The following numbers are nasty! An area of concern is the nonmedical use of prescription drugs. Among 12th-graders, 8 of the 13 most commonly abused drugs (other than cigarettes and alcohol) were prescription medications, over half of which were given to them or were purchased from a friend or family member! According to the 2009 MFT survey, past-year non-medical use of Oxycontin increased during the last 5 years among 10th graders and remained unchanged, still scary, among 8th graders and 12th graders. Nearly 1 in 20 high school students report abusing Oxycontin. Since 2008, according to NSDUH, the number of students who abused prescription pain relievers for the first time (2.2 million in 2009) was roughly even with that of marijuana.
Oxycontin abuse often leads to heroin addiction, so be careful, talk with your kids about drug and alcohol addiction and watch them. Know their friends! If you see any drastic changes, remember what your parents used to always say and start watching out. If you or a loved one starts to struggle, change friends, show changes in personality and activities check into it quickly. If the signs point to addiction get help immediately.