Dating back to the end of the 17th century, opium and its derivatives have been plaguing society, but recorded history of this painkilling poppy goes thousands of years earlier. The addictive qualities are no secret, yet newer forms of opiates have been continually introduced throughout the ages.

Coming closer to modern medicine, morphine was introduced as a new drug, then heroin and then methadone and many other synthetic opiates. All of these drugs were packaged and sold by pharmaceutical companies and so far many have become illegal because of their abuse potential and destruction to individuals and families.

In the last few years, Oxycontin®, a synthetic opiate agonist produced by Purdue Pharma, has made headlines across the nation due to it becoming more of a street drug than a medically supervised and intended painkiller.

Because of the outbreaks of addiction, overdoses and crime related to this drug, the FDA has strengthened the warnings and precautions sections in the labeling of OxyContin (oxycodone HCl controlled-release) Tablets, a narcotic drug approved for the treatment of moderate to severe pain.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, there have been numerous reports of OxyContin diversion and abuse in several states. Some of these reported cases have been associated with serious consequences including death.

In response to the near epidemic, Purdue Pharma issued a letter to health care providers stating, "OxyContin is an opioid agonist and a Schedule II controlled substance with an abuse liability similar to morphine." The letter goes on to say, "Oxycodone can be abused in a manner similar to other opioid agonists, legal or illicit."

Many former Oxy users claim that the idea of a legal drug in tablet form was easier to accept at first than using heroin, though the effects are very similar and use of the drug often includes crushing up the pill to snort or inject.

Originally flaring up in the Appalachian region, the use of Oxycontin quickly grew from portions of rural America to include metropolitan areas such as Philadelphia, Detroit, Los Angeles and elsewhere.

In a interview with MTV, Jack Osbourne, son of famed rock and roll icon Ozzy Osbourne, admitted to seeking treatment for his addiction to OxyContin. His open discussion of unwanted conditions and the reality of what even a social drug use can lead to has sent a positive message to society and our nation's youth.

What many anti-drug messages leave out though is what is left behind in a person's body after they are exposed to toxins such as drugs. American author and humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard discovered in his decades of research in the field of drug rehabilitation that these toxins leave residues in the fatty tissue of a persons body, continuing to cause drug cravings and hamper ability. Given this fact, how does a person go about correcting his or her condition?

The answer to such a problem lies in the extremely effective sauna detoxification program developed by Hubbard that is used in drug rehabilitation in Narconon programs across the planet. Utilizing this and other effective methodology, the Narconon Drug Rehabilitation and Education Program continues to be one of the worlds most successful programs for restoring individuals afflicted by drug use to being productive, ethical members of society again.