Teens Who Drink and Smoke May Be At Risk for Prescription Pill Addiction

Experts in the field of psychology are always looking for connections and relationships. Doing so helps them prevent, treat, and understand psychological illness. One potential connection found was the relationship between drinking, smoking, and abuse of prescription pain medication among teens. This connection was the result of a study administered by Yale University and published in the Journal of Adolescent Health August 21, 2012. 

According to the study, teens who drink or smoke are two to three times more likely to abuse prescription pain medication later in life. Experts from Yale University took the results of the 2006-2008 U.S. National Survey on Drug Use and Health, which surveyed teens and young adults ranging in age between 18 to 25. By analyzing the data, they found is that 12% of those surveyed reported they currently abuse prescription pain medication. And of that 12%, just above half (57%) abused alcohol as teens, 56% smoked cigarettes, and 34% smoked marijuana. 

Recognizing the problem with teen abuse of prescription pain medication, lead researcher Dr. Lynn Fiellin, associate professor of medicine at Yale, commented, "about 3.5 million young adults abuse prescription opioids, "and this number is growing." It should be noted that just because there is a connection between drinking, smoking, and prescription pain addiction doesn't mean that there is a cause-effect relationship. 

Prescription pain medication contains opioid. Common forms of opioids, in the form of painkillers, include oxycodone, hydrocodone, diphenoxylate, morphine, codeine, and methadone. Opioids can also be found in the illicit drug heroin. In fact, many teens who get hooked on prescription pain pills often resort to heroin because it's more accessible and often less expensive. Because of a need to feed the addiction, many teens develop an addiction to heroin. And because many teens and young adults have developed a problem with opiates (including overdosing and death), there has been epidemic of this type of addiction around the country. 

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, prescription drug misuse by adolescents is second to marijuana and alcohol misuse. However, When teens get a hold of and use prescription drugs in a way other than how they are prescribed, it is considered abuse. Research indicates that 20% of teens that have abused prescription drugs reported that they did so before the age of 14. Also, 33% of teens believe that using prescription drugs not prescribed to them is okay. Sadly, many teens believe that abusing prescription drugs is safer than abusing illicit drugs such as cocaine. However, the abuse of these drugs, particularly by at-risk youth can easily lead to irreparable consequences.

If you're a teen who is using pain medication without a prescription, you might consider the risks. As already mentioned, misuse of prescription pain medication can lead to an addiction to heroin. Also, many teens and adults around the country have found themselves with an addiction that's more than they can handle. Overdose and even death has happened for many teens since 2011. 

If you're experiencing this type of addiction, calling for help can help turn things around. If you can find the courage inside you, talk to a parent, school counselor, teacher, or adult you trust. Doing so can save your life!