Lock The Medicine Cabinet
The latest trend of teens, and even pre-teens, abusing prescription drugs surprised me a little at first until I started thinking about it. When I was young, prescription drugs were in our home. However, it was primarily antibiotics and Tagamet. Over the counter amphetamines were in abundance at that time, and I knew many that abused them. But, narcotic prescriptions were very hard to come across.
Today, it’s different. Prescriptions have become a common part of every day life. Not to say this is always a bad thing. We now have life-saving medicine that was not available 20 years ago. But, it only stands to reason that with more drug prescriptions comes more prescription abusers. And for children, what easier way to get high than from Mom or GrandDad’s medicine cabinet. Plus, with prescription drug commercials airing seemingly every 5 minutes, our perception of prescribed drugs has grown much more mainstream. I’d be hard-pressed to find someone I know that is not on some type of medication for a physical ailment, depression, or anxiety.
What really concerns me is an article I read this morning from The Daily 49er discussing Pharm parties. That’s right parties revolving around prescription drugs. This is what really got my attention:
According to the 2008 National Drug Control Strategies Report, 71 percent of prescription pain medication abusers obtained the drugs from family and friends. Among 12- to 13-year-olds, prescription drug abuse actually exceeds marijuana use.
But, again it makes sense. Easy access, free, no worries of being arrested, and the drugs are pharmaceutical grade.
If you’re a parent, like me, here’s some things to look for:
Prescription drug abuse among teens is up 300 percent, and that means we all need to be aware of unusual behavior among our friends, family and peers. Watch out for intense mood swings, anxiety and depression, according to a recent Los Angeles Times article.
In summary, lock your medicine cabinet and count your pills.
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May 6th, 2008 at 8:29 am
i as well have heard alot about this problem and it concerns me a great deal. It seems kids today are going more in this direction of Rx drugs at a very young age, and from someone who knows about the extreme danger of these drugs it is an issue that needs to be addressed by every parent no matter who you are or what color or nationality you may or may not be