Parents Would Never Guess that Prescription Drug Abuse Can Be Abetted by Family and Friends

Parents may spend plenty of time talking to their children about the dangers of drinking and driving and some may warn their kids against smoking marijuana. But few take the time to advise their children to stay away from prescription drugs. One survey from April 2011 showed that 81% of parents were talking to their kids about alcohol, 77% about marijuana, but only 23% about the dangers of abusing prescription drugs.

And since prescription drugs are legal substances when prescribed by a doctor, teens largely have the attitude that they must not be as harmful as street drugs like heroin or cocaine. While these factors play a role, there’s another thing that contributes to the abuse of prescription drugs by teens or young adults: availability. It’s a case of prescription drug abuse abetted by family and friends. A prescription is handed out to someone in the family for a painkiller, an anti-anxiety medication, a muscle relaxer or other drugs that are frequently abused. The person does not finish taking the pills and they go into the medicine chest where they sit, available to anyone with access to the bathroom. A child in the household, visiting family member, anyone who knows when the doors to the home would be unlocked, any of these people who want to abuse the drug may steal them. This is also what some people who break into homes are looking for.

Even Households Without Children Can Contribute To The Problem

The “culprits” in this situation don’t even have to have children in the home to contribute to the problem. A childless person can store drugs that could be sought out by nieces or nephews, neighbors, guests or workers in the home.

When prescription drug abuse is abetted by family and friends, it becomes critically important to properly dispose of leftover or unneeded drugs in the home. In the last few years, the Drug Enforcement Administration has reduced the quantity of drugs sitting, unneeded, in medicine chests by almost 500 TONS by sponsoring drug drop-off days.

These are community events where people can safely dispose of expired or unused drugs by taking them to a specified location. Usually, the people accepting the drugs are local policemen who then destroy them.

Narconon Drug Rehabilitation Helps Those Who Have Become Trapped in Addiction

For some people, disposing of drugs is not nearly enough. They have already become trapped in an addiction to pain medication, anti-anxiety drugs or other pills. They need Narconon drug rehabilitation.

There are dozens of Narconon centers around the world, ready to help in this situation. What makes Narconon drug rehabilitation unique is its holistic approach to recovery. Each person is guided through a thorough process of rebuilding the life skills that were destroyed by years or even decades of addiction.

These life skills are essential for making the choices that support lasting sobriety. Like identifying those people who will encourage drug use instead of sobriety, and knowing how to deal with them. Like being able to repair the relationships that were demolished in the past. Like sharpening up the perceptions that were dulled and recovering one’s self-esteem and personal integrity.

Without these abilities, trying to live a sober life is a struggle. But with these skills in hand, it is possible to look on the brighter side of life. It’s possible to set goals again, to find relief from past guilt, to create happiness for oneself and others again, instead of grief. Find out how the Narconon drug rehabilitation program achieves these goals with those who go through this recovery program.

Sources:

https://www.dea.gov/pr/multimedia-library/publications/prescription_for_disaster_english.pdf