The Blog of P.U.R.E. and Sue Scheff

Many teens believe that taking prescription drugs to get high is safer than using street drugs. Be AWARxE! Prescription drugs are dangerous when they are not used correctly as directed by a doctor. One in five teens have taken a prescription drug that was not theirs to get high or to deal with problems. Teens are abusing pain pills (Vicodin®, OxyContin®), stimulants (Ritalin®, Adderall®), and tranquilizers (Xanax®, Valium®). Teens take these drugs right out of the medicine cabinet – at home, at a friend’s house, or when visiting family. 5.2 million people, including kids ages 12 and older, said they had abused prescription pain relievers, as reported in a 2007 survey. More people are visiting the emergency room because they misused prescription pain medication. From 2004 to 2009, emergency room visits due to misusing narcotic pain pills increased by almost 100%. Learn more at AWARE RX . Fact: Prescription drugs are the most commonly abused drugs among 12-13 year olds. ...

Teen Drug Use and Teen Drinking also known as Substance Abuse amongst teens and even children. With today's society, kids have access to many different substances that can be addictive and damaging. If you suspect your child is using drugs or drinking alcohol, please seek help for them as soon as possible. Drug testing is helpful, but not always accurate.  Teen Drug use and Teen Drinking may escalate to addiction. Parent's Universal Resource Experts get calls constantly, that a child is only smoking pot. Unfortunately in most cases, marijuana can lead to more severe drugs, and marijuana is considered an illegal drug. Smoking marijuana is damaging to the child's body, brain and behavior. Even though marijuana is not considered a narcotic, most teens are very hooked on it. Many teens that are on prescribed medications such as Ritalin, Adderall, Strattera, Concerta, Zoloft, Prozac etc. are more at risk when mixing these...

Prescription medications and teens and children has been a debate for years.  The controversy over ADD/ADHD medication such as Ritalin, Adderall, Strattera, Concerta and others has been hashed out in medical reports and articles for many years. According to the American Academy of Dermatology , by mid-teens more than 40 percent of adolescents have acne or acne scarring which may require treatment by a dermatologist and use of prescription drugs such as Accutane to treat their condition, not realizing the drug’s serious side effects like liver failure, Inflammatory Bowel Disease and depression which can lead to suicide. One unfortunate example of this effect is Congressman Bart Stupak’s son, who tragically took his own life after being on Accutane to treat his acne. According to DrugWatch , on June 29, 2009, Roche Pharmaceuticals pulled Accutane from the market due to numerous personal injury lawsuits and business costs. Isotretinoin, the generic for...

Have you ever considered you may be your child's drug provider? Have you ever thought when they visit your parents (their grandparents) your teens may be taking their medications too? Broward County, Florida offers Operation Medicine Cabinet. According to the United Way Commission on Substance Abuse , prescription drug abuse is skyrocketing. This fact has fed the increasing rates of opiate-related deaths in recent years. In addition, the DEA reports that painkillers now cause more drug overdose deaths than cocaine and heroin combined. Florida teens abuse prescription pain relievers more than any other illicit drugs except marijuana, according to the 2008 Florida Youth Substance Abuse survey. While illegal drug use among teens is falling, teen prescription drug abuse is on the rise. One in five teens has abused a prescription pain medication, and in Florida prescription drugs have killed 300% more people than illegal drugs. Operation Medicine Cabinet helps you rid your medici...

Drug prevention with teens and kids today start with PARENTS . Parents need to take the initiative to talk about the dangers of drug abuse, inhalants , Choking Game , trunking , SNAP , Rainbow Game and many other disturbing issues surrounding teens today. Peer pressure is a powerful tool, parents need to be stronger and more vocal than the peer groups. Being an educated parent is the beginning of instilling prevention and having safer and healthier teens. The Anti-Drug begins with parents. About The Anti-Drug : TheAntiDrug.com was created by the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign to equip parents and other adult caregivers with the tools they need to raise drug-free kids. Working with the nation's leading experts in the fields of parenting and substance abuse prevention, TheAntiDrug.com serves as a drug prevention information center, and a supportive community for parents to interact and learn from each other. The site provides parents and other adults caregivers a...

This is an excellent and timely article by Connect with Kids, as school as opened. As a parent, you need to take the time to learn about the accessibility of prescription drugs, how the kids are using them and why! Why does your teen feel the need to escape reality? Source: Connect with Kids Prescription Drugs is on the Rise “Prescription drugs are the fastest growing area of drug abuse among both teenagers and young adults…and not only is their use rapidly growing, but the casualties, the emergency room visits, the overdose deaths are also rapidly rising.” – Herb Kleber, MD, professor of psychiatry, Columbia University More than cocaine or methamphetamine or crack or heroin, prescription medicine is now the second biggest drug problem in America, second only to marijuana. In fact, according to the latest government sponsored research, one in 10 high school seniors has used narcotic painkillers and 90 percent of those kids aren’t getting them from their doctor. He was popular, a strai...