Drug Demand Reduction

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Drug Demand Reduction

Inhalants are widely abused drugs and are virtually free, easily accessible to kids, and often used right under their parents’ and teachers’ noses. “Inhalant abuse generally starts before the teen years and sniffing and huffing often lead to using harder, illegal drugs. For many youngsters, it’s their first experience with getting high.” Most kids understand it as “huffing,” “sniffing,” or “bagging,” because they’ll put their head in a bag filled with say, gasoline-soaked rags, shake it, and huff a huge amount of the concentrated fumes in one breath.”-Dr. Harvey Weiss, National Inhalant Prevention Coalition. Because the chemicals in inhalants flood into the lungs in such high concentration, they can have a more toxic impact than any other abused drug. Chronic inhaling can injure the brain, lungs, and central nervous system, often instantly, sometimes permanently. In some cases the first whiff of a toxic inhalant can be fatal…this is known as Sudden Sniffing Death Syndrome.

Drug Demand Reduction American Lung Association-- “Tobacco teaches children Drug Use 101, which can be the foundation for other drug use.” Kids associate it with grown up behavior. They gravitate toward cigarettes because their parents, role models and older kids smoke. It’s all about being “cool.” If you can’t kick the habit…level with the kids and tell them of the drawbacks--but be aware that if you smoke, you double the chances that your children will as well.

Drug Demand Reduction

Released on 9/8/11…A survey, sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), found 8.7 percent of Americans say they regularly use illegal drugs recreationally, the same rate as 2009, but above the 2008 rate of 8 percent. The most popular drug is marijuana, with 17.4 million regular users. In 2007, 14.4 million Americans said they used marijuana. Among 12- to 17-year-olds, 7.4 percent said they had used marijuana in the previous month in 2010, about the same percentage as Among 18- to 25-year- olds, 18.5 percent said they used marijuana in 2010, up from 16.5 percent in 2008

Drug Demand Reduction Gil Kerlikowske, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, attributed the increase in marijuana use to the growing number of states that approved marijuana for medical use. In a news release issued by SAMHSA, Kerlikowske said, “Emerging research reveals potential links between state laws permitting access to smoked medical marijuana and higher rates of marijuana use.” Marijuana distorts the ability to process info and affects short term memory…the ability to learn. “Marijuana makes our brightest kids average, our average kids dull, and our dull kids almost incapable of learning.” Dr. Bill Beachum, Center for Drug-Free Communities.

Drug Demand Reduction

A survey of high school students found that 18% of females and 39% of males say it is acceptable for a boy to force sex if the girl is stoned or drunk (OIG, HHS, “Dangerous and Deadly consequences.”

Drug Demand Reduction The top three causes of death for Americans between the age of 15 and 25 are: 1. Accidents 2. Homicide 3. Suicide

Drug Demand Reduction The automobile accounts for the largest number of these accidental deaths. There are about 17,000 alcohol related car accident deaths in the United States each year, this means that there is a drunk driving death every 31 minutes. Alcohol was a factor in 39 percent of all fatal accidents.

Drug Demand Reduction 2400 youth age 12 to 17 abuse a pain reliever for the very first time every day. More teens abuse prescription drugs than any illicit drug except marijuana. In 2008, nearly 2 million teens age 12 to 17 reported abusing prescription drugs. Among 12- and 13-year-olds, prescription drugs are their drug of choice. Because these drugs are so readily available, teens who wouldn’t otherwise touch illicit drugs might abuse prescription drugs.

Drug Demand Reduction 70% of people age 12 and older who abuse prescription painkillers say they get them from relatives and friends. Others may abuse their own prescription medicine. Teens also report that these drugs are not hard to find. About 36 percent of 12th graders say that painkillers are fairly or very easy to get, and nearly half say the same of stimulants. Source: SAMHSA, 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (September 2009)

Drug Demand Reduction Painkillers: Vicodin (hydrocodone and acetaminophen,) Tylenol with Codeine, OxyContin, Percocet (oxycodone with acetaminophen) Depressants: Klonopin, Nembutal, Soma, Valium, Xanax Stimulants: Adderall, Concerta, Dexedrine, Ritalin OTCs: Coricidin HBP Cough and Cold, Robitussin, Vicks Formula 44 Cough Relief, and others.

Drug Demand Reduction

What are the dangers of prescription/OTC drug abuse??

Drug Demand Reduction “an alarming number of today’s teenagers are more likely to have abused Rx and OTC medications than a variety of illegal drugs like Ecstasy, cocaine, crack and meth. Nearly one in five teens (19 percent or 4.5 million) report abusing prescription medications to get high; and one in 10 (10 percent or 2.4 million) report abusing cough medicine to get high.”

Drug Demand Reduction The abuse of over-the-counter cough and cold remedies can cause blurred vision, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, coma, and even death. In 2004, nearly half of all emergency room visits resulting from abuse of cough or cold remedies were patients between the ages of 12 and 20.

Drug Demand Reduction A “Robitussin high” is derived from abusing Robitussin, a common cough and cold product, and when taken in recreational doses, which far exceed recommended doses, the user may experience a “high.” This Robitussin high is caused by the excessive dose of dextromethorphan, a common ingredient found in many cough medications, including Robitussin. When such medications are abused they become a dissociative drug.

Drug Demand Reduction the term refers to young people substituting cough suppressants and a decongestant or antihistamine, often found in a little red pill, for the red candies found in a Skittles bag. Then the drugs are consumed by the handful. The ingredients used in skittling drugs are found in the cough and cold over-the-counter medication Corididin HBP, a combination of dextromethorphan, a cough suppressant also called DMX, and the antihistamine chlorpheniramine or pseudoephedrine. Certain formulas of Robitussin and Sudafed have been used during skittling episodes, which can both be commonly found in many homes. Dangerous and deadly side effects can occur during skittling, including sharp rises in blood pressure and heart rate levels, seizures and hallucinations

Drug Demand Reduction Users report a feeling of being intoxicated and may also show speech problems, become very agitated or extremely tired. Many have trouble walking and report vision problems – potentially setting the stage for deadly car accidents or other injury accidents. The effects of skittling are varied among teens, making some extremely fidgety and excited and others very drowsy. Many have reported using skittling as a way to relieve stress or tension, and may quickly become dependent on the habit to escape negative emotions. Because the cough and cold medications used during skittling are almost indistinguishable from candy, teens can abuse the drugs at school and other settings without notice by adults. Drug officials also fear that teens may use skittling as a segway to methamphetamine or other drug use, such as prescription painkillers.

Drug Demand Reduction Many teens report mixing prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, and alcohol; “Pharm Parties”. Using these drugs in combination can cause respiratory failure and death

Drug Demand Reduction 1.Peer pressure 2. Pleasure 3.Curiosity or 4.Experimentation 5. Boredom 6. Self esteem 7. Coping with stress 8. Escapism 9. Rebellion

Drug Demand Reduction Talk with your kids

Drug Demand Reduction Teenagers whose parents talk to them regularly about the dangers of drugs are 42% less likely to use drugs than those whose parents don’t, …yet only 1 in 4 teens reports having these conversations.

Drug Demand Reduction

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