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TwitThisI heaved a portable plastic drawer full of various drugs with "childproof" caps onto the top shelf of our linen closet. It had previously been sitting on the floor and was somewhat accessible to my quickly-growing toddlers. I moved the drawer the day I interviewed Jordan Neal for Reader's Digest magazine. Jordan, a college student, lost her brother when he combined prescription drugs with over-the-counter cold medicine. A successful and popular high school senior, Harrison didn't realize, Jordan believes, that he would never wake up again.
Cold medicine? Check. Painkillers? Many, from two Cesareans and knee surgery. A killing combination? Apparently.
I had no idea such a thing was possible. Neither did Jordan and her parents. But abusing prescription drugs is on the rise, big-time. One in five teenagers have abused a prescription drug; every day in the United States, 2,500 kids try this for the first time. Now, prescription drug use actually exceeds marijuana consumption among teenagers today. Jordan tells me how easy it is for high school students—even MIDDLE school students—to get their parents' or relatives' painkillers. If they can''t, pills are available for purchase on school campuses—for about $5 a pop.
But why prescription drugs? A couple of reasons. According to Steve Pasierb, president of the Partnership for Drug Free America, parents and kids alike believe prescription drugs to be a safer alternative to the more "dangerous" street drugs such as cocaine or meth. "But it's just a different form of substance abuse," he says. He also explains that in a recent study on teens and their drug habits, the Partnership learned that the Millennial generation isn't necessarily taking the prescriptions for the high. They're using the drugs to get by. These confident, aspiring millennials are taking drugs for "life management" reasons; to deal with the stresses of school and social life, to stay awake to study, or calm down when too many activities fill their time. These kids, who say they'd never do illegal drugs, are self-medicating. And parents don't know it's a problem. I certainly didn't.
Shortly after her brother's death, Jordan started working for the Not in My House campaign, sponsored by the Partnership for Drug Free America. She told me how simple it is to prevent this kind of death. Since so many of us have these drugs easily available in our medicine cabinets, I want you to know what I learned (in case you didn't see our October issue!) You can also go to the Not in My House website for a much more advice on what you can do.
1. Lock up all your prescription drugs and keep an inventory.
2. When your prescriptions expire, don't flush them; it will contaminate the water supply. Don't just throw them away; kids can—and have—retrieved discarded pills from the trash. Rather, put them in a coffee can with the used grounds, kitty litter, or something else unsavory and throw away.
3. Don't share drugs. Your doctor should have records of other drugs your currently taking and knows which ones don't mix.
4. Talk to your kids specifically about prescription drug use. Show your interest in their lives. You never know what you might learn—or prevent.
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