Call 888-647-0579 to speak with an alcohol or drug abuse counselor.

Who Answers?

Are Americans in Denial about the Widespread Abuse of Prescription Drugs?

Abuse of prescription drugs are becoming a serious problem.

CASA’s just-released National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse, has found that those who fail to monitor their children’s school night activities, safeguard their prescription drugs, address the problem of drugs in their children’s schools, and set good examples increase the risk that their 12-17 year old children will smoke, drink, and use illegal and prescription drugs.

As youth drug use continues to decline nationwide, we very concerned about the increasing rates of prescription drug abuse among teens. Many Americans benefit from the appropriate use of prescription pain killers, but, when abused, they can be as addictive and dangerous as illegal drugs.

USA Today reports:

Drugs such as Vicodin — a commonly prescribed pain pill that causes a drunk-like feeling — can be detrimental to the still-developing teenage brain and can impair judgment in people who already are prone to mistakes in judgment. The drugs increase “the risk for accidents, sexual activities (and) more drugs,” Lopez says.

The survey comes at a time when teen use of illegal drugs is actually down, says Tom Riley, spokesman for the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

“While teen use of illegal drugs has gone down in recent years, the one category that has gone up is teen abuse of prescription drugs,” Riley says. “Americans are in denial about how widespread this problem is.”

Many recommend locking up drugs. But the best way to prevent drug abuse is good old-fashioned parenting, Planet and others say.

“We know from our research that parental engagement — being involved in your kids’ lives, monitoring what they’re up to — is a very key component in teen substance risk.”

The telephone survey reached 1,002 teens and 312 parents this past spring. The margin of error is 3.1 percentage points.
________
source: Pushing Back, http://pushingback.com

More Treatment & Detox Articles

Alaska alcohol: Bootleg bounty?

At the Barrow Distribution Centre business is brisk, and so it should be as the only place for 200 miles (320 km) where you can get alcohol. Locals trot eagerly up the icy front steps, before emerging to struggle back down laden with cases of beer, bottles of spirits and boxes of red wine. There….

Drinkers "zone out," but may not know it

Even a modest amount of alcohol can make the mind prone to wandering, but drinkers may be slow to notice it, a new study suggests. Researchers found that when they had a group of men read “War and Peace” after either an alcoholic or non-alcoholic drink, those who’d imbibed were markedly more prone to zoning….

The AbuseCheck Hair Alcohol Test

From a Small Sample of Hair, This Test Can Distinguish Non-Drinkers from Moderate and Abusive Drinkers Alcoholism poses serious health issues with major socio-economic consequences to society. Four major areas of concern are public transportation, child custody rights, measuring underage drinking, and tools for monitoring rehabilitation. The Omnibus Transportation Employee Testing Act of 1991 requires….

Common Misconceptions About Addiction and Treatment

Substance abuse is commonly perceived as a weakness of the mind, body or spirit but misconceptions like this cannot be more wrong. Unfortunately, many common misconceptions persist in the eyes of addiction and even more so when it comes to treatment. Many people think that addiction is a flaw of character when if fact this….

Services Offered at Dual Diagnosis Treatment Centers

Many people suffer from both co-occurring chemical dependency disorders and behavioral health problems such as anxiety and depression. This condition is commonly known as dual diagnosis. What is worse is that it is more prevalent than many people realize. According to a study conducted by the Journal of the American Medical Association, nearly 53 percent….