The Partnership for Drug-Free Kids Launches Interactive Tool to Illustrate How Pain Medicine Abuse Can Lead to Heroin Addiction

NEW YORK, Feb. 12, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Partnership for Drug-Free Kids today released a new web resource to help drive awareness and action around the dangerous risks of prescription (Rx) medicine abuse among teens. The tool is an interactive infographic that illustrates the path leading some teens and young adults from prescription painkiller abuse into heroin addiction. The new infographic is the latest resource from The Medicine Abuse Project, a 5-year national action campaign that aims to prevent half a million teens from abusing medicine.

The infographic, both interactive and in printable .pdf form, follows the story of a fictional teen named Katie who was prescribed painkillers after suffering an injury. She then begins to abuse her Rx medication and when her tolerance increases, Katie is unable to gain access to more Rx pain medicine. Katie eventually turns to another opiate, heroin, leading her to a full-blown heroin addiction.

Research shows that 4 out of 5 heroin users first began with recreational use of prescription pain relievers[1]. Also, nearly 50 percent of young people who inject heroin started by abusing Rx drugs.[2] By utilizing key facts, statistics and links to direct services, the new tool is customized for parents, as well as educators, health care professionals and communities who may be looking for what they can do to address the migration from Rx pain medicine to heroin.

"The sad truth is that some young people start on a journey abusing prescription painkillers and then switch to heroin because it's actually cheaper and more accessible. Communities across the country – regardless of geographic location or economic status – are experiencing an alarming uptick in deaths related to heroin overdose," said Steve Pasierb, President and CEO of the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids. "We are responding to the needs of parents with a visually-engaging story, that helps humanize this often complex issue, by providing them with a very real scenario that can unfortunately happen to a young person in his or her life. Our hope is that parents will start a dialogue about what steps they can take to help prevent prescription painkiller abuse in their own families."

"I have been working with patients with heroin addiction for the last 10 years and I can honestly say that almost every heroin addict I have seen started using prescription opiates first," said Dr. Josh Hersh, Staff Psychiatrist at Miami University. "Some of them experienced injuries or surgeries and got their first prescription opiate from a physician while others got their first prescription opiate from their parents' medicine cabinet. I think a resource such as this new tool can really help parents and kids see how addiction progresses and see that people don't become heroin addicts overnight." 

The new infographic is part of the many science-based resources the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids offers to parents and families. For those who are looking for help for a child or loved one, the new tool also helps link them to direct services via the Partnership's toll-free helpline and other online resources. Please visit drugfree.org for more information.

About the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids

The Partnership for Drug-Free Kids is dedicated to reducing teen substance abuse. We develop public education campaigns that drive awareness of teen substance abuse, and lead teen-targeted efforts that inspire young people to make positive decisions to stay healthy and avoid drugs and alcohol. On our website, drugfree.org, and through our toll-free helpline (1-855-DRUGFREE),we provide families with direct support and guidance to help them address teen substance abuse. Finally, we build healthy communities, advocating for great access to adolescent treatment and funding for youth prevention programs. As a national nonprofit, we depend on donations from individuals, corporations, foundations and the public sector and are thankful to SAG-AFTRA and the advertising and media industries for their ongoing generosity. We are proud to receive a Four-Star rating from Charity Navigator, America's largest and most-utilized independent evaluator of charities, as well as a National Accredited Charity Seal from the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance.

[1] Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
[2] Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

SOURCE The Partnership for Drug-Free Kids

Related Links

http://www.drugfree.org