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..I would never do those." (Meadows, 2001) So long as the drugs are available by prescription, it is easy to think that abusing these drugs is okay, especially in the minds of impressionable teens.
Did you know that OxyContin is actually a form of morphine, like heroin, and is often just as additive, especially when it is crushed and injected intravenously or snorted into the nostrils, as it is by many addicts whose tolerance has escalated after repeated use of the drug? (Meadows, 2001) Do you have a friend with ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder? Ritalin (methylphenidate) abuse amongst high school students and even middle school students is on the rise! The presence of younger and younger addicts, who can't even drive, but can buy this drug, which produces effects more potent than caffeine and if improperly used can small cause heart problems and damage the blood vessels in the lungs and retina of the eye if it is injected, demonstrates the need to give prescription...
Teens need to know the difference between sanctioned use and abuse and when it comes to prescription drugs, the lines can seem blurry. (Meadows, 2001)
Your best friend needs Ritalin to concentrate. Your grandmother takes Percoset to treat her nerve pain. But that doesn't mean that you should use these drugs without proper supervision. Just because adults say it's okay to use these drugs sometimes doesn't make it okay for everyone, all of the time. It's a complex message, hard even for adults to understand in our age of over-medication, where TV commercials for anti-depressants run next to advertisements for soda and household cleansers. And that's why this message that needs to be at the forefront of drug education efforts in schools today.
Works Cited
D.A.R.E. Official organizational website. 2006. [24 Nov 2006]
http://www.dare.com/home/default.asp
Meadows, Michelle. "Prescription Drug Use and Abuse." FDA Consumer Magazine.
2001. [24 Nov 2006] http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2001/501_drug.html
McVay, Doug. "Prescription Drugs." Drugwarfacts.com [24 Nov 2006] http://drugwarfacts.com/diversio.txt
Works Cited
D.A.R.E. Official organizational website. 2006. [24 Nov 2006]
http://www.dare.com/home/default.asp
Meadows, Michelle. "Prescription Drug Use and Abuse." FDA Consumer Magazine.
2001. [24 Nov 2006] http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2001/501_drug.html
McVay, Doug. "Prescription Drugs." Drugwarfacts.com [24 Nov 2006] http://drugwarfacts.com/diversio.txt
It is however important to note that the effectiveness of such a prevention plan is largely dependent on how well it is implemented. In my view, the successful implementation of the plan could see the country freed from the menace of prescription drug abuse. Apart from OxyContin, which is essentially a narcotic painkiller, the other prescription drugs which are commonly abused according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse
1). Taking drugs for longer than medically necessary, asking multiple physicians for drugs, or simply accepting medications for which they are over-prescribed by irresponsible physicians can all shape the pattern of elderly person's prescription drug abuse. Taking prescription drugs with alcohol or drugs that are contraindicated with their medications is another. Drugs with psychoactive properties may be more prescribed amongst the elderly, because it is assumed they are less likely
Prescription Drug Abuse: Narcotics In today's society, the debate as to whether or not prescription narcotics are necessary in certain situations is one that is fueled mainly be the tendency for patients to overuse after being prescribed these medications. In many situations, patients present with pain that is treated by their respective physicians with prescriptions drugs that fall into the category of narcotics and opiates in order for the cited pain
(Raeburn, 2002, p. 127) Clearly, college life presents it sown situations that are conducive to the creation, or exaggeration, of psychological disorders in individuals. College is a time of change, and change can produce stress; however, as it is to be noted that a certain amount of substance abuse appears to be a part of the regular college experience. All forms of SUD are relatively prevalent in young adulthood, suggesting that perhaps
According to a Columbia University's National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) report, about 75% of prescription-drug abusers also use illicit drugs with their prescription drug of choice (Banta 2005, p.1). Some teens steal the drugs from their parents, some buy them on the Internet, and others buy them from dealers who steal them from hospitals. Even middle school 'pharming' parties have been reported: preteens that lack the street
Drug Abuse Drug and substance abuse is one of the most serious dilemmas in the world today. One aspect of the issue is the growing number of teenage drug users and the increasing incidents of prescription drug abuse. According to the statistics of the National Institute on Drug Abuse prescription drugs misuse is far greater than the abuse of narcotics. Among teenagers alone, accepted cases of drug use increased from 27