Oprah Winfrey had Dr. Phil and the rest of Hollywood has had Dr. Drew. Just about everyone has heard of Dr. Drew Pinsky, the renowned psychiatrist that has worked tirelessly on television and radio to help rid society of its evils.
Pinsky, known for tackling both light and tough topics, has teamed up with the National Association of School Nurses to bring awareness to the problem of teen prescription drug abuse. Think your teen is immune? Think again.
You may worry about your teen trying illegal drugs at a party, but don't overlook an equally scary danger: prescription drugs, found right in your own home. Addiction expert Dr. Drew Pinsky says that in 2010, one in four teens had abused a prescription medication. That's 25 percent of all teens -- and that's a big statistic.
In 2009, the figure was one in five teens, which means that the problem is only growing. What can you do?
What is teen prescription drug abuse?
Prescription drug abuse is any use that is strictly intended to become intoxicated or get high. One time qualifies. One time can kill you. Furthermore, any prescription drug use that is not supervised by a professional is abuse. Unfortunately, as Dr. Drew noted, "The problem is that sometimes kids abuse the medicines that are being supervised by a professional.
The drugs are right in your own home
"Most often, teens are getting the prescription drugs from their friends' or family's own medicine cabinets," Dr. Drew said. So while you're talking to your teen about resisting peer pressure when it comes to illegal street drugs, don't overlook the danger that could be conveniently located in your bathroom.
What you can do
Talk to your kids! "The sooner the better," Dr. Drew said. "There's no lower age limit for when you should talk about substance, in my opinion. There are tons of opportunities in pop culture to discuss these things."
Dr. Drew says that the difficulty is in conveying to your children and teens that prescription drugs are no joke. "Every kid has a friend who has been on psychostimulants since he was five," Dr. Drew said. "Convincing kids that there is a danger is a difficult task."
Still, it's your job to talk to your tween or teen and to keep the prescription drugs in your home unavailable.
Dr. Drew is a great man, one who really wants to help people. Hopefully his celebrity status will help give him some clout when trying to help teens and tweens. I am sure he too would think a good online drug class couldn’t hurt.