Connecticut Doctor Charged with Drug Dealing

A Connecticut doctor was recently arrested and charged with illegally prescribing and selling powerful narcotics to drug abusers, says the Connecticut Post. Dr. Donald Austrian was charged by federal authorities with 18 counts of illegal dispensation of drugs. He was released from jail after he posted a $50,000 bond.

This arrest was the culmination of an investigation launched in 2008 after authorities received a complaint that Austrian had sold oxycodone to a known drug addict. Police reported that Austrian later sold painkillers to a witness during a sting.

Prescription drug abuse is one of the fastest growing drug problems in Connecticut and abroad. Many of the painkillers, anti-anxiety drugs, tranquilizer and sleep aids on the market are addictive. Patients may become dependent – meaning they will go through withdrawal if they stop using the drug. Or they may become addicted, feeling that they need to the drug to function or deal with life as well as being physically dependent. If they can’t get more pills from the doctor, they may purchase the drugs from a dealer, from another person with the same prescription, or turn to an unscrupulous doctor who will prescribe drugs to anyone.

Those abusing prescription drugs normally take many times the recommended dose because they’ve built up a tolerance. That means they need more of the drug to get the same effect of the smaller dose they used to take.

Stiffer laws will cause doctors to think twice about writing a prescription that violates medical principles and the law. However, Connecticut drug rehabs are the final answer for Connecticut’s drug problem. Once someone has slipped into the habit of abusing prescription drugs, he needs effective help to remedy the physical, emotional and mental dependence drugs create.

New Life Retreat has successfully helped dozens of Connecticut residents beat drug addiction.