Medicine Abuse

Why Medicine Abuse?

Life is stressful, maybe even more so for students, and prescription drugs and over-the- counter medications are sometimes seen as a solution since they aren’t “illegal drugs.” When the balance between school, work, grades and extracurricular activities like sports and clubs becomes competitive there is a risk of medicine abuse to solve the issue.

Also the desire to have the "ideal" physical appearance, whether it’s steroids or diet pills, leads to prescription drug abuse.

Some think that because it’s a prescription the drug is okay. But that’s not true and the results could be deadly.

• In 2002, 6.2 million Americans abused prescription drugs. Of these, more than 70 percent used painkillers.
• Medicine abuse by U.S. teens and young adults as reported in the Partnership for a Drug Free America’s 2008 annual tracking study:
• 1 in 5 teens have abused a prescription pain medication
• 1 in 5 report abusing prescription stimulants and tranquilizers
• 1 in 10 has abused cough medication
• 85% of overdose deaths are caused by prescription drug abuse