The misuse of prescription drugs in America is on the rise. For a country with just 5% of the world’s population, we consume our share of medications and then some – three-quarters of the world’s prescription drugs! And in 2010, enough prescription painkillers were prescribed to medicate every single American adult every 4 hours for an entire month.

Most abused prescription drugs fall within three categories: painkillers, tranquilizers, and stimulants. In the past month, 6.2 million people have used prescription drugs non-medically. From this infographic, you can learn a little bit more about the people who abuse prescription medications: where they live (non-medical usage rates are highest in the West), where they got their drugs (mostly from friends and relatives), and the reasons teens cite for abusing Rx drugs (the #1 reason? They’re easy to find).

Please help us spread the word about prescription drug abuse by sharing this infographic with your friends, families, and readers.

Recently we published an infographic called “Your Baby on Drugs” to illustrate the harmful effects that drug and substance abuse while pregnant can have on the welfare of both the mother and the child to be born.

The creation of life is a beautiful thing, something that nearly all hopeful parents dream about as they grow older. They say men become fathers the minute their child is born, and women become mothers the minute they discover they’re pregnant. But despite those inherent traits of mankind, not every parent is perfect. We all make mistakes and learn from them, only some are more drastic than others. And our first priority should be cultivating the finest life for millions of children that will be entering this world. But not all of them have an equal chance at survival. That’s because each year a number of those babies suffer from birth defects directly resulting from substance abuse and drug addiction that occurred during pregnancy. That number has grown to include over 4% of Pregnant women. Which can be traced back to nearly 176,200 babies that are exposed to potential birth defects!

Anxiety can lead to substance abuse

Anxiety is something that most people experience before something significant occurs in their life – this could be sitting a test or making a public speech. Occasional anxiety is not a big deal, and can even motivate some to perform better. For others, anxiety becomes a far more destructive force in their life, and can be made worse by alcohol and drugs. In some instances the symptoms of anxiety will be what drove the individual to substance abuse in the first place, but it is also possible for the individual to develop anxiety problems as a result of their alcohol or drug intake.

Uneasiness and apprehension about future uncertainties

People who suffer from anxiety are three times more likely to turn to substance abuse than those who do not have such symptoms. Anxiety is a feeling of fear and concern.