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In Your School > Background
It's not news that kids experiment with drugs. But recently, kids have found that some of the easiest drugs to get their hands on are right in their own homes — prescription medications. Some of the drugs more commonly abused are stimulants, CNS depressants, and opioid analgesics. Brand names include, but are not limited to, Lorcet®, OxyContin®, Percocet®, Ritalin®, Soma®, Valium®, Vicodin®, and Xanax®.
Prescription medications are invaluable for people with certain medical conditions and even save lives. But they can be deadly when abused. Prescription medications should only be taken by the person for whom they are prescribed.
Equating the consequences of prescription drug abuse with those of "hard drug" abuse (like heroin or crack) is a key to getting kids to understand the real dangers of prescription drug abuse.
Kids tend to believe that prescription medications are safer than illegal "street" drugs because they are prescribed by a doctor, approved by the FDA, "clean" (i.e. not mixed with other substances), and "non-addictive." How wrong they are!
Showing kids how they can lose their dignity and self-respect when abusing prescription drugs connects with a teen's need for acceptance and triggers their fear of alienation from their peers.
In addition to just swallowing pills, kids are abusing prescription medicines by crushing pills and then snorting or injecting them to get a quicker, more intense high. Such behavior can be as addictive and dangerous as taking "illicit" drugs. The idea that they might become "addicts" carries significant weight with kids who tend to dismiss physical dangers or rationalize by saying "nothing will happen to me."
Once teens understand the serious consequences of prescription drug abuse, the reasons not to abuse these drugs become "painfully obvious®."
Click the "downloads" menu option at the top of this page to download free support materials that will help you communicate the "Painfully Obvious®" message to kids.
Free materials include:
- Leader's Guide:
A pamphlet that will help you to better understand the issue of prescription drug abuse before you initiate a discussion with your group.
- Posters:
Three posters, each designed to convey the dangers of prescription drug abuse.
- Kid's Guide:
A take home for kids.
- Parent's Guide:
A guide for parents on the dangers of prescription drug abuse.
- Discussion Guide:
This guide offers discussion topics and group activities that may be helpful as a starting point. These are suggestions — create your own ideas and share them with others!
- Participant Questionnaire:
Give this "test" to each kid before and after the discussion. See if their opinions have changed based on the program.
- Leader Evaluation:
An evaluation that provides feedback on the "Painfully Obvious®" program.
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PAINFULLY OBVIOUS® — "Be sure to check out all of the other sections."
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