Where does Columbia South Carolina stand in regards to these alarming national statistics?
Residents of South Carolina often breath a sigh of relief that some other state, such as Mississippi, has kept South Carolina from “last place” when reviewing statistics regarding educational levels, STD rates, alcohol consumption and DUI’s, yadda… yadda. So often do we see our home stack up poorly compared to the rest of the nation. Should we be surprised to learn of similar trends when we turn the focus to our children and the recent surge in prescription drug abuse?
The worsening economy of recent years has produced unexpected consequences as our nations youth have turned to the illegal use of prescription drugs as teens and adolescents have begun rummaging family medicine cabinets. According to a 2008 “Monitoring the Future” survey, 15.4% of high school seniors have used prescription drugs found in family medicine cabinets for non-medical purposes.
Federal government agencies estimate about twenty five hundred teens each day are abusing legal drugs for the first time. In fact, seven of the top 10 drugs being misused by high-school seniors are legal prescriptions or over-the-counter medications. Again, according to a “Monitoring the Future” survey of almost 50,000 students in 8th, 10th and 12th grade, teens are abusing prescription amphetamines, sedatives, tranquilizers, and Ritalin, as well as over-the-counter cough medication.
Parents can take steps to combat this escalating new trend of prescription drug abuse by our youth as follows:
Get rid of unused medications
Many adults have developed a life long habit of simply leaving numerous prescription pill bottles in a medicine cabinet or some other easily accessed family location. The most affective remedy in the fight against escalating prescription drug abuse is to simply get rid of all unused medications and no longer keep old prescriptions around the house. Reasons for keeping old prescriptions vary but none of these reasons are good enough when one considers our youth is abusing these medications. Discard old medications into the toilet and watch as the pills are flushed away. Do not trust simply throwing medications into a trash can. Take care in discarding old prescription pill bottles as the labels can provide abusive information to identity thieves.
Count your medications and know what you have “on-hand”
Take the time to inventory and “KNOW” what medications you do in fact have in your home. Count your pills… often.
Secure medications
Keeping prescription medications in the family medicine cabinet will not be a big secret to anyone. Keep your active medications in a more secure personal and private location. For females, perhaps your purse and for men, if you have any kind of safe in the house, your prescription medications might need to be the first items placed in them. Lastly, talk with relatives and the parents of your teen's friends and encourage them to keep their medications secured.
And finally, talk with your children!
Let your children know that the misuse of prescription drugs is not safer than abusing illegal drugs and can be just as dangerous.
If you or a loved one is suffering in Columbia SC with addiction issues or for further assistance with chemical dependence and addiction, please see: Columbia Treatment Centers
Additional addiction questions can be channeled through Columbia’s Alcoholics Anonymous Intergroup office located at:
AA Intergroup
3014 Devine Street, Room 103
Columbia SC 29205
(803) 254-5301
www.area62.org
Questions or comments for the author can be sent to AnthonyEBaker@Hotmail.com or visit the authors recovery and sobriety blog at Tony’s Sobriety Rack
No comments:
Post a Comment