National Safety Month: Week 1

The month of June is National Safety Month.  The National Safety Council has broken down the month into 5 categories to discuss.  I will be posting information on each of these topics as the month goes on.

Week 1: Prescription Drug Overdose Prevention

The abuse of prescription drugs (painkillers, depressants and stimulants) is a very real and dangerous threat.  Many people are more concerned with the use of marijuana and other illicit drugs (cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens, and inhalants) that they forget about what may be in their medicine cabinet.

According to the 2008 National Survey of Drug Use & Health, 1.5% of youth ages 12 to13 use prescription drugs for non-medical purposes.  Only 1.0% use marijuana, making prescription-type drugs their drug of choice.  The survey also showed that 2.9% of all youth ages 12-17 use prescription drugs non-medically.

Prescription drugs are often, mistakenly, thought to be safer to take than illicit drugs.  While properly taken under prescription they can be safe and beneficial to a person’s well-being, however, overuse of prescriptions can be just as damaging and addictive (if not more so) as other drug choices.

Teenagers are not the only ones to worry about.  Painkillers (such as Vicodin, Tylenol with Codeine, OxyContin, and Percocet)  are often abused by those to whom they were prescribed.

To learn ways you can help prevent prescription drug abuse in your own family visit www.theantidrug.com.

Week 2: Teen Driving Safety
Week 3: Preventing Overexertion at Work and Home
Week 4: Dangers of Cell Phone Use While Driving