Most people probably don’t know that more people abuse prescription drugs than the number of people who use cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin combined. ~ Chief Billy Grogan
The prescription pill problem or medicine abuse has become a growing epidemic in our country.
I recently had the pleasure of meeting April Rovero. April is the founder of National Coalition Against Prescription Drug Abuse. NCAPDA’s mission is to reduce the number of deaths and addictions caused by prescription drug abuse (PDA) through educational tools and programs, legislative action and partnership with educational, counseling, medical and law enforcement entities. Check out NCAPDA’s Facebook Page for more information.
Here is what parents can do now to help prevent their child’s abuse of prescription drugs or determine if they may already have a problem:
- Educate yourself about the dangers of the most abused prescription drugs.
- Talk openly with your child about the dangers of abusing prescription drugs and other substances beginning as early as middle school.
- Learn about the teen party culture, which can include “Pharm” or “Skittles” parties, and talk with your child about peer influence.
- Lock up or properly dispose of your prescription drugs to keep your child and his/her friends safe.
- Learn about the warning signs of prescription drug abuse and get help quickly if you suspect your child is in trouble.
- Get to know your child’s friends and their parents and monitor for homes where underage drinking and substance abuse is allowed.
- Be wary of sleepovers at your house or another parent’s home, as prescription drugs are easy to hide and use in those settings.
- Talk with your college students about the danger of prescription drug abuse – they didn’t learn about it in middle school or high school!
- Don’t be hesitant to drug test your child if you think he/she may be abusing prescription or illegal drugs.
- Don’t be naive to think your child won’t abuse prescription drugs – it happens in the best of families to the best of kids.
For more information about the consequences of prescription drug abuse watch these two videos.
The Pill Program, Part 1
The Pill Program, Part 2
What do you think about the growing epidemic of prescription drug abuse? Join the discussion and let us know in comments.
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I’m very close to people who have overdosed on pills before. I’m glad there is a program like this to help.
Those videos were super touching, thanks for sharing.
Bryce
Hi Bryce,
Prescription drug abuse seems to be spreading and devastating many lives. Unfortunately, because they are legal prescriptions in many cases, people don’t think of them as a street drug. Unfortunately, when abused they can have the same or even a worse affect as any other drug. Thanks for your comment, and glad you felt the videos were informative.
Cathy – it’s so dangerous because it’s legal, easy to get addicted to and readily available. THanks for your post and sharing this important information (that parents especially should be aware of)
Hi Vishnu,
Yes, something we need to make people aware of. This is relatively new, so many parents don’t realize the extent of the problem. Thanks for your comment.
Most of us fail to realize how dangerous it is for prescription drugs be within reach of children. Educating ourselves about prescription drugs is effective to prevent our kids from such exposure and give us a clue on signs that our kids are already taking them. I had read this article about a kid who had been taking prescription drugs from his parents and made the mistake of combining it with alcohol. The result was tragic and I hope it doesn’t happen to anyone again.
Hi David,
You are absolutely right that when prescription drugs are within reach of children it makes the problem worse and gives children the false sense that somehow taking pills is safer than illegal drugs which couldn’t be further from the truth. Unfortunately, there have been many tragic outcomes from mixing alcohol and pills, and this is a growing problem on college campuses as well. Thanks for your comment.