Topics: Substance Abuse
By their senior year of high school, one-in-five teenagers will have abused prescription painkillers. Nine percent will have abused sedatives and tranquilizers and another ten percent will have misused or abused ADHD medication. Prescription and over-the-counter medication are an important part of maintaining health. And the messages and lessons about the proper use of medication and the risks of misuse and abuse need to start at home.
As part of our support of the Medicine Abuse Project, The Partnership at Drug Free.org has prepared a parent letter that educators can use to communicate about this important issue.
Proper use is defined taking one’s own medication exactly as directed. Misuse is when a person does not take a prescription drug as directed by mistake. Abuse is when the medication is intentionally used in a way that is not prescribed or to create feelings such as euphoria or “getting high”. Both misuse and abuse can have serious consequences including injury or death.
As parents, we have to remember that if we misuse prescription drugs, no matter what our intention, we send a message to our kids that it’s okay to ignore the doctor’s instructions and that it is not really that dangerous.
As parents we can:
- Educate ourselves. Talk to your doctor about the medications prescribed for you and your family and make sure you know how to use them properly.
- Talk to our kids. Teens who learn about the risks are much less likely to misuse drugs. We can help them build the skills to make healthy choices.
- Safeguard your medications. Do the right thing by keeping medications in a secure place, monitor your pill count, and dispose of unused medications properly.
For more information and resources for parents and educators Rx for Understanding.