However, Vicodin-related deaths have been reported from every age grouping.
The difference with high profile celebrities and white collar addiction in comparison to those with much less stature is the ability to conceal their problem with adequate funds to supply their habits. They are not forced to commit crimes in order to finance their habit which keeps them out of the spotlight longer. Doctors are more likely to dish out more prescriptions to the white collar and high profile patients where doctor shopping is nothing more than just finding the "right- doctor. .
The impact of Vicodin abuse may not seem as prevalent with those that do not lack finances because the Vicodin are almost a never ending supply. The addiction may begin the exact same way that it does with the less prominent, because of an injury or some condition that requires pain medication. The first report that Vicodin produced a noticeable euphoria and symptoms of addiction was published in 1923. The first report of Vicodin addiction in the U.S. was published in 1961. Subject to individual tolerance, many medical experts believe dependence or addiction can occur within one to four weeks at higher doses of Vicodin (DEA, 2007). .
There are hundreds of thousands of opiate addicts in the United States alone (Farnum, S. 2007). The numbers are growing and as a result, this has become a social disaster. Society views addiction as a person who made bad choices lacks moral character and has lost control of their lives. For some reason that theory changes when the addiction surfaces on the high profile and white collar opiate junkies. The whole sociological perspective of this problem is caused from a lack of understanding of an entire classification of human beings.
Opiate addiction is much different than that of other addictions. Human brains have natural opiates that are produced regularly and everyone is born with them. They are called opioid receptors which stimulate the brain and are responsible for lifting a person's mood, helping that person feel motivated for everyday purposes, and natural pain relief.
