted?
- What are the 23 drugs you should avoid if you’re over 65?
- Which pills are most dangerous to seniors?
- How can your pharmacist help you with a medicine review?
Author Bio:
