Did you know that prescription drug poisoning is the second leading cause of death in the United States? A recent study has shown that between the years 1999 – 2006 hospitalizations for accidental overdose of prescription drugs has increased by one-third. And, as if that’s not bad enough, hospitalizations for intentional overdoses of prescription drugs has gone up by 130% over that same period of time.

These staggering figures include people of all ages, teenagers, twenty-somethings, thirty somethings, up to the elderly. The study has shown that women under the age of thirty four are far more likely to be admitted for accidental overdose. When they looked at men vs. women, the study showed that men were more likely to be admitted than women for accidental overdose though (of all ages).

As I mentioned above, teenagers are no exception to this study. Prescription drugs really aren’t that difficult to get. Whether through a doctor, their parent’s medicine cabinets, or even from a dealer selling them.

Controlled substances like psychoactive drugs as well as other substances like depressants, stimulants, hallucinogens and anabolic steroids have a tendency to hook people. They are easy to become dependant on and/or addicted to. They are not something, obviously – from viewing the results of the study, that anyone should play around with. And what most people don’t consider is that just because they’re prescribed by a physician or taken by parents or family members, this does not make them safe and give a green light to use them for fun.

If you know anyone who has what you think even might be a problem with prescription drugs, or you-yourself are taking them inappropriately, I hope that this is a wake up call and that you do something to stop immediately. The last thing anyone wants is another prescription drug overdose to add to the statistics for the next round of case studying. Get help now for prescription drug addiction and good drug rehab program or drug detox can be the answer.

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A friend of mine’s son was born with a heart defect. It was a life threatening situation that required an operation on his heart but the doctors said they couldn’t do it until the boy’s body was close to maturity. He would have to endure about 15 years of touch and go; had he experienced the stresses that are part of many childhoods, he could have died. When you look at what my friend had to do to keep his son happy and relatively stress free, you get an idea of what kids go through in life, why they might be tempted to start drinking or taking drugs, and what situations might eventually lead to the need for substance abuse treatment. Here’s a brief summary:

1. He kept in constant, daily communication with his son to find out exactly how school was going. He reviewed what he studied every day, made sure he understood it, could use it in a practical sense, and wasn’t getting hung up on things he didn’t quite get. Many kids don’t understand everything they learn in school and often don’t even realize it. But they become unable to do the work as well as they are inherently capable of, start to dislike school, and every day can become a grind where they feel they’re accomplishing nothing and don’t have much of a future ahead of them. This lowers self-esteem and can lead to substance abuse.
2. He also made sure he knew who his son was meeting, what they were like, and so on – and this included everyone; teachers, students, other connections. Like it or not, there are people out there who don’t have your best interests at heart. Sometimes they can be very misleading – you think they’re your best friend but your life has changed for the worse since you met them – and sometimes they are just out and out bullies. Either way, it can be stressful. My friend made sure his son understood how to recognize these types of people, why they were dangerous, and how to deal with them. When necessary, my friend stepped in. My friend didn’t want to fight his son’s battles for him – but their bigger life and death battle took priority.
3. The boy was brilliant – and very interested in just about everything. At eight years old, he explained to me how rockets work. His dad made sure he went to schools that had the personnel and facilities to teach his son what he was interested in and keep him challenged, but without pressure. Doing this, and the first two steps, also meant that my friend was very involved in his son’s school, with his teachers, and so on.
4. He made sure family life was happy. He and his wife were united in their efforts with their son, and they made sure their own relationship was clean and loving and they were all in good communication. They didn’t impose their problems on their son, and they discussed things rationally and calmly.

When I personally look at what my friend did for his son, it occurs to me that this should be normal – this should be the life of every child. Happy, healthy, not worried about things, able to pursue things he’s interested in, and know he’s progressing towards a satisfying future in which he can accomplish something.So few kids have that, it’s not surprising that many of them wind up experimenting with alcohol and drugs at a young age and, later in life, need substance abuse treatment.Along with teaching your kids about the dangers of drugs and alcohol, do what you can to help your kids create a happy and fulfilling life. If they’ve already crossed the substance abuse line, get them into drug treatment and, after that, do what you can to help them create the life they didn’t have before.And, by the way, my friend’s son did live to have the operation. He is now doing exceptionally well in life. He’s even able to run marathons and pursue the physical activities he never could do when he was younger.

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