Educators
As an educator, you have likely seen the impact that prescription drug abuse is having on your students, and on your school. And unlike alcohol, kids abusing prescription medications don’t necessarily stagger, sway, slur, or smell of alcohol. They may be much harder to identify.
But don’t be fooled, as nationally, 1 in 5 teens (19%) report abusing prescription drugs that were not prescribed to them. Students as young as middle school state they are abusing these medications. With the nicknames of these drugs changing constantly, students know that different types of painkillers, uppers and downers can change their mood, or give them a "high", and they are not afraid to share with their friends.
One student recently shared, "Teachers wanted to have a breathalyzer machine at our prom, to catch the kids who were intoxicated. That wouldn’t have made a difference, because alcohol isn’t what the kids are using now."
What can educators do?
Raise awareness in your school or residence hall! Whether by implementing prevention program materials in the classroom, or simply displaying a bulletin board, students can absorb messages about the risks of prescription drug abuse and may decide to change their use behaviors as a result.
Bulletin Board Kits have been assembled by Peer Assistance Services, and are available to any person or institution in Colorado at NO COST. Each kit includes Colorado prescription drug abuse myths & facts, articles, tips, visual ads and book marks, and is great information for parents, staff and students.
Presentations about prescription drug abuse and the “teenage brain” are also available free of charge!
Contact Beverly Gmerek for more information.
USEFUL LINKS:
Video clips about Rx Drug Abuse for parents and for teens, and addresses common myths, the sickness of addition etc.
The teen brain and drugs; lesson plans, stories etc.
Found some unlabeled pills in a desk drawer or on the floor?
National Institute on Drug Abuse
Monitoring The Future Survey
National Institute on Drug Abuse for Teens
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Office of Applied Science Reports about Prescription and Over the Counter Drug Use
Center for Disease Control
The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University
As an educator, you have likely seen the impact that prescription drug abuse is having on your students, and on your school. And unlike alcohol, kids abusing prescription medications don’t necessarily stagger, sway, slur, or smell of alcohol. They may be much harder to identify.
But don’t be fooled, as nationally, 1 in 5 teens (19%) report abusing prescription drugs that were not prescribed to them. Students as young as middle school state they are abusing these medications. With the nicknames of these drugs changing constantly, students know that different types of painkillers, uppers and downers can change their mood, or give them a "high", and they are not afraid to share with their friends.
One student recently shared, "Teachers wanted to have a breathalyzer machine at our prom, to catch the kids who were intoxicated. That wouldn’t have made a difference, because alcohol isn’t what the kids are using now."
What can educators do?
Raise awareness in your school or residence hall! Whether by implementing prevention program materials in the classroom, or simply displaying a bulletin board, students can absorb messages about the risks of prescription drug abuse and may decide to change their use behaviors as a result.
Bulletin Board Kits have been assembled by Peer Assistance Services, and are available to any person or institution in Colorado at NO COST. Each kit includes Colorado prescription drug abuse myths & facts, articles, tips, visual ads and book marks, and is great information for parents, staff and students.
Presentations about prescription drug abuse and the “teenage brain” are also available free of charge!
Contact Beverly Gmerek for more information.
USEFUL LINKS:
Video clips about Rx Drug Abuse for parents and for teens, and addresses common myths, the sickness of addition etc.
The teen brain and drugs; lesson plans, stories etc.
Found some unlabeled pills in a desk drawer or on the floor?
National Institute on Drug Abuse
Monitoring The Future Survey
National Institute on Drug Abuse for Teens
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Office of Applied Science Reports about Prescription and Over the Counter Drug Use
Center for Disease Control
The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University