Hall P Bradley, Hawkinberry Denzil, Moyers-Scott Pam
W V Med J. 2010;106(4 Spec No):26-32.
Prescription drug abuse has reached epidemic proportions in the United States and West Virginia is not immune. It is estimated that in 2009, the number of adolescents and adults with a substance abuse and/or dependence problem has reached 23.2 million in the US. There has been an alarming rate of increased sales of methadone, hydrocodone and oxycodone. This article addresses the scope of the problem of prescription drug abuse in West Virginia and the impact by and on the addicted individual. Addiction is a chronic relapsing neuropsychiatric illness manifested by compulsive drug seeking and use. It has created a substantive socioeconomic burden on our state. Prescription drug abuse and addiction increase medical expenses, drug related crime and unemployment. There are misconceptions regarding the etiology and treatment of addiction based on past clinical experience. The view of addiction as volitional misconduct alone has been disproven scientifically. A more current understanding of neurobiological alterations caused by this disease, current treatment strategies and future directions will be presented. This article provides an understanding of prescription drug abuse and addiction's contribution and impact on society's health and social policy. Addressing the problem of prescription drug abuse requires an understanding of the disease of addiction, thus enhancing the effectiveness in diminishing the associated health and social costs. It is the article's intent to illuminate the mutually symbiotic relationship of prescription drug abuse and the disease of addiction and subsequently provide recommendations toward the resolution of this most important issue.
处方药滥用在美国已达到流行程度，西弗吉尼亚州也未能幸免。据估计，2009年，美国有药物滥用和/或成瘾问题的青少年及成年人数量已达2320万。美沙酮、氢可酮和羟考酮的销售增长速度惊人。本文探讨了西弗吉尼亚州处方药滥用问题的范围，以及成瘾者所受的影响和造成的影响。成瘾是一种慢性复发性神经精神疾病，表现为强迫性觅药和用药。它给我们州带来了巨大的社会经济负担。处方药滥用和成瘾增加了医疗费用、与毒品相关的犯罪和失业率。基于过去的临床经验，人们对成瘾的病因和治疗存在误解。认为成瘾仅仅是故意的不当行为这一观点已被科学证明是错误的。本文将介绍对这种疾病引起的神经生物学改变的最新认识、当前的治疗策略以及未来的方向。本文有助于理解处方药滥用和成瘾对社会健康及社会政策的影响。解决处方药滥用问题需要了解成瘾这一疾病，从而提高降低相关健康和社会成本的成效。本文旨在阐明处方药滥用与成瘾疾病之间相互共生的关系，并随后就解决这一最重要问题提出建议。
