Why place an emphasis on researching adolescent drug abuse? Those that begin using at a young age show higher percentages of using as an adult and new evidence is showing that prescription drug abuse among youth is on the rise.The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration shows that adults aged 18 or older who first tried marijuana at age 14 or younger, have a 2.2 percent higher rate of becoming dependent or abusive of an illicit drug. Statistics are similar for alcoholics: 17.5 percent of those who tried alcohol at aged 14 or younger are now classified as abusive or dependent on alcohol.
High-Risk Drugs
The most common categories of prescription drugs that can lead to addiction are:
- Opioids, known as narcotic painkillers, commonly prescribed morphine, codine and oxycodone.
- Central Nervous System (CNS) depressants, like sedatives or tranquilizers, which are prescribed for sleeping or anxiety disorders. These can include Mebaral, Xanax, and Valium.
- Stimulants, often prescribed for ADHD and narcolepsy, and can include Dexedrine, Adderall and Ritalin.
First Use
First use, or "initiation," of drug use of prescription painkillers is a disturbing trend. In 2007, of the 2.7 million people, aged 12 and older using a drug for the first time, 60.1 percent were under the age of 18 when they first used. Of the same number, 30.6 of those were medications that can be found in a medicine cabinet, including pain killers and sedatives.
Prescription Drugs
As adolescents get older, their use of prescription medications increases. The 2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health percentages for prescription drugs used non-medically were: 1.4 percent for ages 12-13; 3.4 percent for 14-15 year-olds; 4.9 percent for those 16-17 years old.
The drugs also are readily available, as adolescents are finding the drugs from nearby sources. Fifty-three percent of those who abused pain reliever prescription drugs obtained the drugs from a friend or relative.
The danger of prescription drugs with these age groups, beyond the age of first use, is addiction to other substances. For example, a 2005 report found 70.2 percent of youths who non-medically used stimulants also used marijuana, compared to 12.1 percent of marijuana users that did not also use prescription drugs.
The use of drugs from the medicine cabinets is not limited to taking prescription drugs; cough medicine abuse is on the rise as well. A SAMSHA report in January of 2008 revealed that within one year, nearly 1 million people, aged 12 to 25, used over-the-counter cough medicine to get high.
Mothers Know Best
With OTC drug misuse at an all time high, around 3.1 million as reported by the latest NSDUH, who is keeping an eye on kids and the medicine cabinet? Turns out, the answer could be the most obvious.
A 2005 NSDUH report found that mothers were more likely to be aware of their child's substance abuse in the past year, regardless of whether the household had one parent or two. However, substance abuse rates by children were higher in single-parent households than in homes that had both parents present.
For more information about youth and prescription drug abuse, read the 2007 NSDUH.
