Every April, the nation celebrates “Alcohol Awareness Month.” This year also the 75th anniversary of the end of prohition in the United States. Not only is it time to emphasize the seriousness of alcoholism, but of other issues as well.
Alcohol isn’t the only substance teenagers and college students are abusing these days. One thing leads to another. Tolerance generates a need to advance to stronger drugs. Now, a growing number of adolescents are popping pills.
According to the 2008 National Drug Control Strategies Report, 71 percent of prescription pain medication abusers obtained the drugs from family and friends. Among 12- to 13-year-olds, prescription drug abuse actually exceeds marijuana use.
Opioids are the most commonly abused prescription drug. Examples include morphine, Codeine, Oxycontin and Vicodin.
Other commonly abused prescription drugs include Valium and Xanax to treat anxiety and sleep disorders, and Ritalin and Adderall to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Prescription drug abuse among teens is up 300 percent, and that means we all need to be aware of unusual behavior among our friends, family and peers. Watch out for intense mood swings, anxiety and depression, according to a recent Los Angeles Times article.
Some people don’t realize government-approved prescription drugs are also dangerous. Not only do young students underestimate how addictive opiates are, many don’t even know what drug they are taking. The longer the time spent using opiates, the longer the recovery process. The results can be tragic.
Lois Fingerhut of the National Center for Health Statistics reports methadone (synthetic opioid) deaths are up from 786 in 1999 to 4,462 in 2005, for an increase of almost 500 percent, the latest year for which numbers are available.
Society does reap great benefits from pharmaceuticals, with each new “wonder drug” improving from the previous. But do the benefits outweigh the turmoil?
Reckless use of prescription medications jeopardizes more than those who misuse the drugs.
For some, keg parties are being substituted with “pharm parties,” where young people bring whatever pharmaceuticals they can find, combine the drugs up in a big bowl and actually eat them like candy, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
There is nothing wrong with having a little fun once in a while, but don’t overdo it. Educate your friends and family and raise awareness.
Nina Rawlings is a senior journalism major and a contributing writer for the Daily Forty-Niner.
