Drug abuse and addiction are rising and crippling issues that are affecting nearly every community in this country. Even those neighborhoods that believe they are not part of the problem are involved; some could be at the very root of the problem. Prescription drug abuse and addiction have become the leading gateway drugs and drugs of choice for those using drugs. High school students are more exposed to these drugs than they have ever been before. Marijuana is no longer the drug that this nation should be fighting with endless campaigns, rather it is prescription drugs. These drugs are in every home in America. Young children and teenagers are capable of walking into their bathrooms, opening the cabinet door and having an endless plethora of drugs at their disposal. Protecting teens from painkiller abuse must be parents’ most pressing battle against substance abuse and addiction.
Doctors Providing More Information
The first strategy for protecting teens from painkiller abuse is to educate adults on the dangers of opioid use and abuse. These drugs provide comfort for those suffering from moderate to severe chronic pain. When these drugs are abused they provide the user with adverse effects. More and more surveys and studies have found that parents are sharing their prescriptions with their children. This could easily be deduced as a way for them to save money, but could be extremely hazardous for their children’s health and future. Doctors should provide their patients with all the information about use, dosage and the dangers of these prescriptions. They should also be extremely vigilant when it comes to providing scripts, refills and other recommendations for opioids. These drugs have caused damage and destruction for those not even abusing them. The drug has a high potential for dependency, which leads to abuse and addiction.
Safe, Inaccessible and Locked Place
Adults must keep their medications in safe, inaccessible and locked places. These prescriptions are incredibly dangerous. They are very powerful, high addictive and can cause serious effects. Addiction to these drugs is high and only rising. Young adults are exposed to prescription drugs at an early age. If they have access to a medicine cabinet they will explore, take things accidentally or take what they know will give them the adverse effect to which they are looking. By keeping prescriptions in a safe and locked place away from children parents can ensure their children are safe from accidentally or purposely abusing these drugs.
Educating Children
The most important way to protect teens from painkiller abuse is to educate them. When children understand the dangers of prescription they are less inclined to engage in dangers prescription drug use. That includes responsible prescription drug use. Children, who are exposed to prescription drug abuse or any substance abuse for that matter, are more likely to engage in that behavior later in life.
Understanding Your Children
Parents who are worried about their children using and abusing drugs are less likely to have those children who are the negative influences on the others. For that reason, parents must know and understand who their kids are friends with or to which they could be communicating. Parents should not only know their children’s friends, but also those friends’ parents. It is a great way to be good neighbors and create a healthy community, but it is great to understand that family dynamic. It is never good to simply tell your children who they can and cannot be friends with, but knowing who the families are could help you formulate better tactics to limit their exposure to disruptive behaviors. Parents can invite those children into their home and control the situation.