Occassionally we see news items saying that kids are using fewer drugs. Like the recent local TV news story from Palm Beach, Florida, that said alcohol use is down 3% (from 33% to 30%) and marijuana has gone from 13.5% to 11%. That’s over a period of 8 years – since 2000.

I hope this type of news item doesn’t lull parents into a sense of complacency – thinking that drugs are no longer a problem and they can stop worrying about their kids. What the story neglects to say is that Florida is the pill-popping capital of the U.S., and the prescription drug abuse in and around Miami is among the worst.

The story also doesn’t mention that many kids have switched from marijuana to prescription drugs. Prescription drugs are also more likely to be the first drug kids try – it used to be marijuana.

The situation with prescription drug addiction and abuse is frightening. Many kids get the pills from their parents’ medicine cabinets and share them with other kids. There are also tons of Internet sites where anyone, of any age, can order prescription drugs. If they can pay for them, they can get them. And they’re cheaper online.

The prescription drug epidemic is also, in many ways, more dangerous than street drugs ever were. Even when they’re prescribed by a doctor and taken as directed, they’re addictive and they have absolutely horrible side effect like slowing your heart and respiratory rate down to nothing and motivating thoughts of suicide.

Don’t let your guard down. Keep your own drugs locked up, and get help for any kids you know who might be taking them. Check out addiction treatment centers where they can get prescription drug rehab.

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