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Prescription Drug Abuse
Contributing writer, David Bitterbaum
Prescription drug abuse among adolescents is a growing problem. When you use a drug that was prescribed to you—or wasn’t—for any reason besides its intended purpose, such as to get high, that is considered abuse. The National Institute of Health estimates that 20 percent of people in the United States, over the age of twelve, have used prescription drugs for non-medical purposes. That’s 48 million individuals risking their health.
The reason for this increase in prescription drug abuse is that it is thought of as a “legal” high in the sense that it isn’t necessarily illegal to have the drugs in your possession if your doctor prescribed them to you. It is illegal to give them out to your friends for the purpose of getting high.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), prescription pain relievers are the most often abused medications—and it isn’t just youth who do the abusing.
Many adults don’t realize they have a problem, thinking that it is all right to go against the doctor’s orders. After all, if, “one pain pill every eight hours makes me feel better, two every four hours must make me feel great, right?” Wrong.
Despite news reports about how youth can obtain drugs on the Internet, according to a NIDA study, 59% of 12th graders reported they were able to obtain prescription pain relievers from a friend or relative. Therefore, it is clear that youth don’t have to do something as complicated as going online to get prescription drugs to abuse, they just have to go into their parent’s or grandparent’s medicine cabinet.
The dangers of prescription drug abuse are clear, but how can abuse be prevented? Parents can speak with their children and teens about responsible use of doctor-prescribed drugs, and when you put pills in the medicine cabinet remember to keep track of them. When pills expire—dispose of them properly. Never flush pills down the toilet. Store expired medications in a safe location, and dispose of them during a drug take back day.
Kinney Drugs takes drugs back, the last Saturday of the month, but they do not take controlled substances. Cortland Area Communities that Cares, Rx/OTC Task Force, holds a more comprehensive Drug Take Back Day twice a year. The next one is scheduled for Saturday, September 24th at the Cortlandville Fire Station.
Adults can avoid abusing prescription drugs by always following the doctor’s orders. The prescription is given for a certain amount of medicine, because that is what is best for your body. Responsible use of prescription drugs among adults and youth is key to preventing drug abuse. The best way to prevent abuse is for parents to talk to their teens.
David Bitterbaum is an AmeriCorp volunteer, and a staff member at Cortland Area Communities that Cares. He can be reached at (607) 299-4910.
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