Dulce&De&Jesus&

&
DRUG%ABUSE:%Brain%Disease%vs.%Poor%Life%Choices%
In&the&past&few&years&there&has&been&many&debates&about&the&
scheduling&of&the&hydrocodone&drug.&Before&2013&the&drug&was&
classified&as&a&schedule&III&drug,&which&meant&it&was&considered&
as&a&drug&that&had&a&potential&for&abuse&less&than&the&drugs&in&
schedules&1&and&2.&It&would&be&used&medically&to&treat&people&
with&pain&in&the&United&States.&By&this&classification,&
hydrocodone&was&thought&to&cause&a&moderate&or&low&physical&
dependence&or&high&psychological&dependence&if&a&person&
decided&to&abuse&it.&But&this&was&far&from&the&truth.&Studies&
have&shown&that&hydrocodone&is&highly&mentally&and&
physically&addictive.&The&reason&for&its&dependence&is&because&
this&opiod,&which&has&an&analgesic&effect,&not&only&alleviate&pain&
and&coughing&episodes&in&this&way,&but&also&causes&euphoria&

and&drowsiness/calmness,&similar&to&the&effects&of&morphine&
and&heroin.&The&latter&sensation&is&what&makes&it&so&attractive.&
Trends&began&developing&where&addicted&people&were&doing&
anything&to&get&the&drug.&The&more&you&take&the&drug,&the&more&
tolerance&you&will&develop.&Needing&higher&dosage&each&time&to&
get&the&desired&effects.&Most&of&the&time&these&group&of&people&
would&fake&medical&or&dental&problems&to&get&a&new&
prescription&or&would&find&other&ways&to&get&the&drugs&illegally.&
People&became&emotionally&and&socially&careless.&It&was&
breaking&families&and&the&responsibility&of&life,&such&as&work,&
was&not&a&priority&anymore.&The&real&question&was,&is&
hydrocodone&addiction&a&brain&disease&or&caused&by&poor&life&
choices?&I&truly&believe&that&it&is&a&combination&of&both.&If&a&
person&suffered&a&traumatic&accident&and&since&then&he&lives&his&
life&in&severe&pain&as&a&result,&this&would&justify&the&addiction&
because&he&is&trying&to&alleviate&pain&and&at&the&same&time&
develops&a&tolerance.&What&feels&better,&being&in&pain&or&being&

calm&and&happy?&Meanwhile,&there&are&others&that&have&made&
poor&choices&in&life&and&decided&to&experiment&with&the&drug&
disregarding&the&risks.&Some&research&says&that&the&reason&a&
person&would&decide&to&used&it&recreationally&is&because&they&
are&naturally&attempting&to&self&medicate&their&deficiency&of&the&
neurotransmitters&that&would&make&them&feel&this&way.&
&The&above&reasons&are&good&and&enough&change&hydrocodone&
from&a&schedule&III&drug&to&a&schedule&II&drug.&&&I&believe&that&by&
highly&controlling&the&drug&it&makes&it&less&accessible&to&the&
public.&The&Drug&Enforcement&Administration&has&set&strict&
rules&in&regards&to&the&new&hydrocodone&scheduling.&The&DEA&
requires&that&all&schedule&II&prescription&be&dated&and&signed&
on&the&date&prescribed,&in&addition,&to&be&filled&within&a&certain&
period&of&time,&depending&on&the&state.&If&the&prescription&is&
old,&the&pharmacist&calls&the&prescriber&to&make&sure&that&the&
patient&still&requires&the&prescription&before&filling&it.&It&may&
also&be&telephoned&or&faxed&to&a&pharmacy.&There&is&no&

maximum&limit&on&the&quantity&that&may&be&called&into&a&
pharmacy&under&federal&law.&The&prescriber&may&call&in&an&
amount&that&is&sufficient&to&treat&the&emergency.&The&prescriber&
must&then&provide&a&signed&prescription&within&7&days&of&the&
emergency&prescription.&If&mailed,&it&must&be&postmarked&
within&these&7&days&of&the&emergency&prescription.&If&no&cover&
is&received&within&7&days&of&the&emergency&prescription,&then&it&
is&the&pharmacist's&duty&to&report&this&to&the&DEA&Diversion&
Field&Office.&&
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