There is no real way to tell if someone is going to be an addict. Some times heredity plays a part, if you have an addict in your family then chances are some one else may become one as well. People who experience depression, anxiety and loneliness are said to be people at risk to be addicted to some drug or another. That is not to say that everyone who has taken pain medication has become addicted because that would not be true. The important part of medication is to take exactly what the doctor prescribed to you, not a pill more and not a pill less. Get the instructions in writing, this way you have it in front of you and you can’t forget by thinking “did the doctor say one or two”, that is how the addiction begins.

There are always warning signs to people who are becoming addicted, the key is to know the signs and recognize them if you see them. The first warning sign is that you or someone you know is taking a prescribed medication and you are taking more than the doctor ordered. The second sign is that you or someone you know is requesting prescriptions from more than one doctor. The third sign is that when you take the medication, you are also chasing the medication with alcohol in order to get a heightened effect of the medications. The fourth sign is that you are taking the medication to escape from everyday life. Lastly, your doctors and friends and family have told you they are worried about you and about the medications you are taking.

You, your self may think that you may become addicted, if that is the case, tell your doctor and he may prescribe something else and maybe another way to take it as well. Your friends and family will let you know when they feel that the medications are getting out of control. Listen to them, it may mean the difference between an intervention and an out of control addiction. But there is help; there are treatments facilities, counselling sessions you can attend as an outpatient. There will always be some one there to help you; the trick is not to need it.

For additional information and resources on Chronic Pain, visit PainsWeb.com. The author Sam Carson is a chronic pain patient and publisher of PainsWeb.com. His website specializes in conveying targeted information about all types of Chronic Pain and helps you find associated information, patient resources and forums etc to manage your pain. Authors can submit quality original articles to PainsWeb.com and get a back link to their site.