AHS Views

$79 billion - that’s the latest figure on the profits of Big Pharma - the nation’s biggest drug dealer. And most of the money they’re making now comes from addictive drugs  - as is evidenced by the fact that many facilities offering addiction help are servicing more people for prescription drug addiction, dependency and abuse than for street drugs.

A few startling facts about the prescription drug scene in the U.S.:

• More than 3 million kids aged 12 to 17 abuse prescription drugs
• That figure increases by about 3,300 every day.
• The number of annual prescriptions written for stimulants (like Adderall, Ritalin, and other amphetamines) has gone from 5 million in 1991 to 35 million in 2007.
• Prescriptions for opioid painkillers (like OxyContin, hydrocodone, Vicodin, and Percocet) the increase over that same period was from 40 million to 180 million.
• As of 1997, drug companies were allowed to advertise directly to the consumer. By 2001, you can bet it’s as bad or worse now, 44% of the people who went to their doctor requesting a drug they’d seen advertised got the drug they asked for. That probably represents close to a 44% increase in profit for drug companies.

Pitiful scene. And as a nation, we’re hooked. If you think you or someone you care about might have a problem with prescription drugs, contact Addiction Help Services to find out what your options are.