At a time when drug and alcohol abuse among teens is stabilizing, prescription drug abuse continues to escalate (up 33 percent from 2008). When we think of drug use among teens, we think of parents as the combative force against it. But recent studies are showing us that might not be the case. In fact, parents might be contributing to the problem of prescription drug abuse.
A recent study by The Partnership at Drugfree.org found that many parents, often because of lack of awareness, misinformation or denial, are taking a more hands-off approach when it comes to prescription drugs. And even though many parents are finding time to talk to their kids about alcohol or street drugs, far less are talking to them about the dangers of prescription drugs. The scary truth is that researchers found 1 in 4 teens had misused prescription drugs. So why when we are facing a prescription drug abuse epidemic in this country are parents drawing a line between prescription drugs and illicit drugs?
Here are some of the disturbing numbers that the recent study found according to an article by Dr. David Sack:
- More than 25 percent of teens assume prescription drugs are safe because a doctor prescribes them and they are readily available.
- One third of teens did not see a problem with taking a drug that was not prescribed for them.
- Teens reported thinking that their parents were not as concerned about prescription drugs as they were about illicit drugs (the study found this to be true of parents as well).
- Sixteen percent of parents said prescription drugs were safer than illicit drugs.
- 20 percent of parents said they had given their teen prescription medicine that wasn’t prescribed for them.
- More than 30 percent of parents believed that Ritalin and Adderall could boost a teen’s academic performance even if they weren’t diagnosed with ADHD (This is in spite of the drug risks being irregular heartbeat, heart failure and seizures. 1 in 8 teens reports using these drugs. And 1 in 4 believes prescription drugs can be used as study aids. Teens need to understand the potential harm these drugs can cause to their developing brains and the potential for lifelong addiction.)
- 50 percent of teens who abuse prescription drugs admit getting the drug from their parents’ medicine cabinet.
- Drugs like Xanax, OxyContin and Vicodin are some of the most commonly abused prescription drugs. And they now cause more deaths than heroin and cocaine combined.
Dr. David Sack stressed in his article that parents need to understand that prescription drugs are essentially synthetic versions of the same street drugs they fear and are equally as potent. When misused, prescription drugs can be highly addictive and very dangerous. Especially since, the younger someone is when they start to abuse drugs, the more at risk they are for addiction later in life.
