Medicine Cabinet Drugs

Source: US Department of Justice, DEA Demand Reduction - http://justthinktwice.com

Being involved with drugs is a lot like playing Russian Roulette. So little is under your control. Hanging with friends who do drugs. Driving with someone who is high. Depending on people who put drugs ahead of their families and friends.

And then there's you — making a decision to use. The first time it's a choice. After that, it may not be. And sometimes it's hard to know the total consequences of your choice — until it's too late. You might think "not me." Not my body, not my friends, not my life. Think twice.

Prescription medication abuse by teens and young adults is a serious problem in the United States.

• 1 in 5 teens has abused a prescription pain medication
• 1 in 5 report abusing prescription stimulants and tranquilizers
• 1 in 10 has abused cough medication

Many teens think these drugs are safe because they have legitimate uses, but taking them without a prescription to get high or “self-medicate” can be as dangerous – and addictive – as using street narcotics and other illicit drugs.

• One in three teens reports having a close friend who abuses prescription pain relievers to get high.
• One in four has a close friend who abuses over-the-counter (OTC) cough medicine to get high. — Nearly one in five teens has used a prescription medication that was not prescribed to them. While the abuse of illegal drugs is on the decline, SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows that teen abuse of legal drugs is on the rise:
• In 2006, one in ten kids between the ages of 12 to 17 had used illicit drugs in the past month, including 3.3 percent who had used prescription drugs for non-medical reasons.
• Among youth between the ages of 12 to 17, male and female adolescents had similar rates of past month non-medical use of prescription-type psychotherapeutics (3.1 percent of males and 3.5 percent of females).
• Most kids who abuse pain relievers obtained the drugs from a friend or relative for free, while about 10 percent took the pain relievers from a friend or relative without asking. New youth abusers of prescription drugs now outnumber new users of very illicit drug, except marijuana.

There is a lot of information on the use of drugs in popular culture, on the Internet, and in daily conversation with friends and peers. Some of the information is accurate, but much of it is not. Find out as much as you can about illegal, legal, prescription drugs, and even over-the-counter drugs, and their effects on your body and your brain. Also, there are legal consequences for growing, manufacturing and dealing drugs, or providing them to willing or unwilling users. In many states, possessing drugs for personal use, or with the intent to distribute is against the law. Drug tests pick up evidence of drug use and there can be severe consequences for using these drugs.

Here are a few points to remember:

• We are a pill-taking society. Many of us believe there's a pill for anything and everything that ails us, improving our appearance, performance and mood. There are thousands of good medications which are safe and effective, and new drugs come on the market every day. We are being bombarded with advertisements about the benefits of these drugs. But don't be fooled: legal prescription drugs are not something to fool around with. Neither are some over-the-counter medications like cough syrup. Just because a doctor prescribed them to a relative or a friend doesn't make them safe for you. Just because something comes from a drug store doesn't make it safe to abuse.
• Even though prescription drugs are legal, selling and using drugs that you did not obtain through a legitimate medical prescription are illegal acts.
• Unless a doctor prescribes medication for you to address your own medical condition, don't take it. If using OTC medication, follow the directions carefully.
• You cannot predict the effect that a drug can have on you — especially if it is the first time you try it, and even if it is a small amount or dose. Everyone's brain and body chemistry are different. Everyone's tolerance for drugs is different. It's like playing Russian Roulette.
• Using drugs can lead to addiction, impairment and even death.
• Marijuana is not medicine.
• Addiction and dependency can be addressed through drug treatment, which is a long and hard process. It is far better not to start, not to experiment, not to tempt fate.
• Don't buy drugs over the Internet---don't be fooled by claims that the drugs offered on-line are safe. Many of those who sell drugs to teenagers on the Internet are simply e-dealers.