There’s no question that today’s younger generation is getting into prescription drug use, you see it too often on the news, another young teen hospitalized or worse passed away from prescription drug abuse.  With many of us here on Garage-Girls with kids in their teens or about to be, we wanted to share some very important info with you on this topic.

-Prescription medications should only be used under medical supervision

-avoid self -diagnosing and self prescribing.

– Model this behavior to others and help educate them about the dangers of abusing prescription drugs.

– Store prescription drugs in locked and secure locations and dispose of medications properly or participate in a medication disposal day in your community.

-Talk with your kids, friends, and neighbors or other groups about this issue.

Any drug that activates a certain pathway in the brain(called the reward center) has the potential to be addictive. Just like many illegal street drugs, some prescription medications do this and therefore, can be addictive as well. Drug treatment admissions for those addicted to prescription drugs have escalated substantially in recent years.

Many of those who abuse these types of medications (approximately 70%) get them from family or friends, often from the family medicine cabinet. Therefore, it is very important to store these medications in locked and secure areas, protected from those who may wish to abuse them.

It is important to use appropriate approaches when educating young people about prescription drug abuse. For example, these  behaviors should not be glamorized or shown in a positive light. But in the information age, very specific information about any drug is as close as the internet. It is imperative to provide factual information to counterbalance the mythical impressions often held by young people.

For more info on this very serious topic please visit

National Council on Patient Information and Education

National Institute on Drug Abuse

parents. The anti-Drug

Stop Medicine abuse