National Prevention Week incorporates daily themes to focus on substance abuse topics and today, we will be talking about preventing prescription drugs and opioid misuse. According to SAMHSA, about 51% of individuals aged 12 years obtained prescription pain relievers in the past year from a friend or relative. In fact, about 6%-7% of Oklahoma students have used prescription pain relievers such as OxyContin and Percocet during their lifetime without a doctor telling them to take it (OPNA 2018).
Parents and caregivers have an important role to make sure that their children understand the harmful effects of opioid misuse and to have frequent conversations about substance abuse. For families struggling with addiction, there are ways to cultivate hope and feel empowered to take action against the opioid crisis:
- Get messages of Help & Hope by Text with tips and resources if your child is struggling with opioid misuse
- Get trained on how to use naloxone
- Make a donation to your local nonprofit organization that helps families who are struggling with substance use
- Help bring awareness and educate your community on how they can save live
Sources:
https://drugfree.org/article/action-plan-in-the-face-of-the-opioid-epidemic/
For Oklahoma resources, check out https://okimready.org/.
