Published: January 31, 2008 09:50 am            

Looking for the real story on prescription drugs

As the world watches another celebrity overdose unfold before their eyes, I’m prompted to begin my research into prescription drug abuse.

While overdoses have been common in the world for years, the public’s growing interest in the lives of all things celebrity makes their unfortunate demises seem all the more prevalent.

It seems we’ve all grown up in a world full of celebrity overdoses.

Heath Ledger joins a long list of people like Anna Nicole Smith, Ike Turner, Chris Farley, River Phoenix, John Belushi, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix and Marilyn Monroe, to name a few.

When our country is at war, the economy is tanking and history is being made in the democrat primary, the top story of the day is often the disastrous lives of people like Lindsey Lohan and Brittany Spears.

No wonder teenagers make the wrong choice today when confronted with prescription medication. Can you blame them? It’s thrown in their face by the very people they idolize.

I’m not trying to attack celebrities for their mistakes. I’m sure we’d all be mortified if our catastrophic choices were broadcast for the world to see. I actually feel sorry for them with their every mistake being scrutinized around office coolers nationwide.

What I am doing is introducing a new series which delves into prescription drug abuse, and particularly, the alarming number of teenagers who are faced with potentially life-threatening choices every day.

When I was in junior high, prescription abuse wasn’t as rampant as it is today, but I still knew at least 20 kids in my grade who were taking some sort of pills on a regular basis. Most of these kids got access to the pills through a parent, sibling or friend.

With doctor’s writing prescriptions like they’re handing out candy at a Christmas parade, it’s no wonder prescription drugs are the number one choice behind marijuana for adults and teens alike.

According to the 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, in 2005, 2.5 million people ages 12 and older used psychotherapeutics, which include the nonmedical use of any prescription-type pain relievers, tranquilizers, stimulants or sedatives, for the first time.

In 2005, psychotherapeutics were used more often in people ages 12 and older than any other drug except marijuana. In the same year, 9.9 percent of all youth ages 12 to 17 were illicit drug users, with 6.8 percent using marijuana, 3.3 percent prescription drugs, 1.2 percent inhalants, .8 percent hallucinogens and .6 percent cocaine.

Any parent in the county can tell you a story about a child at school having or selling pills to other students. We hear reports of such incidences on a regular basis.

Often, because the age of the student prevents us from delving into the story, our hands are tied. And rightly so. It would be unfair to publish a teenager’s name or identity, forever branding the child with their mistakes.

But what I can do is look into the issue in a general way, and that’s exactly what I plan.

How bad is the problem in Mayes County? Who’s to blame? What’s the solution, if any?

I don’t know.

But those are questions I hope to explore in this new series.

I imagine the problem is multi-faceted as will be the answers.

There’s likely to be no easy solution, but I hope shedding some light on the subject will help.

        

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