Analysis of the of Drug Abuse - Case Study Example

History: Jennifer was in a car accident ten years ago, as a result of which she suffered back pain. Initially, she took the medicine according to prescription and the pain gradually subsided and died out. However, after the birth of her kids, when she began feeling depressed due to lack of sleep and the associated never-ending chores, she was reminded of how wonderful those pain medications had made her feel and wondered if she could get hold of a few to make her feel better.

History of Abuse: Jennifer visited her doctor often after that complaining of headaches and backaches and was prescribed medication. She began to take this regularly and when unable to get a prescription she turned to friends and family and finally began buying over the internet. She began to neglect her children and her usual household chores. Her husband Ian thought the strain of work and the kids was telling on her and began to give her more time and help. However, things only got worse. Pain medications are extremely expensive when bought through the internet.

Slowly the family budget began to go awry and Jennifer’s husband began to question her. She became defensive and denied buying pain pills referring to her purchases as vitamin pills. When the situation got worse, her parents came over to try and help. The family decided to sit down and talk things over. Finally, Jennifer admitted that the birth of the kids had overwhelmed her and she had increasingly begun to use pain medication to relieve the stress. The family decided to seek help. Jennifer has started therapy and is in a residential treatment center.

Addiction is a progressive disease. Unfortunately, many people do not seek help and slowly but surely harm themselves and those close to them. Prescriptions for pain are safe but also dangerous when taken in excess. The thin line between pain relief and dependency must always be kept in mind to avoid addiction. As the website of the National Institute on Drug Abuse correctly points out “The development of effective, nonaddicting pain medications is a public health priority.