Danger in the Medicine Cabinet

Drug Addictions Don't Just Happen on the Street

By Tamekia Reece

Bet you'd give anything to not have your teen experiment with marijuana and alcohol. You'd probably be willing to give your right arm if it could prevent your teen from even thinking of trying the more hardcore drugs like crack, cocaine and heroin.

Finding a joint in your son's room or learning your daughter had a couple of drinks at that party last week may not seem so drastic once you learn of the latest drug craze. Conventional drugs are no longer the only drugs parents have to worry about. Teens are finding other ways to get high. How? Simply by looking in the medicine cabinet.

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA), in 2001, almost three million youths between the ages of 12 and 17 used prescription-type drugs non-medically at least once in their lifetime.

Prescriptions like Xanax, Ritalin, Vicodin, OxyContin and Valium are quickly finding their way into schools, being swallowed, chewed, snorted and injected by teens looking to get high. "My friends turned me on to Oxy," says Amber*, a 17-year-old. "It's no big deal."

Maybe Amber should get new friends, because it is a big deal. Intended to relieve pain for terminal cancer patients and chronic pain sufferers, OxyContin (also known as Oxy or hillbilly heroin) is a highly addictive drug and has been linked to at least 460 deaths nationwide.

And it's not the only prescription causing problems either. Prescription drug abuse comes in all forms, from antidepressants, stimulants and anxiety medications to even cough relievers like Tylenol with Codeine.

Want to see more?

• Straight Talk: Giving Your Kids the Facts About Drugs
• Drug Dependency: How to Know When Your Teen Is in Trouble
• Sucking the Life from Your Child: The Dangers of Inhalants
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