Teen Drug Help
Teens Swapping Prescription Drugs
Columbia University’s National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse estimates that illegal use of prescription drugs by teenagers has increased more than 200 percent in that past 15 years.
It’s been in the news often enough to no longer be news – prescription drugs are quickly becoming the adolescent’s drug of choice. For some it’s even become a moneymaker. Leftover medication, or pills “borrowed” from the parents’ medicine cabinet can often be sold for several dollars each, making it a tempting business venture.
Newspapers across the country have, in recent months, featured numerous stories about teenagers who were arrested for selling prescription drugs. These young people now face the possibility not only of expensive monetary fines, but of imprisonment.
Those who don’t sell pills often swap them with friends, trading an opiate like Vicodin for a stimulant like Ritalin. While some do it for the “high,” others use them to increase concentration, to keep them awake so they can cram for a test, or to help them fall asleep.
More and more teenagers are drawn to prescription drugs because of a misconception that they’re safer than illegal drugs. Few teens are aware of the dangers inherent in taking medications that were prescribed for someone else. Because these drugs are regulated, they’re assumed to be less addictive, safer, and more acceptable than street drugs like heroin or cocaine.
One of the most unusual aspects of this new trend is that it isn’t limited to one “clique” or socio-economic class. Previous trends have typically been found in one specific group; cocaine use, for example is most prevalent among upper-middle-class teenagers. But prescription drug use crosses all lines: Athletes, artists, kids in the Honor Roll Society, and kids with failing grades are all using illegal medication. Not only is the wide-ranging appeal disturbing, but it makes prevention difficult because so many types of kids are using for so many different reasons.
Parents with teenagers need to exercise caution with regard to prescription medication. If possible, all medications should be kept in a medicine cabinet or other location that can be locked. If that isn’t possible, parents need to keep careful track of their medications so they’ll know if something begins disappearing too quickly.
If a child has been prescribed medication, like Ritalin for ADHD or a painkiller because of a recent injury or surgery, parents should administer the pills themselves. Don’t just give the bottle of Vicodin to your child and let him keep it with him. Give him what he needs for the day, and no more.
Preventative measures take some extra time and can be inconvenient, but the alternative is that your child runs the risk not only of over-medicating but sharing his medicine with his friends or, worse yet, selling it.
Labels: prescription-drug-abuse, teen-drug-abuse
Arizona County Reports Significant Reduction in Meth Use
Teen use of meth has declined in Navajo County, Arizona, by more than 50 percent over the past two years. This finding came from the recently released 2008 Arizona Youth Survey, conducted by the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission. Also according to the survey, less than 1 percent of students reported meth use within the 30 days prior to taking the survey.
Lifetime incidence of use (that is, whether a student has ever tried meth) is still high for Navajo County, compared to the statewide average. However, the recent reductions show a positive trend. The numbers of new initiates to meth use are declining, which shows that young people are beginning to understand the dangers of meth use.
Local experts believe that declining imports of meth from Mexico, combined with the efforts of local authorities to seek out and dismantle clandestine labs has made meth much less available to local youth.
While the survey showed significant reductions concerning meth use, it showed a marked increase in the use of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and prescription drugs, particularly among high school seniors. According to local authorities, an influx of heroin and cocaine at cheaper prices across the United States’ southern borders and the rising availability and use of prescription drugs represent significant concerns to rural communities in the Southwest.
(Source: WMICentral.com)
Labels: teen-drug help
Boston Parents Renew Efforts Against Drunk Driving
More than 100 concerned parents congregated this week at a high school in the suburbs of Boston to discuss new measures against teen drunk driving. According to the story published in The Boston Globe, Newton South High School called the meeting in response to three car accidents that occurred in one weekend last month. All three accidents involved students from the school, and all three involved drunken driving. Principal Brian Salzer said to parents:
"I don't want you to feel like you are being lectured. …This [meeting] is to answer the question, 'What are we doing?' What are the school, police and district attorney's office doing to help kids around drinking and driving?' "
At the meeting, parents received information from police officials, former students, school officials, and a prosecutor. Parent reported that this information was helpful.
Area police reportedly asked parents to inform the police of house parties, which they called “a real serious problem and a hard one to manage.” The police said they were more interested in keeping intoxicated party-goers off the road than anything else.
(Sources: Boston.com)
Labels: parents, teen-drinking
Prescription Drug Abuse on the Rise in Central New York
Use of illegal prescription drugs is on the rise among teens in central New York State, according to a story published this week by the Central New York News. State Trooper Jack Keller, who was interviewed for the story, reports that students as young as 12 and 13 are resorting to prescription drugs as an easy and cheap way to get high.
These drugs are cheap because many teens obtain them from their parents’ or relatives’ medicine cabinets. Teens have also been known to knock on a stranger’s door and ask to use the bathroom, and then steal prescriptions and other drugs. Keller also reports a number of cases in which teens tell realtors at open houses that their parents are on their way to look at the house, and ask if they can use the bathroom, just to steal drugs.
According to Keller, Oxycontin (a chemical relative of heroin) and Vicodin, both painkillers, are the most frequently abused drugs in local schools. Keller emphasizes that these are average kids who probably wouldn’t try cocaine or heroin because they think those drugs are too dangerous. What they don’t realize is that prescription drugs can be just as potent and dangerous.
Beth Hughes, a social worker at Liverpool High School's ninth-grade annex, reports a trend of “pill parties” being held in local homes. Teens bring their own supplies of pills and dump the pills into a common container. The teens then grab the pills like jelly beans and ingest them in random combinations and dosages. The possible consequences of this behavior are frightening and severe.
A recent national survey by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America confirms this trend. The 2008 survey found that:
• One in five teens has abused a prescription pain medication.
• One in five report abusing prescription stimulants and tranquilizers.
• One in 10 has abused cough medication.
(Source: Syracuse.com)
Labels: prescription-drug-abuse, teen-drug-abuse
Parents Open to Alcohol Screening at Pediatrician’s
According to a recent study by the Center for Adolescent Substance Abuse Research (CeASAR) at Children's Hospital Boston, parents are open to being screened for alcohol use during their child's pediatric visit. The study also found that parents are inclined to discuss their drinking habits with a pediatrician.
Over 90% of parents who completed the anonymous survey indicated openness to alcohol screening. Surprisingly, over 75% of those who screened positive for alcohol use also indicated openness to screening during a pediatric visit.
According to research cited in the story, “children of alcoholics are at increased risk for behavioral, cognitive and mental health problems. They are more likely to witness domestic violence, and have a greater chance of becoming victims of all forms of child maltreatment including neglect, physical abuse, and sexual abuse. Furthermore, children of alcoholics are 3 to 4 times more likely to have their own alcohol problems later in life.”
Experts at children’s hospital feel that pediatricians could provide a valuable service to families who are struggling with alcohol abuse. “When a potential drinking problem arises, the pediatrician could provide educational materials about alcoholism, and refer the parents for evaluation or treatment.” (Source: Newswise.com)
Labels: parents
