Date: September 9, 2010
To: English 1311
From: Rebekah Gruver
Re: NIDA National Institute on Drug Abuse
Anywhere beginning from children up to elderly adults, many people are experiencing an addiction to prescribed medication without even knowing it. Usually with addictions it is hard for individuals to get over something like that on their own; that is where this organization comes in. NIDA consists concentrates on two critical components. The first, being knowledgeable in their research of how to help and discipline their patients. The second, is taking their research and using it for improving prevention and treatment on the addiction of the prescription drugs. This organization offers different treatment for different patients. They work with different groups, genders, divisions, and ages. It is important that they set up organization for people with addiction issues. Often doctors and physicians prescribe medications with trust in their patients to not abuse them. In a lot of cases people or children continue to ask for refills, make continuous visits, and eventually become addicted to medications without even knowing it. Patients get use to the treatments the medicines offer and get use to taking them to feel better. Medications people tend to abuse include pain killers, steroids, inhalants, and muscle relaxers. It is hard to recover from an addiction, and NIDA is an agency that offers various ways of therapy and help.
As a national organization NIDA keeps in mind how many people nationwide are going through addictions, expanding the ways they can get treatment. Through their website they offer videos of true stories of patients. They have many videos for the different age groups that visit their website including teens, children, young adults, parents, and teachers. NIDA also offers publications and books that can be purchased through the website that will help treat people. Everyone has a different form and way of learning and getting treatment. Another form of help NIDA offers is meetings, events, and conventions around the nation for anyone who wants to attend and receive more information. Through the website you can always read articles about addictions, facts, research, and contact information. They provide numbers to call, locations to go to, and related topics that you can be led to if you did not find what you were looking for. Another important aspect of the agency is that they provide you with additional help on the side in finding medical and health professionals in your treatment that you are seeking. Those too come along with information on their own organizations. NIDA offers many programs and information in getting treatment and getting over an addiction that anyone of any kind can overcome.
The organization NIDA offers help throughout the nation, however it is very important to our community here in El Paso. Prescription drugs are handed out legally and without assurance that people will not abuse them. El Paso is boarded along Juarez, Mexico, where there is currently a major drug war going on. With that in mind, prescription drugs are easier to access, and easily abused. It is hard to control the issue when it is right next to such a chaotic war of drugs itself. Addicts are prone to staying with their addiction with such a huge supply available to them, and in getting away with it. If anyone seeks help with their addiction in the community, they have to organization to look further into getting
treatment. There are hundreds of people who need help and don’t know where to look for it. As a community, it would be helpful in sharing ways of how anyone can get treatment. Being an addict to prescription drugs risks your life, health, and even personal care of issues. Especially at a younger age, it is important for our community to reach improvement and being involved in the lives of the future
