Most caregivers know about drugs - but what do you know about drug addiction?

As caregivers we deal with prescription drugs all the time. Maybe our own, usually those of our care recipient. As such we tend to get to know the effects and side effects of those drugs fairly intimately and to know how dangerous some of them can be.

I cringe at prescription pain medications and how easy it can be to get prescriptions for them. The local walk-in clinic and local dentists have both given me prescriptions for heavy dose hydrocodone, a drug that I know is very easy to build an addiction to.

The CBS series Without A Trace had a plot line going a while back where one of the lead characters, Special Agent Martin Fitzgerald (played by actor Eric Close), was wounded in the line of duty and during the course of his recovery developed an addiction to his prescription pain medications. The writers, and particularly Mr. Close, did an amazing job of showing just what it can be like to be suffering from an addiction to prescription medications, and in showing that you can not fight something like that alone. You need to get help.

Convincing someone to seek help is only half of the struggle, there is also a need to find the right kind of help. That is where services such as those provided by 1-800-NoDrugs come in. 1-800-NoDrugs is a non-profit drug and alcohol rehabilitation referral service that can help you to locate the kind of drug rehab assistance that you, your friend, or your loved one needs. If you or someone you know has developed a dependence on prescription medication, get help. You don't have to let the drugs get out of control, you can take back your life and find help.

Visit the 1-800-NoDrugs website to find out more about their goals and how they can help. The website has information on a variety of addiction subjects and addictive drugs to help you better understand what caused the addiction and how it can be treated.

This post was kindly sponsored by 1-800-NoDrugs