Are you concerned about your teen and the dangers of medicine abuse?
As was mentioned in my previous post, The Medicine Abuse Project, today in the United States, 2,000 adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 will abuse a prescription pain medication without a prescription.
According to the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, “Medicine abuse is a national epidemic. More Americans are abusing prescription medicine than ever, and like other types of drug use, problematic behavior often begins during the teen and young adult years.”
Three Statistics that help explain the problem are:
- 1 in 4 teens reports having misused or abused a prescription drug at least once in their lifetime. 1
- Two-thirds (66 percent) of teens who report abuse of prescription pain relievers are getting them from friends, family, and acquaintances. 2
- Nearly 80 percent of people who inject heroin start by abusing Rx drugs. 3
What Parent Need to Know: A Prescription Drug Abuse Documentary
Hopefully, you can become more aware and your teen can avoid this devastating experience.
Please forward and SHARE this link. We all need to do our part to help stop this epidemic.
What are our thoughts about medicine abuse? How can we stop this escalating epidemic? Please share your thoughts in comments.
Thank you!
3. NIDA 2017
Cathy- Whew….powerful stuff.
The warning to parents about that asking the age old question ‘Are you using drugs?’ as a useless tactic is an important one.
The stories are heartbreaking. Parents saying ‘I had no idea that they were abusing medicines’. But as so many attested, they knew deep down that something was off.
One simple answer is that none of us should leave prescription drugs in a bathroom and/or an obvious place in the house.
I thought a Mom’s comment that she no longer focuses on what college her daughter is getting into rather than celebrating each day is what more parents should be doing.
And of course educating our kids about the danger of these drugs – and educating ourselves is critical.
Fran
Hi Fran,
It is important to be aware of the dangers to your child. Listening to your gut feelings is helpful as well, as the mom in the video expressed. If we have a sense something is wrong, many times it is. Thanks for the continued support!
Wow…this is scary stuff…education is essential as well as teaching children to avoid peer pressure through having healthy self esteem and boundaries.
Hi Sherie,
Education is the key and continued communication with your children. With so much pressure during the high school years, teens do need to be strong to get through it. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
It’s very scary, and very sad too to see so many young people abusing prescription drugs. Definitely education is the key, for the kids and for their parents too. Thanks for getting the word out about this.
Hi Helena,
Prescription drugs have become an epidemic. The easy access is one reason and many feel that because a doctor prescribed them, they are safe. The more the word gets out about the danger, the better. Thanks so much and take care.
I completely resonate with this post, and the video. As a parent of two boys who struggled with drugs during their teen years, and now as a parenting coach, I see SO many families devastated by kids who will try anything, and parents who have no idea how to respond. But there IS hope, there is help, there is recovery.
Hi Ronae,
Welcome to Treatment Talk! I love your last line – “But there IS hope, there is help, there is recovery.” – well said. Kids are pressured to try anything, and some parents are just not aware of what is really going on with their teen. The more we can get the word out – the better. Thank you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts.
It’s terrifying to see the range of prescription drugs and over the counter drugs that are available. Thank you Cathy for raising this important topic because I’m sure that there are many like myself who have previously believed that ‘medicines’ were somehow safer than illegal drugs. Clearly they aren’t!
Hi Carolyn,
It seems to be a spreading trend with some teens in the US. And alone or mixed with alcohol, prescription drug can be lethal. We are hoping that by spreading this video lives will be saved. Thanks for your continued support.
Cathy, thank you so very much for everything you’re doing to shine the light on this important issue. We have to work together to change these behaviors! I hope that more parents will share the video, go to http://www.medicineabuseproject,org, and take the pledge. Lives depend on it!
Hey Becky,
Thanks so much for stopping by and lending your support. We do have to work together and with The Partnership and your leadership, things can turn around.
So scary & so sad… We do need to get this message out to the world. Thanks so much for writing on this subject. x0x
Hi Norma,
It is sad to hear about the loss of young people when it is something that can be avoided. If we can all get the word out, it can make a difference. Thanks for your support!
I’m not surprised that this sort of thing happens with young athletes, considering how often they seem to be treated like machines and expected to experience pain and disappointment without “whining” by telling someone how they’re feeling. If we, as a culture, were able to let go of the notion that it’s weak or somehow bad to tell someone else we’re suffering, maybe we wouldn’t be so inclined to medicate away our discomfort.
Hi Chris,
You have brought up a very good point. Many times athletes do become injured and later may become addicted to the prescription drug. When people cannot express themselves or feel that they need to live up to the expectations of themselves or others, they look for ways to mask the pain. This can be the perfect storm to start becoming dependent on pain medication. I appreciate you making your point. It is important for all parents of high school athletes to be aware of. Take care.
This is the second time I am reading about prescription drugs addiction; it is a scary thought that people take something from a doctor that they trust, but is devastating to their own health
Hi Olga,
The safe scenario is when people take a prescription from a doctor and follow the directions for the medicine. What, unfortunately is happening is that some teens are taking these medications out of their parent’s medicine cabinets and taking them or sharing them with their friends. They become dependent and their habit gets out of control. People can also become addicted to the pain medication that is prescribed to them, and again their habit gets out of control. So it is something we all need to be aware of. Take care.
Such a powerful post, Cathy, and this is such an important message!! Prescription drugs are not medicine unless the drug is prescribed for you and taken in doses prescribed. Thanks so much for spreading the word!!
Hi Lisa,
Unfortunately, some teens are under the impression that prescription drugs are safe because they are prescribed by a doctor. A number of families have learned the hard way that this just isn’t the case. If we can get this message out, we can help prevent more unnecessary tragedies. Take care.
Oh my goodness. This is so, so scary! Thanks Cathy for bringing to the front line!
Hi Missy,
Don’t want to scare anyone, but I do think it’s helpful to be aware of the temptations of prescription drug abuse. When we are aware of some of the pressure our kids may encounter, we have more information for ourselves and to share. Take care and thanks for stopping by.
Hi Cathy,
This is one that I deal with everyday. I live in a country where picking up pharmaceutical drugs, in most cases, doesn’t require a prescription. Just walk into a pharmacy and tell the guy what you want and he gives it you. This allowed my daughter easy access to sleeping pills and oxycontin. It is a daily fight for her not to walk into a pharmacy. Most days it is a battle she wins.
I know if things were different here, she would also be taking from others. One way or another, those who want drugs will find them. It’s very sad.