Prescription Drug Abuse a Big Problem on the Coast
Rachel Alayyadai is a recovering prescription drug addict. She says she used pain killers like Oxycodone and Opana to cope with the pain from her childhood. She is now staying at the Home of Grace Rehab Facility until she’s ready to start her life again. Alayyadai syas, "I think it’s very addictive. I’ve tried street drugs and none of them took hold of me like pain medicine did. It’s like a really strong opiate. It’s synthetic heroin is what it is."
Prescription drug abuse is one of the most common addictions because of how easy it is to get the drugs from a local doctor. Bonnie Marchand, a recovering sleeping pill addict, says, "It’s out there. The doctors are very free and easy. You can get it very easily. All you have to do is say, ‘I can’t sleep,’ or ‘There’s a pain.’ You’re gonna’ get it."
Alayyadai says many addicts believe they’re doing nothing wrong. She says, "I got it from a doctor, so it’s okay, so we kind of tell ourselves, ‘You know, I don’t really have a problem because I got this from a doctor and the doctor wrote me a prescription for it,’ when in reality, we abuse it like any other street drug."
Prescription drugs are also the hardest to give up. Amber Ryals, a recovering methamphetamines addict, says she’s glad she got caught by police or she’d still be an addict. Ryals says, "Really if it wasn’t for him sentencing me to the time, I probably would have never gotten clean, and after being between there and here, it really made me realize I really need to open my eyes to more around me."
Many of the women who are almost done with their treatment at the Home of Grace say they’re the happiest they’ve ever been and are ready to go home to take care of their families.
Wendy Drennan, a recovering pain killer addict, closes, "I’m happy to become the person I can be for my family without the dependency on drugs. Not only have I left the drugs behind, but I’ve left a lot of depression behind with it."
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