People from various walks of life such as business executives, professional athletes, celebrities, politicians, and even the armed forces and the religious world are flocking to Palm Beach from different parts of the globe, and not necessarily to enjoy the spectacular beaches, but rather to save their lives. They are coming to break harmful dependencies to a variety of addictive substances– medical conditions which until recently were considered taboo to such people.
Recently substance abuse and its treatment have risen in the consciousness of society. With recent television shows such as A&E’s Intervention, a general acceptance of substance abuse as a medical not moral issue is developing. Couple this with the recent liberal trends in dispensing opiate pain medications and anti-anxiety medications results in a trend of sorts. According to the most recent nationwide survey conducted in the United States by the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), an estimated 6.3 million persons, or 2.7 percent of the population age 12 and older had used prescription psychotherapeutic medications non-medically in the month prior to being surveyed. This includes 4.7 million using pain relievers, 1.8 million using tranquilizers, 1.2 million using stimulants, and 0.3 million using sedatives. The problem is on the rise. According to this survey carried out in 2003, the increase in rates of addiction to prescription medication is significant when compared to previous survey results.
Substance abuse providers are seeing a new profile of patients; that of apparently normal professionals often successful in all other aspects of their lives. Dr Mark G. Agresti, Vice Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia Hospital explains that most of today’s addicts are hooked on prescription medication