Prescription drug abuse is steadily on the rise. In a recent report from the White House, prescription drug abuse is only behind marijuana as the nation’s most prevalent drug problem. One might even go so far as to label it an epidemic.

In a report released in July 2005, the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University said that prescription drug abuse is sky-rocketing. CASA’s survey of physicians found that although 57 percent of doctors believe that they are have primary responsibility for preventing this abuse, only 19 percent of those doctors had received any training in prescription drug diversion in medical school, only 39 percent had received this training in residency, and only 34 percent had received it in continuing medical education.

The truth of the matter is that almost all dependency on addictive prescription drugs can be laid at the doorstep of doctors. An “iatrogenic” disorder is one which the doctor has brought about. The word “iatrogenic” means a symptom, condition, or illness that has been brought about inadvertently by a doctor or a medical treatment or procedure. According to the United States Government, the third leading cause of death in this country is death caused by doctors. Think about that the next time you go to a doctor’s office to get a prescription.

In the case of prescription drugs, the doctor creates dependency by prescribing an addictive drug to a patient, and that patient becomes addicted to it because it numbs other underlying problems in addition to the one he or she is trying to treat. The patient enjoys the feeling that the drug delivers and continues to take the drug even after the original problem that the doctor was trying to treat is gone. This can be simplified as a “doctor-induced addiction, otherwise known as an iatrogenic addiction.”

With this definition of an iatrogenic disorder out of the way, we can understand that a doctor prescribes a drug to a patient in the hope that it will alleviate a symptom, and the patient becomes addicted to the drug from using it.

MASKING THE REAL CAUSES WITH PRESCRIPTION PAIN MEDICATION

Nine times out of ten, when we receive a call regarding prescription pain medication here at Passages Addiction Cure Center, the caller is dependent on prescription drugs as a result of being prescribed the addictive pain medication by his or her doctor, and the patient was unable to stop using the drug even after the physical symptoms had disappeared.

Many people who are dependent on prescription pain medication began taking the drugs because their doctors prescribed them as a result of a valid physical or mental pain. Say, for example, that a patient underwent a foot surgery and was prescribed Vicodin to cope with the resultant pain. Then the patient realized that as a result of taking the Vicodin, a persistent psychological pain that he or she had carried for years was also gone, so the person continued using the Vicodin to numb the psychological pain from which the patient used to suffer.

The unfortunate result of this is addiction.

IDENTIFYING THE UNDERLYING CAUSES OF YOUR PRESCRIPTION DRUG ADDICTION WITH PASSAGES

What is the solution to the dangerous problem of prescription drug addiction? The first and most important piece of the puzzle is to see why you started taking the drug in the first place. Was it physical or mental pain that led you to the drug? If that pain is still present, it needs to be healed in the correct manner. If the pain, whether physical or mental, is not healed, you will continually seek the drug for relief. The best way to heal physical and mental pain is through an intensive holistic program that utilizes one-on-one therapy. At Passages Addiction Cure Center, our clients receive more than 60 sessions of private one-on-one therapy each month.

As soon as the drugs are out of your system, the feelings that they were suppressing usually surface immediately. When this happens, we are able to identify the real issues that originally caused the prescription drug dependency, which might be one, or a combination of the following causes. We have found that there are only four:

1. Chemical imbalance in the brain;
2. Unresolved events from the past;
3. Beliefs you hold that are inconsistent with what is true;
4. An inability to cope with current conditions.

Contrary to popular belief, genetics is not a cause of addiction. There are many millions of people in the United States alone, who have parents, grandparents, and/or relatives that are alcoholics or addicts, and they are not. Neither do we claim that relapse is due to addiction being an “incurable disease,” because it is not a disease at all. Addiction is a state in which one finds oneself after having taken a drug for long enough that one has become dependent on the substance in order to cope with life’s problems.

Every person who has come to Passages and who has gone home cured was not cured of prescription drug addiction or alcoholism but of the condition that was causing him or her to use alcohol or addictive drugs to manage some kind of pain. Once these root causes have been discovered and healed, dependency disappears.

THE PASSAGES PAIN MANAGEMENT PROGRAM OFFERS HOLISTIC TREATMENT

Holistic means whole. We here at Passages Addiction Cure Center know how important it is to treat the whole person who is drug dependent. Therefore, we feel it is essential to address the physical, mental, and spiritual needs of our clients. That’s why we offer comprehensive, holistic treatment including spiritual counseling, hypnotherapy, psychotherapy, marriage and family counseling, metaphysics counseling, nutritional counseling, physical training, life coaching, 24/7 nursing and much more.

We also provide acupressure, which we use to stimulate pressure points in the body. This process improves circulation to the organs, relieves tension, restores balance, and releases stored toxins, which promotes physical well-being in our clients. Our acupressure treatment is complemented by massage. Massage is a critical treatment as it releases physical tensions in the neuromuscular system, facilitating emotional and physical healing.

These treatments are essential practices for clients who are dependent on prescription pain medication because the physical body holds the emotional and mental stresses that cause sickness. By addressing the body in this way, any stored-up emotions or mental tensions will be released, and the need for mind-altering substances, such as pain medication will be eradicated.

Many of our clients who have been addicted to pain pills such as Vicodin, OxyContin, and methadone as well as other opiates such as heroin, have responded well to acupuncture, acupressure, and massage. These techniques can release endorphins, the body’s natural “feel good” chemicals, which have become suppressed through drug and alcohol abuse.

Our holistic treatment has produced spectacular results. We have the highest success rate in the country because we provide:

Take a step in the right direction towards your prescription drug addiction cure. Full recuperation from withdrawal is possible, and a cure is probable. Read more about our prescription drug treatment program and call us now, toll free at to talk with our caring intake counselors or to schedule your drug detox. We have nurses and staff on hand 24 hours to help you every step of the way through drug rehab or alcohol rehab.

And remember, we believe in a cure, and we believe in you.