Recreational drugs are made out by the media and many people as the most unsafe substances in the world. Claiming that unknown contents and uncontrolled dosages are leading to a death rate that is simply unacceptable. Whilst it is true that the overdose rate for these kinds of drugs is appalling and something does need to be done to stop this crisis, the same can be said for prescription drugs. Many take these drugs without giving it a second thought, because they come from their trained doctors. But who actually knows what is in the pills and medicines they are happily paying for and collecting over the counter at a pharmacy and why do so many seem to ignore the high addiction rates of some of these medications.

Rising in popularity over the counter drugs are being used for more recreational purposes more and more every day. Accepted as a part of daily life and openly advertised on every kinds of media platform you can imagine, these kinds of drugs are now seen as safer than other conventional recreational drugs as they are medicinally approved, but this is not the case. These kinds of drugs are only safe when used for medicinal reasons and under proper direction. Excessive use of these drugs when not needed can lead to addiction and serious health problems. Proved by the significant rise in prescription overdoses and documented addictions to medications such as prescribed painkillers.

Attributed to the rise in usage, is access to the internet and better communication. Now more than ever we are able to discuss and research things online that we had no way of finding out before. With the rise in the amount of personal stories released online through blogs and discussion forums more people are now hearing about how prescription drugs can give them similar effects to recreational ones. Simply doing a quick search in Google can yield lists of what drugs are best for what reaction, but many of them fail to mention the health risks that come along with this kind of usage, leading people into thinking it is safe. The most commonly abused drugs of this kind are painkillers, stimulants and sedatives. Unfortunately with how common these drugs actually are in day to day treatment there is no way to be sure when they are being purchased for genuine or recreational use.

The amount of prescription drug related deaths is undeniably on the rise. This issue does in no way overshadow the deaths of those due to recreational use, but both of these problems share scary similarities that are addressed completely differently. Prescription abuse is being taken lightly simply because it is a medicinally approved drug, both kinds have risks and anyone who reaches out for help with either addiction is not at this time receiving the same urgency as the other, is this really how it should be?