Are You Leaving Pills in Easy Reach?

A new study from Johns Hopkins shows that many parents are still not fully aware of the dangers of prescription medication abuse, and the need for keeping pills locked up out of the way of children.

This new survey, published in the March edition of Pediatrics, asked 681 adults who had been prescribed painkillers about the ways they stored pills in the home. All those surveyed had children in the home under 17 years of age and unfortunately, 70% of these parents said that they leave pills out in the open, on counters, in dressers or in purses.

This survey provides an interesting snapshot into pill availability to youth. The dangers are many and varied, young children not understanding what they are, may mistake them for sweets. Teens out of curiosity, or having heard about the high they can cause, may decide to experiment. It is significant that in the USA 40% of high school seniors consider painkillers “fairly easy” or “very easy” to get.

A Road to Ruin

Painkillers have a valuable and important use when used correctly, but their abuse can be extremely dangerous. Like many drugs, they can lead to addiction and use of heavier drugs. For young people, it could be the beginning of a dangerous road into getting high, lying and stealing from parents and the pursuit of further and stronger highs.

When illicitly-manufactured fentanyl and other dangerous synthetic opioids hit the market a few years ago, the abuse of prescription drugs took an even more dangerous turn. Now, someone may think they are buying pharmaceutical pills, but unless it is from a pharmacy, the pills could just as easily be counterfeits containing the incredibly powerful fentanyl. When these or other strong illicit opioids are taken it is very easy to accidentally overdose.

Saving Lives

Everyone knows how small errors can lead to big disasters, but we don’t always relate that strongly to our own lives, or look at different situations and what their unintended consequences could be. This situation with unlocked pills is certainly one of them.

For the small error of not having a locked medicine cabinet, a young person could decide to try a few pills, and because perhaps he liked the feeling he could decide to try some more, and then because he now has the urge for more, perhaps he buys pills from a drug dealer, and perhaps this dealer is selling counterfeits and he ends up with an OD due to fentanyl.

It may sound out of your world and unrealistic, but the unfortunate truth is it happens. Take the time to always ensure you lock up safely all medication. It only takes moments to do it correctly, and it only takes moments to accidentally begin a child on the road to disaster.

As it is not illicit drugs, you may not feel that rehabilitation is in order, but the truth is, once you stop following a prescription and begin abusing medication everyone really is in the same boat.

With the drug-free withdrawal which does not involve further drugs, the New Life Detoxification, exercises and courses, the Narconon programme is thorough and aims to give you all the preparation and tools necessary to go on to live a drug-free life.

Here at Narconon UK, we see all too many people who have suffered from prescription medication abuse. If you or someone you love has already started down this dark path and is in need of help, contact us on 00800 802 1375