I’m running out of painkillers. I was sure I had another week’s supply!

I’m really careful about my Xanax - I really need it! I was sure I had another two bars left. But one is missing....

Sometimes I take more ADHD medication than my doctor prescribes. But I know I didn’t take that many. Could my roommate be taking some of my pills?

I shudder to think this, but...is my son stealing my Percocet?

Medications are great when they’re used appropriately, but they can be dangerous when they’re not. This is a real problem. In a 2010 study, approximately 16 million Americans reported using a prescription drug for nonmedical reasons sometime within the past 12 months. And 7 million Americans reported doing so in the past month.

Think about that for a minute.

But when we’re talking about a medication that has the potential for abuse (read: addictive medications), there is another concern entirely: the possibility that your prescribed medications will be used by someone other than you.

It’s a scary possibility - not something we like to think about - but it’s a reality.

Addiction turns sweet, kind people into something unrecognizable. When someone becomes physically or psychologically dependent on a substance, their values are discarded. Lying and cheating become survival mechanisms.

If you haven’t seen addiction at work, it may be hard to imagine. So try this: think of a time when you’ve been without food and water for 24 hours. Got it? Ok. Now think about how well you kept to your values - how you speak to people, how you drive, whether you hold the door open for that elderly person.

If you’re like most people, when your body is craving food you are more likely to snap at people or cut off other drivers on the highway. And forgot about holding that door open! Many people may compromise on their diet, or even on other standards like religion.

For most of us, our values crumble when the going gets tough enough. Multiply that effect by a hundred, and you can begin to get an idea of what addiction is like.

And so, if your addictive prescription medications are not secure, the chance of someone stealing them is higher than you think.

Tune in next week for a primer on what kind of medications need more vigilance.

If you suspect that someone in your family is misusing prescription medications, don’t wait. Call an addictions specialist today.

Shimmy Feintuch, LCSW CASAC-G maintains a private practice in Brooklyn, NY, and Washington Heights, NYC, with specialties in addictions and anxiety. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the Wurzweiler School of Social Work at Yeshiva University. Contact: (530) 334-6882 or shimmyfeintuch@gmail.com. 

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