5.7 million adults on at least one occasion within the past year — 46.2 percent of them misused in order to relieve tension or relax and 21.2 percent misused to aid in sleep.
Prescription stimulants were misused by about 4.8 million adults on at least one occasion in the past year — 28.4 percent misused to stay awake or alert, 26.2 percent to concentrate, and 22.4 percent to study.
And 1.4 million adults misused prescription sedatives within the past year — 73.2 percent of them misused in order to sleep.
“Until last year when the CDC released prescribing guidelines, there was continued growth in the number of opioid prescriptions” she added. However, “the number of prescriptions do appear to be decreasing over the past year.”
Author: Cesar Gamboa
Cesar Gamboa is a staff reporter and editor for Addiction Now covering topics ranging from legislation to scientific studies. He was previously a general assignment reporter for the Orange County Register. SoCal raised, lover of books, and avid mountain biker (when he wants to be). He can be reached at cesarg@addictionnow.com.
