Non-medical use of<unk>  opioids has been documented in many countries, most notably in West and North Africa, the Near and Middle East, and North America. United States In 2005, the US National Survey on<unk>  Use and Health (NSDUH) demonstrated that 6.4 million people aged 12 or older had used<unk> <unk> s for non-medical reasons during the past month, including pain relievers, tranquillizers and stimulants. From 2006 to 2016, the total weight of stimulants prescribed in the US nearly doubled; however, the trend of<unk>  stimulant misuse has been gradually declining since 2017. In 2017, it was estimated that approximately 76 million adults in the US were prescribed with opioid<unk> s in the previous year, with 12 percent of them reporting<unk>  opioid misuse between 2016 and 2017. An estimate of more than 1 million Americans misused<unk>  stimulants, 2 million misused<unk>  analgesics, 1.5 million misused tranquillizers, and 271,000 misused sedatives for the first time within the past year. United Kingdom In the United Kingdom, deaths from Tramadol (a synthetic opioid painkiller) overdose have risen to 240 per annum as of 2014. Europe In Europe, methadone is the most widely prescribed opioid substitution medication, accounting for about 63 percent of substitution clients, followed by 35 percent of clients treated with buprenorphine-based medications. An average of 6 percent of students from the EU and Norway reported lifetime use of sedatives or tranquillizers without a doctor’s<unk> . In 2019, there was an increasing trend of<unk>  opioid<unk>  among Europe. Both amphetamines and methamphetamines are stimulant<unk> s commonly used in Europe, though amphetamines were more frequently prescribed. Methamphetamine use has traditionally been limited to the Czech Republic and Slovakia, although there were signs of increase in other European countries. Asia In comparison to the West, Asia-Pacific has a scarcity of data on<unk> <unk>  abuse. Still, the United Nations Office on<unk> s and Crime stated that<unk> <unk>  abuse is a growing epidemic among recreational<unk>  users in South Asia. Although relevant studies in China were limited, they revealed a similar prevalence of<unk> <unk>  misuse among adolescents and young adults, which was 5.9 percent and 25.9 percent, respectively. Most Asian studies, including those from Japan, Thailand, and Singapore, revealed the existence of<unk> <unk>  misuse in Asia, but their prevalence rates were found to be lower than that reported in Western developed countries. In 2019, there was an increasing trend of<unk>  opioid<unk>  in India. South Africa In comparison to the US, the prevalence of illicit<unk>  use (including<unk> <unk> s) in South Africa is relatively low.<unk> <unk>  and over-the-counter (OTC)<unk>  abuse together constitutes 2.6 percent of all primary illicit substances admitted to South African<unk>  treatment facilities. However, lifetime illicit<unk>  use for<unk>  or OTC medicines was highest among adolescents, at 16 percent prevalence rate, followed by inhalants, club<unk> s and others.
Prescription drug addiction
Tolerated illness
Mold health issues
Bullying in medicine
Responsible drug use
Suicide methods
Long-term effects of cannabis
Modesty in medical settings