April 2, 2012 Helena, Montana Police arrest ex-NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf for breaking into a friend's home to steal oxycodone pain pills. Police also supsect him of breaking into other homes in the area over the past year and a half to steal prescription pain pills.

January 18, 2012 NJ Attorney General announces the New Jersey Prescription Monitoring Program (NJPMP) in attempt to crack down on the rampant prescription drug abuse increase in the state. NJ Doctors will have to be in compliance starting February 1, 2012. http://www.state.nj.us/lps/ca/pmp/stats.htm

June 23, 2011 Long Island, NY Police arrest husband and wife for murdering four people at a local pharmacy to obtain hydrocodone prescription painkillers.

UPDATE: November 22, 2011 Police arrest doctor and charge him with illegally prescribing narcotics to the gunman in the Medford Long Island pharmacy prescription drug addiction related shooting murders. The doctor is also under investigation for his possible role involving 10 or more patients who have died from prescription drug overdoses in the last 3 years.

The fastest growing drug epidemic in the US!

According to recent government statistics, pain medication addiction is the fastest growing segment of all drug abuse and addiction.

In fact the new # 1 cause of accidental death for most of the US is now prescription drugs (not motor vehicle accidents). In just one state alone (Florida) 3,000 people died last year from an overdose of prescription drugs.

Just a decade or so ago, medical professionals began to realize that pain medication addiction was becoming a problem throughout the US. However, no one at the time was predicating the increases that have occurred from 2000 through today. The national news media didn't run major stories on pain medication addiction, and educational institutions rarely warned of the dangers of pain medication addiction. The government was primarily focused on combating illegal drugs through their public service campaigns including the popular "war on drugs" public service campaign that started in the 1980's.

Number of Reported Unintentional Poisoning Deaths With Mention of Opioid Analgesics, 2001-2006

Source: Center for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics.

Governmental Statistics Show Widespread Use By All Age Groups

Today, a decade later, recent governmental statistics reveal that pain medication addiction is growing into a national epidemic. In 2009, government statistics indicated that over 5 million Americans were commonly abusing pain relievers. The most alarming aspect of these government reports was that the projected potential scope of the problem is the future. The reports indicated that for the first time (with the exception of nicotine and alcohol) that a substance was being widely used and abused by all groups in our society ranging in age from teenagers to senior citizens. When you stop and consider that more than 50 million Americans are believed to suffer from some sort of chronic pain, you can start to appreciate how a big pain medication epidemic could occur in the future.

Doctors Over Prescribing Pain Medication

Pain medication addiction technically falls under the much larger addiction category of prescription drug addiction. This is because pain medication starts out as a prescription that a doctor needs to write for their patient to legally obtain it. Pain medication addiction is unlike any other category of drug addiction because you don't need a drug dealer/pusher to obtain your drug of choice. In fact, many people who eventually develop a pain medication addiction originally obtained the drug completely legally from their doctor. In years past, many doctors were often too happy to prescribe, and many times over-prescribe, painkillers. Fortunately today, most medical professionals are very diligent and careful in prescribing and monitoring the use of pain medication by their patients.

Your Family Medicine Cabinet Can Be An Open Invitation To Your Child To Start Using Prescription Drugs

Pain medication addiction can also occur through the illegal use of someone else's prescription for pain medication without their knowledge. Your family medicine cabinet is often cited by many teenagers as their first introduction to pain medication abuse. Then, after they begin to develop an addiction and need larger quantities of the drug, they often seek out the pain medication drug and obtain it through a local drug dealer or friend at school.

Oxycontin: The Drug of Choice of America's Youth

Almost all Americans have heard of Oxycontin. It has become the most popular and widely used and/or abused pain medication drug in our country. Recent government statistics report that over 1 million US residents have used Oxycontin non-medically. Oxycontin drug abuse has achieved the rare and infamous distinction of crossing over to all age groups and classes of society in the US.

National Information Center For Pain Medication Addiction Free Helpline

The National Information Center for Pain Medication Addiction was created as a free service to help anyone who is seeking answers and information or treatment recommendations about pain medication addiction.

Do Not Attempt Rapid Opiate Treatment

We will not recommend any rapid opiate treatment center or any other potentially dangerous type of treatment to anyone. Remember that you didn't become addicted overnight and conversely you can't safely get better rapidly either.

If you believe that you or your loved one may have already developed a pain medication addiction, we can refer you or your loved one to a reputable licensed pain medication treatment facility anywhere in the United States. Depending on how long the addiction has lasted and how deep the addiction to painkillers has become, the individual may require treatment at one of the leading pain medication treatment centers in Florida or California. For severe pain medication addiction, attending one of the best treatment centers may be you or your loved one’s best chance for successful treatment and a lasting recovery in the future. These treatment centers will almost always be behavioral health based in their treatment philosophy, because behavioral based treatments teach patients how to function without drugs and how do handle any cravings or temptations when they arise in the future.

Unintentional Prescription Opioid Analgesic Deaths Nationwide, 2001-2005