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Highlands Today

Program Targets Rx Drug Abuse In Teens

KATHY WATERS/HIGHLANDS TODAY

Sgt. Monica Sauls talks about the prescription drug awareness and abuse prevention presentation that has been incorporated into the existing D.A.R.E. program.

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By Dan  Fearson | Highlands Today

Published: November 6, 2007

SEBRING — A growing number of adolescents are starting to turn to over-the-counter and prescription drugs for a high.

"Prescription drug abuse has become an epidemic across the country," said Sgt. Monica Sauls, of the Highlands County Sheriff's Office. "While the use of popular gateway drugs has decreased, the number of teens abusing medication has steadily increased."

Sauls points to a 2005 study used during D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) presentations that shows that 4.7 millions teens admitted taking prescription medication that was not prescribed to them. The number ranks third among drugs that teens have tried, behind only marijuana and inhalants.

Because of the popularity boom, the sheriff's office developed a prescription drug awareness and abuse prevention presentation that they have incorporated into their D.A.R.E. program.
"People don't understand the depth of this problem," said Sauls. "Medications are readily available. All someone has to do is dig through a medicine cabinet or go to a drugstore."

Sauls said that the common medications abused are pain killers and depressants. Drugs like OxyContin, Vicodin and Ritalin are the most popular.

"We were hearing stories for a couple of years about how prescription drugs were becoming more popular," said Sauls. "Then the stories became more involved. We were hearing about things like 'pharming parties.'"

Sauls described pharming parties as parties where people put mixtures of prescription pills into bowls, forming a "trail mix," which they use to get high.

"Sometimes the kids think, 'Oh, that can't hurt me, what can it possibly do,'" said Sauls. "But they don't understand that you can create deadly mixtures when combining pills."
Besides regular intake, abusers often crush and snort the drugs to get a quicker high. Sauls said this is common among time-released medications.

"Kids are nowadays being raised by a generation of parents who have had the best of prescription drug benefits," said Sauls.
Sauls said the prescription program is being taught to local fifth- and seventh-graders that have enrolled in D.A.R.E. The program also includes supplemental material can be used to educate high-schoolers and community members.

"The program can help out adults as well because it can help educate them as to drug labels and laws," said Sauls.

Sauls said the community program lasts about an hour and also discusses legal over-the-counter medications and their abuse.

Any interested adults who would like to schedule a program can call the HSCO Crime Prevention Unit at 863-385-0024.

Medicine Abuse Is Becoming "Normalized" In Teen Culture:
u One in three teens report having a close friend who abuses prescription pain relievers to get high.
u One in four teens report having a close friend who abuses cough medicine to get high.
Source: D.A.R.E.

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