Prescription Drug Addiction and Its Consequences

When public figures such as Academy Award winner, Philip Seymour Hoffman, die from a drug overdose, the issue of addiction gets press coverage ("The Rise of Drug Overdoses in the US," BBC News, February 7, 2014). The latest reports on his death published at the end of February, show that he died from a combination of heroin, cocaine, benzodiazepines and amphetamines ("Philip Seymour Hoffman Died of Accidental Drug Overdose: Coroner," Los Angeles Times, February 28, 2014). However, the first article mentions that "in 2010, prescription drugs killed more than 22,100 people in the US, more than twice as many as cocaine and heroin combined."

Review selected hard copy and online library books and videos related to substance abuse, addiction, and drug use at LSC-CyFair Branch Library. Click the title of a listed item, select the "Request" button in the listing, and enter your library card number and PIN for each title you want to reserve for pick up at the library.

Use these subject words and phrases to find more in the library catalog:

• addicts
• drug abuse
• drug control
• substance abuse

Clean: Overcoming Addiction and Ending America's Greatest Tragedy by David Sheff - Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.
call number: 362.29 She
"Sheff makes his case methodically and convincingly, finishing with a stark look at the failure of the War on Drugs-and a comparison to the far more effective wars on cancer and AIDS, fought with the weaponry of 'education and prevention, changing public policy, and improving treatment,' rather than 'interdiction, arrest, prosecution, and eradication.'" - Publishers Weekly review excerpt

By Some Miracle I Made It Out of There: A Memoir by Tom Sizemore with Anna David - Atria Books, 2013.
call number: B Sizemo (biography)
"Some Miracle I Made It Out of There is a harrowing journey into the heart of addiction, told in riveting and often shocking detail-a terrifying cautionary tale for anyone who's peered over the abyss of drug abuse." - publisher summary excerpt

Click the image above for a video
on prescription drug abuse.

"America's Secret Epidemic" from the Films on Demand video database - CNBC, 2011.
Note: Login with your My LoneStar login or Lone Star College ID/library card barcode number to view the video off campus.
"Nearly 48 million Americans abuse prescription drugs. It is the second most abused drug behind marijuana. It is estimated nearly 26,000 people die a year. Drug Czar, Gil Kerlikowske makes prescription drug abuse a top priority." - video clip summary