TEENS AND
PRESCRIPTION DRUGS
Did you know that nearly one in four teens reported misusing or abusing a prescription drug during their lifetime, and that prescription medications are the drug-of-choice for 12- and 13-year-olds? Parents make a huge difference in their children’s perceptions of Rx drug use. Check out this recent article from the Children’s Safety Network.
PRESCRIPTION DRUGS
Did you know that nearly one in four teens reported misusing or abusing a prescription drug during their lifetime, and that prescription medications are the drug-of-choice for 12- and 13-year-olds? Parents make a huge difference in their children’s perceptions of Rx drug use. Check out this recent article from the Children’s Safety Network.
HEADS UP ON XANAX
Parents – keep an eye on your medicine cabinets. A troubling new trend in Brookline is teens sneaking anti-anxiety meds like Xanas and using with alcohol, a particularly dangerous mix. So make an important part of your spring cleaning a purging of your medicine cabinet of old and unused pharmaceuticals. Mixed with coffee grounds or kitty litter (anything unpalatable), drugs can be thrown out in the trash in Brookline – they don’t enter the water supply.
Parents – keep an eye on your medicine cabinets. A troubling new trend in Brookline is teens sneaking anti-anxiety meds like Xanas and using with alcohol, a particularly dangerous mix. So make an important part of your spring cleaning a purging of your medicine cabinet of old and unused pharmaceuticals. Mixed with coffee grounds or kitty litter (anything unpalatable), drugs can be thrown out in the trash in Brookline – they don’t enter the water supply.
SPOTLIGHT ON ADDERALL
Did you know that according to a recent national study, 11% of all teens aged 13 to 17 have been prescribed stimulant medication like Adderall or Ritalin for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)? That’s a lot of medication floating around, and for those who need it, these drugs can be extremely effective.
But according to a 2012 survey by The Partnership at Drugfree.org, in conjunction with the MetLife Foundation, an additional one in eight teens (13%) now reports that they have taken one of these stimulants when it was not prescribed for them. At BHS, 8% of all seniors admitted to abusing amphetamines not prescribed to them (2015). Reasons ranged from self-medication and weight loss to study aids and recreational use – the sustained “high” from stimulants allows students to party longer.
CLICK HERE to read more...
But according to a 2012 survey by The Partnership at Drugfree.org, in conjunction with the MetLife Foundation, an additional one in eight teens (13%) now reports that they have taken one of these stimulants when it was not prescribed for them. At BHS, 8% of all seniors admitted to abusing amphetamines not prescribed to them (2015). Reasons ranged from self-medication and weight loss to study aids and recreational use – the sustained “high” from stimulants allows students to party longer.
CLICK HERE to read more...
Parent Network Newsletter on TEENS AND PRESCRIPTION DRUG ABUSE
President Obama and the Office of National Drug Control Policy have declared prescription drug abuse an epidemic, with especially dire consequences for the developing brains of America’s youth. It is the nation’s fastest growing drug problem, with a 300% increase in deaths from prescription opioids in less than a decade, and Brookline is not immune. One of every five BHS students admits to taking a prescription drug not prescribed to them, with reasons ranging from self-medication and weight loss to study aids and recreational use. And teens are getting these drugs from friends and family – most often filched from their own home medicine cabinet.
A Partnership at Drugfree.org study (April, 2013) reveals teens are more likely to use prescription drugs if they believe that their parents are more lenient toward prescription drug misuse or abuse compared to illegal drug abuse, and if their parents use drugs themselves. You can read the press release and full report here.
TEENS AND PRESCRIPTION DRUG ABUSE examines current trends in Brookline and highlights the wealth of ideas brainstormed at a B-CASA “Coffee and Conversation” forum on the issue. Read about the action committee to help create awareness campaigns in Brookline that address this growing problem. Learn what’s happening and what parents can do to help keep their teens safe. CLICK HERE...
If you know or suspect your child is using prescription drugs, marijuana or alcohol, The Partnership for a Drug Free America offers parents an online e intervention book What to do if your child is drinking or using drugs.
A Partnership at Drugfree.org study (April, 2013) reveals teens are more likely to use prescription drugs if they believe that their parents are more lenient toward prescription drug misuse or abuse compared to illegal drug abuse, and if their parents use drugs themselves. You can read the press release and full report here.
TEENS AND PRESCRIPTION DRUG ABUSE examines current trends in Brookline and highlights the wealth of ideas brainstormed at a B-CASA “Coffee and Conversation” forum on the issue. Read about the action committee to help create awareness campaigns in Brookline that address this growing problem. Learn what’s happening and what parents can do to help keep their teens safe. CLICK HERE...
If you know or suspect your child is using prescription drugs, marijuana or alcohol, The Partnership for a Drug Free America offers parents an online e intervention book What to do if your child is drinking or using drugs.
THE FASTEST GROWING DRUG EPIDEMIC
Did you know that every day, 2,500 kids between 12-17 years of age abuse a prescription painkiller for the first time? Did you know that 9 percent of teens (about 1.9 million) report having misused or abused the Rx stimulants Ritalin or Adderall in the past year? With the abuse of prescription drugs the nation's fastest growing drug epidemic, it's important that parents stay on top of the latest information and resources. Check out this link at Drug Free Action Alliance for range of resource information. The site Generation Rx also offers a suite of helpful resources. And DrugFree.org offers an excellent information guide that can help you learn the signs and symptoms commonly experienced by people abusing the three main types prescriptions drugs -- pain relievers, stimulants, and depressants.
Prescription Medication Disposal in Brookline
In addition to town-sponsored drug "take-back" programs, Brookline residents can put drugs in the trash, which is burned safely and will not contaminate the water supply. The Health Department recommends diluting with kitty litter or coffee grounds, moistening, and dumped in the trash. Plastic, after labels are removed, can be recycled. Additionally, the District Attorney is advocating kiosks in every police department, and some local drug stores are offering programs for disposing of unused medications.
The Brookline Public Safety Building at 350 Washington St. has a medication disposal kiosk open 24 hours a day for public use. Syringes may be dropped off at the Health Department kiosk, located on the third floor of the Public Health Department building at 11 Pierce Street.
The Brookline Public Safety Building at 350 Washington St. has a medication disposal kiosk open 24 hours a day for public use. Syringes may be dropped off at the Health Department kiosk, located on the third floor of the Public Health Department building at 11 Pierce Street.
DRUG ADVISORIES AT BCASA.ORG
Identifying drugs and potential drug abuse is not easy. Drugs come in so many forms and are identified by many different names, and the symptoms of drug use are varied and often subtle. Brookline Department of Public Health's teen substance abuse prevention's drug & alcohol advisories offer valuable information on how to identify types and forms of drugs and improve your drug recognition skills. Sections on painkillers/opiates, depressants and stimulants can help parents understand what products in the home can be abused by kids to get high and self medicate.
For more information, visit the DEA's Get Smart About Drugs website.
For more information, visit the DEA's Get Smart About Drugs website.
INTERNET RESOURCES
National Rx Drug Abuse Summit sponsors http://nationalrxdrugabusesummit.org/sponsors/
Mass General Center for Addiction Medicine (CAM)
White House Office of National Drug Control Policy http://www.whitehouse.gov/ondcp
NIDA (National Insitute on Drug Abuse) http://www.drugabuse.gov/
CASA (The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse)
Drug Treatment Center Finder (https://www.drugtreatmentcenterfinder.com/)
http://www.casacolumbia.org/templates/Home.aspx?articleid=287&zoneid=32
DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) http://www.justice.gov/dea/
NFP (National Family Partnership) http://www.nfp.org/
Medicine Abuse Project
Get Smart About Drugs
RXSafety Matters
Teen Safe
Drug Rehab Connections
Mass General Center for Addiction Medicine (CAM)
White House Office of National Drug Control Policy http://www.whitehouse.gov/ondcp
NIDA (National Insitute on Drug Abuse) http://www.drugabuse.gov/
CASA (The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse)
Drug Treatment Center Finder (https://www.drugtreatmentcenterfinder.com/)
http://www.casacolumbia.org/templates/Home.aspx?articleid=287&zoneid=32
DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) http://www.justice.gov/dea/
NFP (National Family Partnership) http://www.nfp.org/
Medicine Abuse Project
Get Smart About Drugs
RXSafety Matters
Teen Safe
Drug Rehab Connections