The Alliance offers multiple prevention programs that help educate all ages on making healthy choices including how to take preventative measures and reduce risk factors. All presentations and programs are free to the communities we serve.

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The Truth About Opioids

  • October 2018: State of Michigan launches Opioid Addiction Resources site   michigan.gov/opioids
  • June 2018: Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), Ad Council and Truth Initiative launch new campaign that focuses on preventing and reducing the misuse of opioids among youth and young adults. opioids.thetruth.com

Warning Signs

  • Missing medication from family members
  • Changes in appearance and behavior
  • Abrupt mood swings
  • Physical signs – straws, foil, burnt spoons, bottle caps
  • Excessive over-the-counter medicine use
  • Always looking for money
  • Trouble in school
  • Loss of interest in job, family, friends, exercise, hobbies, relationships, etc.
  • Missing valuables
  • Unusual objects – straws, foil, burnt spoons, bottle caps

RISK FACTORS

  • Lack of parent supervision
  • Younger age (use commonly begins in teens and early 20s)
  • Exposure to peer pressure or a social environment where there is drug use
  • Easy access to prescription drugs
  • Lack of knowledge about prescription drugs
  • Past or present addictions to other substances, including alcohol

Many teens say their parents are not discussing the dangers of prescription drug abuse with them.

SAFEGUARD YOUR HOME

SECURE MEDICATIONS IN A SAFE PLACE:

  • Keep all medications in a safe place such as a locked cabinet or lock-box in a visible area of the house.
  • Educate friends, family and others to secure medications.

MONITOR MEDICATIONS:

  • Track how many pills are in each prescription bottle or pack.
  • Track refills for all medications in the household; including your teen’s medications.
  • Educate friends and family, especially grandparents, about regularly monitoring their medications.
  • Dispense the proper dosage directly to your teen yourself.

DISPOSE OF OLD OR UNUSED MEDICATION PROPERLY:

  • Do not dispose of medication in the garbage, or in a sink or toilet.
  • Visit a local prescription drug disposal site in Oakland County – Operation Medicine Cabinet™
  • Remove labels from outside of prescription bottles before disposing to prevent illegal refills.
  • Use Deterra personal disposal kits. Obtain by calling (248) 221-7101

Did you know?

  • Over 2,000 teens begin abusing prescription drugs each day.
  • 96% of drug-related suicide attempts involve prescription drugs.
  • More than four in ten teens who have misused or abused a prescription drug got it from their parent’s medicine cabinet. The majority of teens got prescription drugs from family and friends.
  • One-third of teens say they believe “It’s okay to use prescription drugs that were not prescribed to them to deal with an injury, illness or physical pain.”
  • 43% of teens indicate prescription drugs are easier to get than illicit drugs
  • One in five kids who report having misused prescription drugs has done so before the age of 14.
  • Teens most commonly abuse pain relievers (e.g., OxyContin® or Vicodin®), stimulants (e.g., Ritalin® or Adderall®), sedatives like Vallium® or tranquilizers such as Xanax®
  • Every twelve minutes someone in the United States dies from a drug overdose.

32.5% of teens indicate prescription drugs are easier to get than illicit drugs.

TALKING TO YOUR KIDS

Conversations can be a powerful tool parents can use to connect with and protect kids. When tackling tough topics, especially those about drugs and alcohol, figuring out what to say can be challenging. Here are some conversation starters.

  • Scenario: Your child tells you he was offered prescription medicine by a classmate – but said no.

    What to say: Praise your child for making a good choice and telling you about it. Let him know that he can always blame you to get out of a bad situation. If you’re ever offered drugs or someone else’s medicine at school, tell that person “My mother would kill me if I took that and then she wouldn’t let me play baseball”. You’ll want to follow-up with the other parent and/or school.

  • Scenario: You find out that kids are selling prescription drugs at your child’s school. Your child hasn’t mentioned it.

    What to say: I heard there are kids selling pills at school – prescription medicine that either they are taking or someone in their family takes. Have you heard about kids doing this?

  • Scenario: Your teen has started to hang out with kids you don’t know and dropped his old friends

    What to say: It seems like you are hanging out with a different crowd. Is there something up with your usual friends or are you just meeting some new kids? What are you new friends like? What do they like to do? What do you like about them?

To learn more, visit: Prevention & Early Action – Partnership to End Addiction for more conversation starters for any age.

OTHER TIPS

  • Talk to your child about the dangers of abusing prescription drugs. Let them know that experimenting with prescription drugs can lead to addiction, overdose or even death.
  • Make sure teens understand abusing prescription drugs is illegal, including sharing them with friends.
  • Be a positive role model when using prescription drugs yourself.
  • Educate teens about following medication instructions and dosages.
  • Supervise your child’s activities, know who their friends are, and monitor their surroundings.

MYTHS & FACTS

  • Prescription painkillers, even if they are prescribed by a doctor, are not addictive.Prescription pain killers act on the same site in the brain as heroin and can be highly addictive
  • There is nothing wrong with possessing prescription drugs without a prescription or sharing them with friends.Possessing prescription drugs without a prescription could result in criminal prosecution. Illegal distribution of prescription drugs in a Federal drug violation, punishable by up to five years in Federal prison.
  • Prescription medications are more difficult to obtain than illegal drugs.
  • Youth report that these drugs are easily obtained from family and friends in the medicine cabinets, kitchen cabinets, night stands, and purses.