2004 Opiate Dependency Report

Waismann Institute Survey Reveals Careers and Professionals Most Affected by Opiate Dependency

Sales Professionals and Business Operations Personnel Most Often Seek Treatment for Dependency to Prescription Painkillers.

According to The Waismann Institute's 2004 Opiate Dependency Report, patients seeking treatment for dependency to prescription painkillers most often held careers in sales, at 15 percent. Those responsible for business operations, such as company CEOs or business owners, held the second spot with 11 percent of patients responding. The findings, which include results from 20 career categories, are based on a survey conducted of patients receiving treatment for dependencies to various opiate-based drugs.

"Both sales professionals and those responsible for business management have extremely demanding workloads resulting from long hours and meeting strict quotas," said Clare Waismann, executive director of The Waismann Institute. "Therefore, many of these professionals will seek relief from headaches and other stress-related ailments through prescription painkillers. Unfortunately, many don't realize that a dependency to opiate-based painkillers such as Vicodin and OxyContin can develop quickly with regular use."

Of respondents that held careers in sales, only 29 percent said that their employers noticed they had an opiate dependency. Only 23 percent indicated that they experienced problems at work.

"It is common for business professionals to successfully maintain dependency, career and family without missing a step," explained Waismann. "They often refer to themselves as 'functioning addicts,' because their drive and success masks the dependency they battle everyday."

Additional findings include:

• When asked how their dependencies began, 73 percent of respondents with positions in sales and business operations said their dependencies began with doctor-prescribed medication
• Twenty-two percent of sales personnel and business managers said that they visited multiple doctors to acquire prescriptions for medication
• Fifty-five percent of respondents with careers in sales or business management said they felt they had been dependent for over three years
• Eighty-eight percent of respondents with sales or business development roles said they were self-motivated to seek treatment
• The most common drug dependency for sales and management professionals was to Vicodin at 55 percent. OxyContin was the second most prevalent opiate dependency, claimed at 35 percent

Drs. Clifford A. Bernstein and Michael Lowenstein use the exclusive Waismann Method of Neuro-Regulation to treat opiate dependency. Performed in a hospital intensive care unit, the Waismann Method involves cleansing the opiate receptors in the patient's brain of the narcotics while the patient is under anesthesia. During the procedure, the patient will experience no conscious withdrawal, and will be able to return home within days. Over 65 percent of the patients who are treated with the Waismann Method remain drug free after one year.