Private Drug Rehabs See Increase in Prescription Drug Addiction

Although the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration has seen alcohol and illegal drug addiction rates remain relatively stable over the past decade, they have reported that prescripotion painkiller addiction has skyrocketed more than fourfold. 

Prescription drug abuse has outpaced illegal drug abuse in recent years, and private drug rehab treatment programs have noticed that many of their clients are now dealing with addiction to such opiates as Vicodin and OxyContin as well as anti-anxiety medications such as Xanax.

"There is no question that the rate of addiction to prescription painkillers and anxiolytics has increased over the past ten years," says David Sack, M.D., an addiction psychiatrist and CEO of Promises Treatment Centers.  "We have seen clients present with a much more complex psychiatric  issues as well. Many have been abusing prescription drugs for years as a way to ameliorate negative feelings associated with depression, bipolar disorder, and trauma."

The goal of the most progressive private drug rehab programs is to address the underlying psychiatric issues with a comprehensive arsenal of tools: therapy, alternative medicine (e.g., acupuncture), specialized therapeutic treatments (e.g., neurofeedback, EMDR, equine-assisted therapy), and assessment for non-addictive psychopharmacological treatments.

By addressing the underlying psychiatric issues with such a comprehensive, holistic treatment program the client can begin to feel some real relief from negative affect and find healthier ways to cope with depression, anxiety, and pain.

"Those first 30 days in private drug rehab treatment are critical. If you do not address the underlying issues that first led the client to abuse prescription drugs, they are at extremely high risk of relapse," explains Dr. Sack. "You can’t send people home from rehab without giving them effective, research-driven tools that can help them ameliorate those symptoms without altering their mood with addictive drugs."