While many assume the acronym DUI is always a reference to driving under the influence of alcohol, its definition is evolving rapidly.

Deputy Greg Holcomb of the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, who works on the department’s four-man traffic unit, said the number of motorists arrested for driving under the influence of prescription medication has increased dramatically over the past year. Holcomb estimated that between 15 and 20 percent of local DUI arrests in 2007 were due to prescription medication. Out of more than 160 DUI arrests made so far in 2008, between 30 and 35 percent were for being under the influence of prescription medication. According to Holcomb, Carroll County deputies have met with officers from other law enforcement agencies from surrounding counties to discuss the issue.

“It’s increasing across the board, not just in Carroll County,” he said.

According to Capt. Shane Taylor of the Sheriff’s Office, prescription drug abuse has become more prevalent in Carroll County over the last five to six years and has permeated several different areas of crime. In addition to DUIs, county authorities have also seen an increase in the number of people abusing prescription medications, as well as the number of people selling prescription pills. Taylor said the increase may be due in part to the accessibility of prescription medications over other drugs, mainly because prescription drugs can be obtained legally through pharmacies and found in most households.

“From some investigations we’ve had ... these people were getting them for lawful purposes and were abusing them after that by selling them or taking them excessively,” Taylor said.

According to Taylor, the most commonly abused drugs he has seen are mostly pain-killers such as Methadone, OxyContin, Lorcet, Hydrocodone and Xanax. Taylor said that medications used to alleviate depression and anxiety are also popular.

Holcomb said that while many motorists arrested for driving under the influence are taking only medications that have been prescribed to them, many ignore labels that warn against driving while taking the medicine.

“That’s what a lot of people are doing,” Holcomb said. “They’re getting the drugs as prescribed, but they’re not taking them as prescribed. They’re not adhering to the warning labels.”

Holcomb said that another problem associated with driving under the influence of prescription drugs is motorists who do not keep prescription pills in the original container. Individuals can receive the felony charge if any prescription medications are found outside the correct container, and that the charge often goes hand-in-hand with DUI charges.

Sgt. Russell Grizzard, who oversees the Sheriff’s Office’s traffic division, said that although the charges and punishments for DUIs are the same regardless of what substance the motorist is found to be under the influence of, he believes that driving while taking prescription medications can be more dangerous. According to Grizzard, people are more aware of their levels of intoxication when drinking alcohol.

“I would have to say driving drugged is more of a danger, even though they are both significant,” he said.

Grizzard pointed out that some motorists arrested are under the influence of both alcohol and prescription drugs.

Holcomb said that driving under the influence of prescription drugs can be more difficult for officers to detect than alcohol. Whereas alcohol can usually be detected by odor alone, deputies can only officially determine prescription medication use by having the motorist’s blood or urine tested at the hospital.

Grizzard said that officers can often get a general idea of what a person has been taking simply based on the person’s actions. For example, people high on depressants are often uncoordinated and make sluggish movements, while individuals high on stimulants are often restless and sometimes display body tremors.

In order to prepare local deputies for the increase in motorists driving under the influence of prescription medication, all four deputies in the traffic division took a class in September at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth. Grizzard said the class was mostly designed to help officers learn to detect signs of a motorist under the influence of different drugs.

“It just gave us more of what to look for ... their mannerisms as far as what they might be on,” he said.

Holcomb said that while some motorists arrested for driving under the influence of prescription medications are highly intoxicated, some of the arrests could be avoided by simply following the instructions for taking the drug.

“If they’ll go by what their doctor and their pharmacist said, the medication will serve its purpose,” he said.