In the last few decades, a new face has popped up in regards to drug abuse and it’s rearing it’s ugly head in the last place parents think to look: at home.
How could this be?
Unfortunately, many prescription drugs are well known for their psychoactive, recreational effects. To the generation growing up today, drugs like cocaine and heroine may be not be nearly as common as taking ritalin or percocet. The most common way young adults and teenagers gain access to such medicines is not by buying them on the street but through the family medicine cabinet.
As a parent, you need to be aware of the possibility of drug abuse when it comes to prescription drugs and safeguard your home against such things. Here are 4 things to keep in mind.
1. Keep control of prescription drugs at home.
Did you know that the back pain you got last year is a highly wanted recreational drug? The truth is that you need to know where your prescription medication is at home and keep it in an area where you control. Teenagers should not have access to the family medicine cabinet of yesteryear.
2. Make it clear that sharing medicine at school is NOT okay nor is it safe.
Now more than ever, you will find teenagers sharing medication in school. Make it clear that it is neither safe nor morally acceptable to accept medication prescribed for other people, no matter what they say in regards to helping you concentrate or feel good. Drugs such as ritalin and adderal are especially vulnerable to being traded and given away in middle and high schools – be aware.
3. Dispose of prescription medicine properly.
If you’ve received a prescription for pain killers, muscles relaxers, or other medications, be aware that once you’re in a position to no longer need them, you should either secure their access or dispose of them properly. Keeping drugs indefinitely – and insecurely – around the house is simply not a good idea.
4. Let your family and friends of the family know as well.
As hard as it may be to imagine, kids these days know where to look for drugs. Let you parents know that their medicine should be secured and safeguarded as well against theft.
If you suspect your son or daughter is taking prescription medicine illegally, you do have options. There are drug test kits Walgreens sells for $20 to $40 will test for various substances, including both illicit drugs and prescription drugs, to determine whether or not an individual is using. These at home test kits are available over the counter through both hair follicle and urine samples.
The most important thing you can do is two fold – talk to your kids, and don’t make access easy. Lastly, consider a drug test is you suspect abuse. This is never a fun subject to discuss, but as a parent finds their children turning into teenagers, it is unfortunately, a necessary topic to deal with.