Lock It or Lose It

Facts to Know - The 2022 Arizona Youth Survey reports over 60% of Buckeye youth have seen the WOW Coalition’s substance use prevention messaging, and 44% have seen our fentanyl prevention messaging. 55% of area teens who abuse prescription medicine report getting them from home. Opioid prescription painkillers are the most abused drugs and include synthetic opioids such as fentanyl and pain relievers such as oxycodone (Percocet®) and hydrocodone (Vicodin®). 80% of youth report one of their top reasons for not using drugs or alcohol is parental disapproval.

What You Can Do - Monitor Meds & Don’t Share. Think about this: Would you know if some of your pills were missing? From this day forward, make sure you can honestly answer yes. If you need to refill your medicine more often than expected, that could indicate a problem.

If your teen is prescribed a medicine, be sure you control the medication and monitor dosages and refills. Be especially vigilant with medicines known to be addictive and commonly abused by teens, such as opioids and stimulants.

Secure All Meds = Lock Them Up

If you’ve got kids or grandkids, treat Rx medications just like you treated the cabinet under the sink when you had toddlers. Lock them up. If possible, keep all medicines, both prescription and over-the-counter, in a safe place, such as a locked cabinet your teen cannot access. Please spread the word to other households that teens may have access to and encourage them to secure their prescriptions as well.

Dispose of Properly - Safely disposing of expired or unused medicine is a critical step in helping to protect your teens, your family, and your home and decrease the opportunity for your teens or their friends to abuse your medicine.

Submitted by The WOW Coalition. Visit: http:// www.wowcoalition.org or scan the QR Code in our Lock It or Lose It ad in this issue.