Experts: Prescription Medication Abuse Common In Oklahoma

By Chris Wright, The News On 6

TULSA, OK -- In the wake of Sean Sutton's drug arrest Thursday, experts urge others with similar problems to get help.

Experts say Sutton's case is tragic, but hope it will shine a light on what they say has become a huge problem in Oklahoma.

2/14/2010  Related Story: ORU Coach Scott Sutton Discusses Brother Sean's Legal Woes

"Once that pull takes over, there's nothing else. Everything fades away," said Ollie Treat, HOW Recovery Center.

Ollie Treat is familiar with addiction. Sober now for two and a half years, he grappled with a pain pill problem for more than a decade. 

Treat started taking prescription medication for a football injury and eventually got hooked. He says he took as many as 40 Lortabs a day, and after building a tolerance to that drug, began shooting morphine.

"If I hadn't experienced this myself, I would just think that someone was a weak person or a lesser moral person than I was. But it is a disease," said Ollie Treat.

"The rationalization that people use, there's something about 'I'm not getting these on the streets. I got this from my doctor,'" said Michael Brose, a Mental Health Association.

Mental health professional Michael Brose says cases like Sean Sutton's have become nearly epidemic in Oklahoma. He says prescription pill abuse is now the most common problem his organization treats and he hopes Sutton's fall from grace will drive that point home.

"This isn't about Sean. Sean's put a face on it. This is about addiction," said Michael Brose.

Treat, who now works at the 12-step program, believes Sutton's recovery won't be easy. While it may appear that the former OSU coach has hit rock bottom, Treat says often even an arrest isn't enough to stop an addict.

"If he has any right to even expect his recovery to be successful, he will have to make it just as much a priority as he did obtaining the drugs," said Ollie Treat.

The Mental Health Association believes part of the problem is the lack of communication between patients and their doctors. Experts worry many people simply don't know just how addictive these medications are.

2/12/2010  Related Story: Thousands Of Oklahomans Face Pain Pill Addiction