Written By Phil Bauer – Parent Advisory Board Member
As a parent who has lost a son to medicine abuse, the past couple of weeks have been truly moving.
The Partnership at Drugfree.org showed me some of the stories people shared about medicine abuse over this past week,and as a parent who has experienced the epidemic’s effects firsthand, they really resonated with me.
In 2004, my son Mark died from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs. We found a bag of loose pills in his room — none of the drugs had been prescribed for him, or for anyone else in the family for that matter. I wish that I could tell Mark what I’ve learned about the dangers of abusing prescription drugs, but it’s too late. At a time when most of life’s experiences should lie just ahead, his life ended and I will always wonder if I could have saved him.
Now that I’ve gotten involved with The Partnership, I believe that their resources may have provided me the information I so desperately needed.
Read the medicine abuse drug guide and arm yourself with information you need to fight this epidemic at home:
The guide can help you learn the signs and symptoms commonly experienced by people abusing the three main types prescriptions drugs — pain relievers, stimulants, and depressants.
It’s crucial for us as parents to talk with our kids about the dangers of abusing medicine and to make sure that the medicines in our homes are secure at all times. Please do this before it’s too late.
Educate yourself by looking at the medicine abuse drug guide now. It could be a lifesaver. Click Here
Prescription drug abuse is nondiscriminatory. It can affect anyone who makes even just one bad choice. Today, we see a good decrease in teen rates in use of marijuana, smoking, alcohol, and other illicit drug use. However, there is a rise in teens abusing prescription drugs as well as over the counter drugs.
My first experience in exposure to the abuse of medication and prescription drugs was in my senior statistics class. I over heard some of my class mates talking about how they had drank large amounts of nyquill at night to knock them out or to get a momentary high. They called it getting hyped up on the “Q”. As I sat quite naively in my class, I thought they were making a joke and were simply thinking on their feet of how to mimick the “drunken” or “high” sensation they experienced every Friday night when they would go party with their friends. Now, I realize that that was a very real concern. I have no idea how powerful ny-quill is, but an dose or prescribed amount beyond what is directed is too much. It is only one step closer to going bigger and closer to addiction.
This is a growing problem with teens.The graph below shows the rates of teens that the substances they use and abuse. You’ll see that Pain relievers stretch beyond the other illicit drugs.
I really like this clip because it highlights and interview with a young man who experienced prescription drug abuse and he has a very important message for teens.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed with your child’s drug problem and would like to talk to someone, you can call The Partnership’s Parents Toll-Free Helpline at 1-855-378-4373 or get more information now: http://my.drugfree.org/if-you-need-help
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