PRESCRIPTION DRUGS ADDICTIVE

A recent survey by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at
Columbia University found that increasing numbers of young people were
prone to abuse alcohol along with several kinds of drugs, including
prescription drugs, at parties and other social gatherings. Worse yet, the
study found that most parents had no clue about such activities, even those
at home during many of these parties.

As parents open their eyes to this reality, they must also know that the
intentional abuse of prescription and over-the-counter drugs to get high
has quickly established itself as a serious new tier of teen substance
abuse, one that deserves great attention and their immediate action.

Amazingly, most kids know these drugs are easy to get, whether swiped from
the home or a friend's medicine cabinet or bought via the Internet. Few
parents suspect that medications in their own home can be pilfered by
young, curious, risk-taking teens.

This was certainly true for Linda Surks, who lost her son Jason to
prescription drug abuse in 2003. As a substance abuse prevention
professional, Linda knew the warning signs to look for when it came to
illicit drugs but not those associated with medicine abuse. Jason, a
pre-pharmacy college student, not only knew how to access information on
prescription drugs online, he was able to purchase them with ease over the
Internet. Jason's death revealed a whole new world of danger that Linda,
and hundreds of parents like her, never knew existed.

The 2005 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study found that an alarming number
of teens had a false sense of security about intentionally abusing
prescription drugs. In fact, nearly one in 5 U.S. teens reported
non-medical use of prescription drugs, including pain relievers, stimulants
and tranquilizers to get high. About 6 million teens mistakenly believe
that pain medications are not addictive. Nearly one-third of teens believe
there is nothing wrong with the occasional abuse of such medications to get
high and almost 40 percent think prescription drugs are safer than illegal
substances such as marijuana, crack and heroin.

Parents should start by educating themselves about medications that have
potential for abuse, especially the ones in their own medicine cabinet.
Discuss with your kids that abusing medicine can be just as dangerous,
addictive and even deadly as using "street drugs." Safeguard these
medications by taking a regular inventory and keeping tabs on exact
quantities and dispose ones that are no longer needed.

Communication between parents and their kids is an effective tool when it
comes to preventing your kids from abusing prescription drugs. Our research
shows that young people who learn about the danger of substance abuse at
home are up to 50 percent less likely to experiment.

Stephen J. Pasierb is president and CEO of the Partnership for a Drug-Free
America. Its Web site is http://www.drugfree.org.