Parents’ Lax Attitudes Tied to Teen Prescription Drug Abuse

Parents are not effectively communicating the dangers of prescription medicine misuse and abuse to their kids, nor are they safeguarding their medications at home, according to a recent study by The Partnership at Drugfree.org. What’s behind parents’ lack of concern about one of the biggest epidemics facing today’s youth? Dr. David Sack, CEO of Promises Behavioral Health, tells Huffington Post that many  parents are stuck in “not my kid” mode. When they hear about prescription drug abuse, they assume it’s a problem that affects other kids, not theirs, Dr. Sack said.  Even the smartest, most cooperative teens fall prey to prescription drug use.for some parents. For other parents, it’s a case of too little education too late, Dr. Sack said.  Four in five parents find time to talk to their children about marijuana, alcohol and other drugs, yet only about 15 percent are as thorough as they need to be when it comes to prescription drug warnings. Two Wrongs Make … an Epidemic Both parents and teens have misconceptions about prescription drug use. More than one-quarter of teens assume prescription drugs are safe because a doctor prescribes them and they’re readily available. One-third of teens don’t see a problem with using medications that weren’t prescribed for them. Read the entire article here. Photo by kphotographer, Flickr