By Rev. Ned Wicker,

http://Drug-Addiction-Support.org


It is human nature to test the limits of just about anything. Look at the inquisitive mind of a two year-old, or the daring bicycle leap of a ten year-old. We explore the limits of everything. John F. Kennedy talked about putting a man on the moon in his inaugural address, which was given just a few years after the discovery of a vaccine for polio.



Americans marveled at the speed and efficiency of the steam locomotive in the 1800s, and some even complained that the noise and break-neck speed of 25 miles per hour was a disturbance to cattle and horses. But that soon gave way to faster trains, then flight. We always test the limits.



Human nature also seeks pleasure. We want to feel good and have a good time. We stretch the limits. The pleasurable sip of a good Scotch whiskey turns into alcohol dependence. The relief from pain we receive from a prescription drugs can turn into a health-destroying lifestyle.



We push the limits.



We make decisions based on what we want or what we think we need.



For example, OxyContin, is an effective pain management medication when taken as directed under the care of a physician. The active ingredient in this drug is oxycodone, which is a synthetic opiate. It is derived from morphine. But the drug is popular on the street for recreation.



When I was working at a large urban medical center, emergency room doctors and nurses would often tell me about patients who not only were asking for these drugs, but demanding them. The abuse of the emergency rooms around the country is rampant. They want the drug so they can grid it up and snort it.



People who abuse this drug say that the effect, the “rush” is better than heroin.



Sadly, even people who take the medicine according to prescribed direction can fall victim to its addictive nature. Without intentionally abusing it, OxyContin users can get into trouble, but Hanson wrote that patients who use the drug properly and follow their doctor’s directions rarely become addicted.



It is the pleasure seeker that gets into trouble. In my work with drug rehab patients, the numbers of people abusing and/or addicted to oxycotton is similar to those addicted to crack or heroin. It is easy to get. Online pharmacies will sometimes offer the drug, even if the seeker does not have a prescription.



Who is to blame? Purdue Pharma, the drug’s manufacturer? Doctors? Pharmacies? Abusers? Or do we blame our own human nature and our own inclination to test the limits? Information on drugs is readily available. The possibility for addiction to OxyContin because of abuse is well documented. What is intended for good can easily be twisted for evil. Human nature has been doing that since the beginning.