The Staggering Truth About Kids and Prescription Drug Abuse: What Parents Should Know

More and more students are abusing prescription drugs. The statistics are staggering: prescription drugs are the most abused drugs among 12 and 13 year olds—7th and 8th graders.
 
Ingesting or selling a medication that has not been prescribed to you is a crime.  In fact, sharing a prescription medication that has been prescribed to you with another person is a crime. Middle and high-schoolers are participating in this type of activity on a regular basis, and much of the time, they do not even know what type of pill they are taking. Students are popping pills in classrooms and school bathrooms. Outside of school, kids are taking pills at parties, called “skittles” or “pharm parties” where prescription pills are thrown in a bowl, passed out to party goers, and often combined with alcohol.
 
There are lots of reasons why youth and teens are abusing prescription drugs. An obvious reason is the ease in which kids can access these drugs—all they have to do is open their parent’s medicine cabinet.  Kids also see their parents taking prescription drugs, whether it be a situation where the parent is recovering from surgery or an accident, or in other instances to deal with depression or stress.  The more frequently they see their parents taking prescription drugs as a part of their daily routine may also send the message that pills are OK.  Also, kids tend to mistakenly believe that prescription drugs are less harmful than other “harder” drugs.  Some of the drugs that are being widely abused include xanax, percocet and valium.

Kids that get caught up in this type of activity face lengthy school suspensions or expulsion.  In addition, many cases are also referred by the school to the juvenile court system, and for kids that are over 16---to the adult court system.
 
Fortunately, there are awareness groups that provide some excellent resources . I will list several at the end of this blog.  Another interesting and educational piece was put out back in 2013.  This piece is unique—a documentary produced by a high school student.  Cyrus Stowe of Dallas, Texas created “Out of Reach” with the help of Tucker Capps (Director of A & E’s “Intervention”) in collaboration with the Partnership for Drug-Free Kid’s Medicine Abuse Project.  Stowe interviewed and spoke with countless students, many who shared stories about their own experiences using prescription drugs.  To see a trailer and register to see the entire film, you can visit the Medicine Abuse Project (http://medicineabuseproject.org/resources/out-of-reach-medicine-abuse-through-the-eyes-of-a-teen).  Hearing these kids talk openly about this issue was sad and sobering. However, by putting this information out there, not only can teens by impacted, but parents can be empowered to talk to their kids.
 
Tips for Parents:
 1) Talk to your kids about the risks in using prescription drugs and how addictive these drugs can be.  Many parents focus on alcohol and marijuana but do not spend time on this particular issue.  For very specific tools and talking points, check out: http://medicineabuseproject.org/assets/documents/parent_talk_kit_2014_rev.pdf 

2) Set the right example by not sharing your medications with anyone in your household or taking medications that have not been prescribed to you. 

3) Get rid of medications that you are not using.  There are several places in Atlanta that you can dispose of your medications, including the Fulton County Juvenile Court downtown.(http://www.fultoncountyga.gov/component/content/article/582-wr-pp/5575-pharmaceutical-disposal-tips)

 4) Keep medications that you are using in a safe and secure location, and keep track of the number of pills you have. 

5) Educate yourself on this issue that is becoming a rampant problem among our youth. I have included some helpful resources below. 

Sources/Helpful Resources:
 
http://www.drugabuse.gov (information and stats about all drugs, including prescription drug abuse)
 
http://stopmedicineabuse.org (focuses on over the counter drugs, such as cough syrups)
 
http://medicineabuseproject.org
 
I hope you, too, can use this information to become empowered to learn about this issue and how you can talk to your child. 

Kathryn Boortz has a passion for working with youth and their families. ​She is the founder of Boortz Law, a law firm that focuses on juvenile defense.
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