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On Drug Abuse
Nowadays, millions of people misuse and even overuse pain medications (药物) and other drugs. Research by the American National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA, 1999) shows that around 2% of the population over age 12 were using drugs non-medically.
NIDA views medications as a powerful force for good in the contemporary world. They reduce and remove pain for millions of people suffering from illness and disease. They make it possible for doctors to perform complicated surgery to save lives. Many people afflicted by serious medical conditions are able to control their symptoms (症状) and become active, contributing citizens. NIDA points out that most individuals who take these drugs use them in a reason.
Nevertheless, overuse of drugs such as opioids (阿片类药物), central nervous system (CNS) depressants (抑制剂) and stimulants (兴奋剂) does lead to harmful reliance in some people and is therefore becoming a serious public health concern. Although this abuse affects many people worldwide, particular trends of concern to the medical profession in the US appear among older adults, teenagers and women.
Though it may be a surprise to many, the misuse of medications may be the most common form of drug abuse among the elderly. Dr Kenneth Schrader of Duke University, North Carolina states that although the elderly represent about 13% of the US population, those aged 65 and over account for the consumption of one third of all drugs. People in this age group use medications roughly three times more than the general population and have poorer compliance (遵守) with instruction for use.
In another study of elderly patients admitted to treatment programs, 70% were women who had overused medicines. Unfortunately, this trend among women does not only affect those aged over. In general, among women and men who are using either an anti-anxiety drug or a sedative (镇静剂), women are twice as likely to become addicted. In addition, statistics compiled for 12-17 year olds show that teenage girls are more likely than teenage boys to begin overusing psychotherapeutic medication such as painkillers (止痛药), tranquillizers (安定药), stimulants and sedatives.