Prince's Death Is an Opportunity to Talk to Our Kids About the Dangers of Prescription Drug Abuse

Prince is seemingly now part of a rising death toll related to opioid use, and his death spotlights a growing threat to the health and safety of teens and adults alike. Two years ago, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) reported 28,000 deaths from opioid overdose. Today, it reports two million Americans are addicted to these medications. The reason opioids like morphine, oxycodone and hydrocodone are problematic is that they are highly addictive and increasingly over-prescribed by doctors - so much so that the CDC recently had to publish guidelines for prescribing physicians. Prescription opioids are also to blame for a rise in domestic heroin use, because it is a much cheaper (1/8th the price) opioid alternative to get the same "high" that young people seek from pain killers. Half of heroin-using teens started with abusing prescription drugs. Most parents are unaware of both how common prescription medicine abuse has become in high schools across America, and how easy it is for young people to acquire pills in their own homes and classrooms. Prescription medicines are now the most commonly abused drugs among 12 to 13 year olds. And, medications like Adderall, a commonly prescribed ADHD medication, are being sold peer-to-peer in academically competitive settings as a "normal" way for kids to focus and stay awake for long study hours. So, as parents, how can we help educate, and protect our kids from the unhealthy use of prescription drugs? Here are five simple s...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news