Wanda Grindstaff asked:
Did you know, when surveyed, 56% of American Teens said they preferred to get high using legal prescription drugs instead of illegal (or Street) drugs. We all know the growing problem of Teen Drug Abuse has been a challenge for parents for decades. But I particularly find this fact extremely startling. How have we gotten to the point of our children getting high and endangering their lives by our own legal drugs?
When we think of Substance Abuse, illegal drugs are the first thing on our minds. What we hear from the media about drug abuse is normally in reference to illegal drugs. Our community has been very slow to identify the growing problem of legal drug abuse.
Personally, I was not aware of the problem until it presented itself first hand in my family. When I learned my grandson was in trouble for using Oxycodone at school, the first question I asked was:
Where Would a Teen get a Prescription Drug such as Oxycodone?
I was shocked to learn our children have such easy access to these drugs. The overwhelming majority of teens obtain these legal drugs through people they know, and more importantly, through the people we know. They have learned to get them from friends, family and even steal them if necessary. The point is, they are so easily available. They can even buy them on the internet. More shocking was the realization that virtually anyone can get prescription drugs if they want them.
What Can We Do?
1) We must be aware of what is going on with our children and grandchildren.
2) Store medications in a safe place.
3) Make sure family members are aware of the problem and help them to understand how important it is to store medications safely.
4) Know who our children are associating with and talk to their parents.
5) Monitor our children’s Internet use.
6) And, most importantly, we must talk to our children
The lesson, we as parents and grandparents must learn is how to protect our children. Our world is changing so very fast and we must step out of our comfort zones to be prepared.
We should never assume because everything appears to be fine with the children, that it is all okay. We must be proactive in areas we are not familiar with in order to keep the kids safe.
Butalbital Live
Did you know, when surveyed, 56% of American Teens said they preferred to get high using legal prescription drugs instead of illegal (or Street) drugs. We all know the growing problem of Teen Drug Abuse has been a challenge for parents for decades. But I particularly find this fact extremely startling. How have we gotten to the point of our children getting high and endangering their lives by our own legal drugs?
When we think of Substance Abuse, illegal drugs are the first thing on our minds. What we hear from the media about drug abuse is normally in reference to illegal drugs. Our community has been very slow to identify the growing problem of legal drug abuse.
Personally, I was not aware of the problem until it presented itself first hand in my family. When I learned my grandson was in trouble for using Oxycodone at school, the first question I asked was:
Where Would a Teen get a Prescription Drug such as Oxycodone?
I was shocked to learn our children have such easy access to these drugs. The overwhelming majority of teens obtain these legal drugs through people they know, and more importantly, through the people we know. They have learned to get them from friends, family and even steal them if necessary. The point is, they are so easily available. They can even buy them on the internet. More shocking was the realization that virtually anyone can get prescription drugs if they want them.
What Can We Do?
1) We must be aware of what is going on with our children and grandchildren.
2) Store medications in a safe place.
3) Make sure family members are aware of the problem and help them to understand how important it is to store medications safely.
4) Know who our children are associating with and talk to their parents.
5) Monitor our children’s Internet use.
6) And, most importantly, we must talk to our children
The lesson, we as parents and grandparents must learn is how to protect our children. Our world is changing so very fast and we must step out of our comfort zones to be prepared.
We should never assume because everything appears to be fine with the children, that it is all okay. We must be proactive in areas we are not familiar with in order to keep the kids safe.
Butalbital Live
