It is a problem that has been around for decades. Adolescents feel stress from personal or family problems, high expectations at school, and peer pressure. One way teens deal with the pressure is to turn to drugs. In the past it was marijuana, LSD, heroin or cocaine that lead curious teens to try drugs. There are countless stories of teens who have suffered severe consequences because of abuse of drugs such as these. Brain damage, seizures, toxicity, and death are only some of the side effects of drug abuse.

With all the anti-drug campaigns in communities today, it seems that teens may be getting the point about the dangers of some of these “street drugs” and are actually turning away from them in some cases.

Prescription Drugs

Today, however there are many more drugs available to teens, and different drugs of choice are making their way into schools and homes. Prescription painkillers like oxycodone and Vicodin® have been used more and more by adolescents in recent years. Many teens today believe there is nothing wrong with prescription drugs when taken once and while for fun, yet statistics show that oxycodone and Vicodin® are the most common drugs involved in fatal overdoses by young people.

The risk with these drugs is that young people do not believe they are dangerous or illegal because they are prescribed by a doctor. Another danger with these prescription drugs is that teens are able to get them for a very low cost or even free from friends or relatives. The easy accessibility of these drugs leads to a higher number of teens getting their hands on them, simply stealing the pills from their parents’ medicine cabinet.

Drugs such as oxycodone and Vicodin®, when used under the supervision of a physician, can be very beneficial to patients. On the other hand, the abuse of these drugs can cause strokes, seizures, comas, addiction, and even death. These prescription drugs can be just as addictive as street drugs, and the effects can be serious on the bodies and minds of young, developing teens.

Prevention

Even though the problem seems staggering, there are ways for parents to help prevent the misuse of drugs in their homes. Parents need to keep track of their prescription drugs, and be aware that their children may be able to get drugs from family members or friends very easily. Parents should talk with their children about the use of medication, and alert them to the severity of abusing prescription drugs.

While it seems that many anti-drug campaigns have been beneficial in the past, funding is becoming an issue when it comes to teen drug prevention. Every year, Congress gives money to states for drug treatment prevention, allowing the states to divide up the money among some of the programs they wish. A recent trend shows many states often spend very little of the money on adolescent drug prevention. With the new problem of prescription drug abuse in teens, it seems it is important that organizations that educate teens on prevention and treat teen addicts would receive funding to continue to fight this national problem.

Sources

More Kids Dying, New York Times July 18, 2008

Heroin’s Hold on the Young, New York Times Jan. 13, 2008

OxyContin, Vicodin Grow Popular as Teen Drug Use of Choice, Think and Ask nonprofit news February 2007

Teens Turn Away from Street Drugs, Move to Prescription Drugs, New Report Reveals ONDCP Press Release February 14, 2007

Rx—A New Intentional High for Teens National Youth Anti Drug Media Campaign, Greater Dallas Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse 2006

It is widely accepted by addiction professionals throughout the country that the first phase of recovery from drug addiction or alcoholism is a medical detox. Detoxification is an essential element of drug treatment as it helps manage medical symptoms associated with drug withdrawal, while assessing and treating any accompanying medical problems. Most drug detox programs will manage drug withdrawal symptoms by designing a protocol for each patient and dispensing the appropriate medications to offset withdrawal. Due to the medical issues that can accompany drug withdrawal, not to mention how compromised a person’s health is, there should be a physician trained in addiction medicine and 24 hour nursing care.

When most people hear the words detox, they automatically think of managing drug withdrawal. While this certainly is the most important aspect of any drug detox, a service equally important is the ability to evaluate every individual as to their need for ongoing treatment. For this reason all centers need to employ clinicians trained in addiction and mental health problems, in conjunction with medical personnel, to evaluate each patient’s individual needs.

Credentials

There are many factors to consider when choosing a drug detox such as; ensuring that you are choosing a reputable and effective program. One way to achieve this goal would be to review the licensure of the program and the credentials of the staff.

Licensure

A program should always be licensed by the state in which they provide services. In Florida for example, it would be the Department or Children and Family Services. Secondly, and most important, is a program should be accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospital Organizations (JCAHO). This accreditation insures the drug detox maintains certain standards of care as determined the Joint Commission.

Drug Detox Staff Credentials

The physicians providing the drug detox services should be board certified in their particular discipline and secondly credentialed by A.S.A.M., the American Society of Addiction Medicine. This insures the physician has a thorough understanding regarding the disease of addiction and drug detoxification protocol. The nursing staff should consist of Registered Nurses (R.N.) and Licensed Practical Nurses (L.P.N.) both trained in the treatment of drug addiction, alcoholism and the dynamics that accompany the person in drug detox. The clinical staff should as a minimum be master’s degreed or be a Certified Addiction Professional (C.A.P.). They should have experience in the treatment of drug addiction, alcoholism and psychiatric disorders and have spent some time working in a drug detox.

This article was provided by Dan Clark with Recovery Connection Addiction Treatment Helpline at www.recoveryconnection.org