Teens and Prescription Drug Abuse – make note of this!

October 3rd, 2007 by Sue Blaney

There is a notable change in drug usage statistics* about which parents of teenagers need to be aware. You’ve probably heard that the abuse of prescription medicines has grown quite dramatically in recent years, but you may not be aware that it really could be a problem you might face.

The current data is frightening. Note: .

Most teens obtain prescription drugs from friends or relatives – for free!

Many teens perceive these drugs to be less dangerous than street drugs, believing (erroneously) that they provide a medically safe high.

Girls are more likely than boys to intentionally abuse prescription drugs to get high.

On the list of most commonly abused drugs, prescription drugs rank second, behind marijuana.

Prescription drugs are the most commonly used drugs among 12 – 13 year olds.

Pain relievers are the most abused type of prescription drug, followed by stimulants, tranquilizers and sedatives.

Kids’ perceptions about using prescription drugs shed some light on their dangerous misperceptions:

Teens say they use them to relieve pain or anxiety, to sleep better, and to help increase their alertness, in addition to getting high.

31% of teens believe there is “nothing wrong” with using prescriptions meds without a prescription once in a while.

They describe their use of prescription drugs as “controlled” or “safe.”

But it’s not safe. And this is important for parents to get across. These drugs are highly addictive. Abusing prescription drugs before the age of 16 leads to a greater risk of dependence later in life. In the past decade, the number of teens going into treatment for addiction to prescription pain relievers has increased 300 percent. This stuff ruins lives.

What’s particularly scary about this scenario, is teens are getting their drugs from your medicine cabinet, or that of their friends! They say it’s easy to obtain these drugs. This, coupled with teens’ natural curiousity, and their misperception that they are safe because a doctor has prescribed the drugs, sets up this frightening situation. Teens who abuse prescription drugs aren’t in a particular social, economic or ethnic group – this situation is spread across all demographic groups.

Parents…open your eyes and ears, and close your medicines. Throw out unfinished prescriptions. Make certain you model appropriate behavior in regards to use of prescriptions. Talk to your kids about this problem and make sure they understand addiction can happen to anyone. Be informed.

Here are two excellent informational resources for you:

This is an excellent one-page drug guide from the Partnership for a Drug-Free America.

*Teens and Prescription Drugs. This report from the Office of National Drug Control Policy is from the Executive Office of the President, and is the source of the data in the article above.

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1 response about “Teens and Prescription Drug Abuse – make note of this!”

PLEASE STOP THE ROLLERCOSTER - Tips and Tools for Successfully Parenting Your Teens said:
February 12th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
[...] children’s friends. This does strike close to home, and it can happen to you. Here are some more statistics about how wide-spread and insidious it is. Please take this issue seriously and be smart about how [...]