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There is a new and disturbing trend parents need to know about. Teens are abusing prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs in an effort to get high. The blurred line between the benefits and dangers of these drugs puts young people at risk. These are the facts:
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Teens are turning away from street drugs and using prescription drugs to get high. New users of prescription drugs have caught up with new users of marijuana.
Next to marijuana, the most common illegal drugs teens are using to get high are prescription medications. While some teens still use street drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, or LSD, many more abuse prescription and OTC drugs because they are often easier to get and many teens believe the myth that these drugs provide a medically safe high. -
Teens abuse prescription drugs for a variety of reasons. But the more important reason is they wrongly believe the myth that prescription drugs provide a medically "safe" high.
Teens often say they want to relieve personal or family-related stress; escape boredom; preserve friendships or romantic relationships, and compete for college admission. Unfortunately, the misperception that prescription and OTC drugs are safer leads many teens to think that the abuse of such drugs to get high is not as risky as abusing street drugs. When teens abuse these drugs, it's not just a couple of pills or an extra swig of cough syrup. In some cases, teens are ingesting anywhere from a few pills to dozens or more a day, or drinking up to 3-5 bottles of cough syrup a day or mixing them with alcohol. Abusing prescription drugs can be dangerous, leading to paranoia, seizures, addiction, even death. -
The majority of teens get prescription drugs easily and for free, often from friends or relatives.
Prescription drugs are easy to get and often free, according to teens. All they have to do is look in the medicine cabinet; or for OTC, go to the nearest supermarket. They can also get these drugs from friends at school, who have brought them from home or stolen them from a family friend or relative. The Internet provides convenient access for teens to get prescription or OTC drugs, as well as dosage information and how to mix them to get a certain type of high. -
Pain relievers such as OxyContin and Vicodin are the most commonly abused prescription drugs by teens.
Teens say OxyContin and Vicodin are their prescription drugs of choice. In fact, one in 10 high school seniors has used Vicodin in the past year. Among younger students, past-year abuse of OxyContin has doubled between 2002 to 2006! -
Adolescents are more likely than young adults to become dependent on prescription medication.
Prescription drugs can be just as addictive as street drugs such as heroin, cocaine, and LSD. And, abusing prescription drugs for the first time before age 16 leads to a greater risk of dependence later in life. Many people don't realize the harm associated with prescription drugs until it is too late. The effects are much more serious for young people when their minds and bodies are still developing.
You wouldn't want your teens to abuse cocaine or other illicit drugs, and you don't want them abusing prescription or OTC drugs, either. You can prevent drug abuse by being aware of the dangers, knowing the signs and symptoms of abuse, setting clear expectations, disposing of old or unused medications and communicating with your children early and regularly. Please visit www.TheAntiDrug.com for more information.
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