Watch Me Say No

… is another download that teens can use to design their own anti-drug t-shirts, posters, and stickers from the National Institute on Drug Abuse website.  The NIDA website was created to educate adolescents (as well as parents and teachers) on the science behind prescription drug abuse.  It is hoped that understanding science-based facts will prompt teens to make better decisions about using drugs.  Teens were instrumental in developing the site to ensure the content addresses appropriate questions and timely concerns.

The non-medical use of controlled medications in teens has surpassed all illicit drugs except for marijuana.  Smart Moves, Smart Choices – a website sponsored by Dr. Drew Pinsky, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and the National Association of School Nurses – is a group dedicated to educating the public on teen prescription drug abuse.  At this time, 19% of high school students have admitted to taking a prescription medication that was not prescribed to them; 33% have admitted to trying marijuana.

Research shows that prescription and over-the-counter drugs are among the most commonly abused drugs by teens, along with alcohol, marijuana, and tobacco.  Many young people access prescription drugs easily and perceive prescription medications to be less dangerous than other drugs – they believe them to be safer and have fewer side effects than street drugs.  An alarming 60% of teens who have abused prescription drugs have tried them before age 15. 

Many accuse U.S. adults of having a “casualness” about taking prescription medications – that controlled drugs are without consequence.  Some believe this attitude is helping to fuel the drug problem we now see in teens.  64% of abused prescription drugs are coming from friends or relatives; some misuse originates from a legitimate prescription.

The most abused classes of drugs are benzodiazepines, psycho stimulants, and opiates.  The most problematic class is opiates - every day, 2500 more teens use a prescription pain reliever to get high for the first time.  According to Reuters Health research released in May, one in eight U.S. teenagers has used powerful painkillers without prescriptions.  Both medical and recreational use of these drugs has increased across the United States over the last two decades, as have deaths due to painkiller overdoses.  The CDC estimates that 14,800 Americans died of an opiate overdose in 2008 – three times the number of such deaths 20 years earlier.

The health risks of drug abuse are the consequences that have plagued teens longer than our memory allows: unwanted pregnancy, intoxication, sexually transmitted diseases, violent acts, manic behavior, depression, suicide, death.  Teens who said they used prescription medication for non-medical purposes were more likely to use marijuana and binge drink, adding to the already volatile risks.

Preventing drug use before it begins is certainly the most cost-effective way to address teen drug abuse.  Successful prevention means fewer will develop substance use disorders, and the consequence of substance use – including health care, treatment costs, and criminal justice system costs – will decrease. 

What’s a fishbowl party? Teens dump random pills into a bowl and everyone takes one to see what happens.  Drug abuse is not just the problem of the individual – the cost of abuse has far reaching tentacles that touch all of us.  The adult populations can’t afford to be casual.  A potent reminder: research shows time and again that adult influencers are still the most powerful force in the lives of young people.  It is our responsibility – or even obligation - to exert that influence.