Teens: Easy to Abuse Prescription Drugs, Often With Deadly Results

Percocet Prescription Drug Abuse

Prescription drugs are the most common abused drugs by teens, after marijuana, a study has recently shown.

This is not surprising, as prescription drugs are normally easily available, found in medicine cabinets at home. These prescription drugs, usually opiates such as OxyContin or Percocet, or benzodiazepines, such as Xanax or Valium, will produce a euphoric sensation if abused. They can also be deadly.

The Atlanta Recovery Center Drug Rehab in Georgia warns that teens abusing prescription drugs is more prevalent and more deadly than ever before.

“Studies have shown that teens in increasing numbers are reporting that they have abused prescription drugs found in parent’s medicine cabinets,” states Mary Rieser, Executive Director for The Atlanta Recovery Center Drug Rehab in Georgia. “Twenty percent of teens in America, or roughly 6 million teens, have abused prescription pain medication, and the same amount have abused prescription stimulants and tranquilizers.

“Teens as young as 12 years old are trying or using prescription medications non-medically. These are easier to get than illegal drugs; you don’t need to ‘know’ someone to get the illegal drugs, it is right there in the bathroom!

“Teens have the mis-perception that these drugs are ‘safe’ because they are ‘medical’.

“Drug addiction then is followed by loss of grades in school, dropping out, then turning to crime to support their drug habit.

“Families and communities are in for a rude awakening unless we do something to stop prescription drug abuse in teens.”

What can be done?

• Keep prescription drugs out of reach, or lock them up.

• Talk to your teen and warn them about drug use, not just illegal drug use, but prescription drug abuse. Tell them:

• Pharmaceuticals taken without a prescription or a under a doctor’s supervision can be just as dangerous as taking illegal drugs or alcohol.

• Painkillers are opioids, like heroin, and abusing them has the same effect.

• Many prescription pills look the same, but depending on the drug and the dosage the effects can vary greatly from mild to lethal, and even in mild dosages, can cause lethal effects is mixed with other drugs.

Contact The Atlanta Recovery Center for help.

Important Links

Prevent Drug Abuse

Drug abuse and drug addiction are one of many things that parents have to worry about when raising their children.

“Parents are often worried about their child’s grades, who their friends are, and making sure they grow up right,” comments Mary Rieser, Executive Director of Narconon Drug Rehab in Georgia. “While helping children with their school work can help with grades, and telling them about the birds and bees gives them information they will need growing up, many are at a loss on how to prevent drug abuse. But recent studies have shown that by simply setting and keeping enforced clear rules can cut the risks almost 500%.”

Youths whose parents set clear rules for them are less likely to report using illicit drugs, according to data from the 2008-09 PRIDE Survey. Middle and high school students whose parents set clear rules for them “a lot” or “often” were less likely to report using illicit drugs in the past year (12% and 21%, respectively) than students whose parents never set clear rules (49%). Similar results were found for having parents who punish them for breaking these rules. Previous studies have found that youths living in households where parents kept track of their whereabouts and set curfews were less likely to report heavy drinking (see CESAR FAX, Volume 17, Issue 31).*

Drug Abuse Prevention

“Other actions can be to prevent prescription drug abuse,” comments Ms. Rieser. “Prescription drugs are now being commonly abused by children who think they are safe.”

How to fight drug abuse in your own family?

1. Keep careful track of all prescription medications. Once you are done throw away the rest.
2. Keep prescriptions locked up. Although your children may not abuse them, their friends may come over and take them.
3. Educate your children on drugs and drug abuse.
4. Be aware of the signs of drug abuse in your family.
5. Communicate. Keep in good communication with your children on the type of parties they go to, who their friends are, and what is going on in their life.

“Adolescence can be a difficult time for children. If children don’t have someone they can talk to, someone they can trust, it is all too easy to go down the wrong path.

“Also be aware or the common signs of drug abuse. Knowing these signs can help you avoid future heartache and misery.”

What are some common signs of drug abuse?

Sudden changes in behavior can be a clue that there is drug abuse, especially with adolescents.

• New friends, new flashy clothes
• Keeping late hours can be a  sign
• Other indications include sudden decline in academic performance
• Lack of interest in known hobbies
• Borrowing of money
• Changes of mood, as in moodiness, unexplainable euphoria, sleeping in
• Changes of friends

Take care of your family. Prevent drug abuse.

*Source: CESAR FAX, Center for Substance Abuse Research, University of Maryland

Addiction Intervention

In growing momentum as drug addiction affects parishioners, another local church turned to The Atlanta Recovery Center Drug Rehab in Georgia for help.

A local church in Marietta, Georgia, hearing of the successful training delivered to other churches in the area, contacted The Atlanta Recovery Center Drug Rehab in  GA for training on substance abuse and drug rehabilitation.  A seminar was delivered by two The Atlanta Recovery Center staff to church goers who had an addiction problem and wanted to learn about new approaches.  The seminar was very well received.

“We have had very positive response from churches in the area,” stated Ms. Mary Rieser, Executive Director of The Atlanta Recovery Center Drug Rehab in Georgia. “We have delivered seminars to members of Baptist Churches, Catholic Churches and Methodist Churches, and they are very enthusiastic about being able to help their parishioners.”

One Catholic priest commented, “We have a growing problem with drug and alcohol addiction in our parish. Unfortunately I can fill them with the Holy Spirit, but if the vessel is broken, the Holy Spirit empties out. With the tools provided by The Atlanta Recovery Center Drug Rehab, I can help fix the vessel so that the Holy Spirit can fill them and keep them filled.”

Two ministers from local churches are taking the spiritual – as well as the physical well-being of their parishioners seriously. They are training to be drug addiction specialists at The Atlanta Recovery Center Drug Rehab in GA.

The Atlanta Recovery Center Drug Rehab in GA offers free drug education seminars to church groups, children’s groups, and community centers.

Ms. Rieser states: “We believe that recovery and drug prevention starts in the home, church and community. We encourage anyone interested in helping their neighbors, friends or family to contact us.”

Any church group interested in receiving free drug education lectures is welcome to call The Atlanta Recovery Center Drug Rehab in GA for free training.

For more information on drug addiction rehabilitation or drug education, call The Atlanta Recovery Center Drug Rehab Georgia at  1-877-236-3981.

Many people are aware of a drug problem in their community,  school or even at home, but are unaware of methods to fight drug addiction.

While drug rehab is an option for those already addicted to drugs, studies have shown that proper drug education and drug awareness go a long way to drug prevention. What can a person do?

Amidst the clamor of drug abusers and drug dealers in our communities, there needs to be a voice of reason. Our churches can bring a better vision to teach our children, empower our residents and provide the light of reasoning.

The Atlanta Recovery Center Drug Rehab in Georgia has recently been working with local churches on a simple plan to take back our communities, which includes cleaning up the local convenience stores and providing drug education. Our first step has been to gain a better understanding of the problem.

Crack Addiction Pipes

Convenience stores that sell drug paraphernalia are magnets for drug addicts and drug dealers. The store where citizens pick up their cat food or grab a cup of coffee in a hurry, may have crack pipes, papers, bongs and other paraphernalia for sale. The average customer won’t see these items. They are for special customers and remain behind the counter until they are requested. If there are individuals lurking outside the convenience store for periods of time, chances these may be drug
dealers, making this convenience store a “one stop shop” for drug abusers.

Religious educator can warn their parishioners on the possibility of drug trafficking at the local store. They should know to ask what paraphernalia is for sale next time they are in. And if it is for sale they should tell other concerned citizens and get them involved. Collectively, these citizens can complain in person and write letters. This is the stronger customer base and the stores will listen.

It should be possible to set up a meeting with your local law enforcement agency to work out a plan where local citizens can work with the police to get drug dealers off the street. Pass on what you learn to others so they can help too. We have worked with our local police and have discreetly reported license plate and phone numbers of suspected drug dealers. There is a noticeable decrease in the obvious number of dealers.

A new report, “Preventing Education in America’s Schools: Findings and Recommendations from a Survey of Educators” noted that although 37 states require drug education, most “Teachers don’t have the time, training or other resources needed to do the job effectively, regardless of what the state mandated standards say.” This leaves drug education up to the families and churches.

The Atlanta Recovery Center Drug Rehab can help religious leaders train local citizens on how to deliver interactive and effective drug education. If you want to train some of your parishioners on how to deliver interactive and effective drug education, then give us a call and learn about our free drug prevention training seminars. Studies conclusively show that drug education works in keeping kids from ever getting addicted in the first place.

Churches can set up activities like neighborhood sports, visits to museums and local events.

Spend some time with your kids and have some fun. There are things more fun than getting high at “pharm parties.”

Try these activities and see how community improves. It might take a little cooperation to clean things up, but what is a happy and safe community worth?

For information on seminar times for our Clean up our Community Project, call 877-236-3981.

Whether we call it a war or not, the current and long term policies and procedures regarding drug abuse have been a failure in this country.  In fact, there is no evidence that there has been any progress made at all, since the problem keeps getting worse.  We most likely could have used these expenditures on other things and the scene would be the same.

The root of the problem is and has always been the customer.  If there are no customers, there is no problem.  “Consumer Education” or drug education ultimately is the answer – if there really is any concern to find an answer.

Our failed policies have helped to create 23 million drug abusers in this country. Whether they are abusing cocaine, heroin, methamphetamines, pot or prescription medications, these citizens are going to need help in the way of drug treatment.

There are solutions and they actually are not very difficult to implement.  Perhaps the 1^st step of any drug prevention program is to discover why it appears that we really don’t want a workable solution to the drug problem.

“The U.S.’s 40-year “War on Drugs” has been “probably the greatest public-policy failure of all time” according to former federal drug agent Terry Nelson, just one of the many drug-war critics who gathered at a recent conference in El Paso, Texas to discuss alternatives to the current approach to drug policy.

The San Antonio Express-News reported Sept. 28 that the conference was hosted by the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) and attracted academics, drug experts, journalists, and law-enforcement officials from the U.S. and Mexico. “After 40 years and all the money spent, with U.S. consumption as high as ever, people languishing in prison for possession of soft drugs like marijuana and the violence in Mexico worse than ever, it seems to me that something has to change,” said UTEP professor Kathleen Staudt.”

http://www.jointogether.org/news/headlines/inthenews/2009/police-judges-among-drug-war.html