Lock It Or Lose It

The 2022 Arizona Youth Survey (AYS) reports 80% of youth say one of their top reasons for not using drugs or alcohol is parental disapproval. Talking with your child about your expectations and verbalizing a no-use message regarding alcohol and drug use is one of the top protective factors that keep teens safe. However, AYS data shows in Peoria, almost half of our youth (48.1%) have never had a conversation about the risks of substance use with their parent or caregiver.

Another contributing factor to youth substance use is easy accessibility. 30% of our youth indicated they take substances right out of their home. At the top of the list are opioid prescription painkillers. Opioids are the most abused drugs, including synthetic opioids such as fentanyl and pain relievers such as oxycodone (Percocet®) and hydrocodone (Vicodin®).

Opioids are highly addictive. What You Can Do. Monitor Meds & Don’t Share. How aware are you of the quantities of medications currently in your home? 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. Be especially vigilant with medicines known to be addictive and commonly abused by teens, such as opioids, benzodiazepines, 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. Take prescription medicine out of the medicine cabinet and lock/secure them in a place only you know about.

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 Peoria Primary Prevention Coalition (3PC), visit https://www.3PCoalition.org or scan the QR Code in our Lock It or Lose It ad in this issue.