First Baptist Church

Perscription for Disaster

Young students are dying from drug overdose - and it is not cocaine or heroin. The culprit is perscription drugs that are being raided from the parents' stash, this is an entirely new category of substance abuse and we are only seeing the tip of the iceburg. Ease of access is the number one reason kids are abusing perscription drugs. They don't have to go to a scary street dealer, because the drugs are right there in their parents and granparents medicine cabinets!

Illicit drug use among teens has dropped radically since 2001. There's also been a slight decline in alcohol and tobacco use. Yet studies concure that the number of adolescents abusing perscription drugs has tripled since 1992. (A single Vicodin tablet can be sold for $4-5 in hallway at school.) They are also having "pharming" parties - potluck style gatherings where teens contribute to a chemical "trail mix." Even those who would never do crack or cocaine thinks nothing of grabbing fistfuls of these diverse drugs and washes them down with alcohol.

Warning Signs: Missing Drugs, Slurred Speech, Lack of Concentration or Coordination, Glassy Eyes or Frequent Use of Eye Drops, Rapid Weight Loss, Secretiveness or Dishonesty, Truancy or a Drop in Grades, an Unexplained Change in Eating or Sleeping Habits, a Constant Need to Borrow Money, Less Concern about Hygiene or Appearance, Waning Interest in Favorite Sports or Hobbies, and Unusual Emotional Outbursts or a Sudden Change in Friends

What Can Parents Do?
* Give children a healthy respect for perscription medication.
* Know which perscription drugs are in your home and keep them locked-up.
* Be aware of how many pills remain in partially used perscriptions so you'll know if any are missiong and be sure to discard medications you are no longer taking.
* Know which drugs are prone to be abused including over-the-counter drugs.
* Familiarize yourself with the warning signs of abuse (See above) so you can intervene before its too late.
* Explain the diminishing returns of drug abuse, which releases unnaturally large amounts of dopamine into the brain. Over time, the brain gets used to it, and the addict ceases to enjoy life's normal pleasures without the dopamine flood that only the drugs can deliver.

Pastor Kelly Melvin
Associate Pastor
Children & Youth Ministries

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