Last updated : December 23, 2024
Americans are accustomed to hearing stories of drug abuse among celebrities. We read stories about actors such as Charlie Sheen, Lindsay Lohan and Amanda Bynes, with their patterns of disturbing behavior that are fueled by drug and alcohol abuse.
More disturbing are the news stories of the actors and athletes who lost control – and their lives – through drug overdoses. But do celebrities and their addictions really mirror the struggles with drugs faced by average Americans? The answer: Sometimes – if they choose to use prescription drugs, and in particular, prescription painkillers.
Today’s favorite recreational drugs aren’t even illegal when prescribed and used properly. The first worldwide study of illicit drug use recently revealed that, while marijuana remains the most-used illegal drug, addiction to prescription pain killers kill more people than the use of any other legal or illegal drugs.
This should make you consider: Should I be testing employees for the use of prescription painkillers, and especially prescription opiates?
Your first reaction may be, “I don’t have the resources, not to mention the time or money. And I don’t know the anything about setting up a system like that.”
Neither do most companies. That’s why they turn to USA Mobile Drug Testing. It’s estimated that more than 31 million Americans abuse illegal drugs. USA Mobile operates mobile vans that can come to your company or worksite and make sure your employees aren’t having problems with the abuse of prescription drugs such as painkillers.
USA Mobile operates franchises in various cities around the country. For example, in November, 2012, USA Mobile Drug Testing of South Milwaukee opened in Kenosha, Wisconsin, to provide services to the Milwaukee area and points south.
To learn more about USA Mobile Drug Testing, visit their website at http://usamdt.com/ .
Although such companies can help you discover employees who are abusing alcohol or drugs, if you’re trying to stop the abuse of prescription painkillers, it helps to know what you’re dealing with.
OPIOIDS
“Opioid” drugs relieve pain. They derive their name from the fact that originally, they were derivatives of opium, a powerful narcotic. Today, most of these drugs are synthetic.
They work by reducing the intensity of pain signals that reach the brain.
They include drugs with such familiar names as oxycodone (Percocet and Oxycontin); hydrocodone (Lortab and Vicodin); codeine; morphine (such as Kadian and others); and related and sometimes much stronger drugs.
These drugs are prescribed for a wide range of medical problems, from dental procedures to pain related to injury.
Unfortunately, many of us have a mental picture of the nation’s “drug problem” that’s been distorted by overblown media accounts of lavish drug parties. Worse, many of us are years – or even decades – behind the times when it comes to knowing which drugs are in vogue at any given time.
The fact is that the drug of choice in a community can change fairly quickly. And today, for many, the choice is prescription pain pills.
CELEBRITY DEATHS FROM PRESCRIPTION DRUGS
The list “death by overdose” celebrities reads like a litany of some of the most talented singers, actors and comedians in the world. Decades ago, the deaths included John Belushi, Jim Morrison and Janis Joplin.
Today’s fans are more familiar with the deaths of Amy Winehouse, Heath Ledger and Whitney Houston. The list grew, with Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, River Phoenix and Chris Farley. Many, if not most, of these deaths were caused by lethal doses of drug “cocktails” that often including alcohol. Cocaine, rack or heroin were usually involved.
The following celebrities, though, chose a lethal overdose of prescription drugs:
- Brittany Murphy (although her cause of death is still contested)
- Anna Nicole Smith
- Michael Jackson
- Whitney Houston
But the following four celebrities used a drug mixture that included at least one form of common prescription opioid painkiller:
- Heath Ledger
- Elvis Presley
- Dana Plato (former star of “Different Strokes”)
- American R & B singer Gerald Levert
Ledger’s death was exacerbated by oxycodone and hydrocodone. With Presley, it was morphine and codeine. Plato’s opiate of choice was hydrocodone, and Levert’s death mixture included Vicodin, Percocet and Darvocet.
