It can be hard to raise children and even harder to talk to them sometimes. However, did you know that one in five seniors in high school has abused a prescription drug by graduation? It’s true, which is why it is important to know how to talk to your kids about prescription drugs. Many think that prescription drugs are safer since they are actually prescribed by a doctor but nothing could be further from the truth.
According to the Prescription Drugs Help Guide, from narconon parents can miss the fact that their children are abusing prescription drugs if they do not know the signs to look for. Something as simple as cough syrup is a major abused drug among teens but the problem encompasses all kinds of drugs with one of the leaders being prescriptions. These can be easy to obtain because they are harder to find by parent. Whether they are taken from a friend’s home or bought, just a few pills may go undetected. This makes it much harder for parents to learn about because it’s something that is not out in the open or something you typically see hidden in the usual hiding places.
Pain pills are also very addictive. It is easy for a teen to become addicted to a prescription drug after just a few uses and since they aren’t widely known to everyone as being as dangerous as certain other drugs, the potential to become addicted can be higher. Teens are taught to stay away from drugs like heroin, meth and designer drugs yet they aren’t told that a few hits of Vicodin from a friend can render them addicted just as bad.
These prescription drugs can become gateway drugs as well. This is because street drugs are much cheaper and sometimes easier to obtain. So someone that becomes addicted to oxycontin may switch to heroin due to the cost. The study conducted in 2010 by the University of Buffalo showed an astounding 92% of drug users using heroin after using and becoming addicted to oxycontin.
It may not be an everyday conversation but you do need to discuss prescription drugs with your children just as you would any drug.
