Drugs in America. What does that mean today? Yesterday, it meant that someone, somewhere was dealing something. Whether it be marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy, something. It meant that parents had to be on guard to protect their children from the dealer on the corner, or the dealer in the school. As hard as a task that turned into, there is one other person and place parents forget to protect their children from. It is time to meet your child’s new drug dealer.
YOU. Unbeknownst to many parents, they are the new drug dealer on the block. Just how did it happen; that the household medicine cabinet has become "the stash". According to most teens the drugs are accessible almost anywhere. From home, grandparents,school and online pharmacies(Parents the Anti-Drug), almost any type of medication can be found in a household medicine cabinet. Everything from regular Tylenol to the "good stuff" like, Vicodin, Percocet, Xanax (called zanies by kids), tranquilizers like diazepam(Valium) and many others, Prevention Alert Vol. 6 No. 4 March 2003.
Most teens have the same reasons for abusing prescription drugs and the teens yesterday had for smoking pot. They are stressed out over the competition to excel in everything. Entrance exams to college, honors programs in high schools, to be a star athlete. In a society which attempts to fix everything with a pill, prescriptions seem like a natural option:
- Feeling fat - take supplements offered by a variety of weight loss programs
- Feeling sleepy - take a caffeine pill
- Can’t sleep - take Ambien
- Don’t want to feel pain - take a Percocet
- Overanxious - take a Xanax
- Feeling a little hyped up(can also be associated with anxiety in some cases) - take Ritalin
- Feeling to down - take a barbiturate
Ever hear of a Pharm-Party? If not, it is time to learn. A pharm party is where teens take whatever medication they find in the house and pool it with everyone else’s. They proceed to then take whatever medication is in the pool. This could be anywhere from 1 pill to a handful of pills.
So how do parents close "the pharmacy" and open up the line of communication with their children? The first thing that must be established is "Is my kid using drugs?" in the first place. If the answer to this question is yes, it is time to look for the evidence. According to the Parents. The Anti-Drug website there are a variety of things to be on the lookout for such as; changes in friends; bottles of eye drops to hide eye redness; evidence of inhalants such as nail polish and hair-spray; drug paraphernalia such as rolling paper and many others.
There is another very important way to help curb the abuse: close your wallet. Parents often are not aware that they are financing drug abuse until its too late.
Keep the lines of communication open with your child. This is one of the best preventive measures a parent can use. Kids who feel they can not talk with their parents are more likely to seek other ways to make themselves feel better. Teach your child how to handle feelings of disappointment or pressure. This is key, because these are the very reason the majority of kids use drugs in the first place.
Be sure to set family values as to the treatment of any and all medication in and out of the house. Start young, do not buy children’s medication that taste or look like candy this includes things such as vitamins that often come in fun designs or gum balls. It promotes the child to ask for more of the yummy medicine. If your child sees you taking cold medicine all the time, or reach for a bottle of something whenever you feel stressed out; what message are they getting?
The reality of abuse is that it can kill your child. There is no other way to get around that. It is imperative that parents educate themselves on prescription drug abuse as previously stated they are pretty much "laying around".
