Vicodin, it's the hot new drug for pain and pleasure and, now, more Southern Californians than ever are popping handfuls of these pills becoming Vicodin junkies. Some say it's harder to kick Vicodin than heroin. So, why are they doing it? And how are they getting it? Unit 13's going undercover to find out.

For a migraine, there's Vicodin. For back pain, Vicodin. And for the hottest parties, more Vicodin. Doctors are prescribing these little white pills for all kinds of pain but somehow they're popping up on the party circuit.

They're so addictive, many will do anything to get them.

"At the height of my addiction I was taking up to 30 to 35 Vicodin, or lord tap, a day," said Jackie Stein. "My entire life became about pills. How to get them. How to make sure that I would have enough for the next day so I wouldn't get sick."

Jackie Stein is just one of thousands who started taking Vicodin for pain and became addicted to it. It's fast become the drug of choice in Southern California. Everyone's doing it, from teenagers to soccer moms to high profile celebrities..

Friends star Matthew Perry and Melanie Griffith both battled an addiction to Vics. But many others aren't fighting the urge to pop a pill, they're partying hard!

Rapper Emimen proudly displays his love for the drug with a Vicodin tattoo. Comedian David Spade recently joked on national television about those little white pills.

"I'm fine I found ten Vicodin in my gift basket!" He said at the Golden Globes ceremonies.

So why are Vicodin suddenly becoming the drug of choice? Well, unlike other drugs, Vicodin doesn't smell, they leave no residue and as you can see they are tiny they're also very easy to explain away if you're caught and they're easy to get.

"Patients will try to work the system by seeing different physicians. They'll complain about pain to get the pain medication." Pharmacist Kimberly Ockrim says people often forge prescriptions and change the number of refills. Sometimes they get away with it, sometimes they don't and that's when their addiction brings them here to Tijuana.

Unit 13 went undercover to find out how easy it is to score Vics. Right away, without a prescription, we were sold these blue pills for eight dollars a pop. Even though they look different, the pharmacist assures us the pills are Vicodin. But are they really? We sent them to a lab to get tested. The results?

"This was the highest potency!"

Pharmaceutical chemist Robert Vessiny says the pills are definitely Vicodin but at a dosage level so strong, it's scary. If someone takes three at once, like many people do, they could end up dead.

"You can get what we call circulatory failure, cardiac arrest and it could be fatality."

Vessiny says people need to stay away from Mexican Vicodin. But even the pills sold here in the U.S. can kill.

"If a person takes too much Vicodin, they can have extreme liver damage."

And kicking the habit isn't easy. Some say it's tougher to detox Vicodin than heroine. For Jackie Stein her recovery was a long and painful one. She hopes her story will stop others from suffering.

"It can happen to anybody at anytime. Before you know it, it's out of your hands.

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