The questions still remain today: Why are teens using prescription drugs? What makes them want to use?
Well a study by the National Institute on Drug Abuse has broken it down for us. The misuse and abuse of prescription medications in the United States remains high, but few people are aware of just how big the problem really is. In its candy-coated hues, this infographic shares the pill popping reality of the situation, from the numbers of abusers to the places they obtain their drugs and their reasons for abusing. With this infographic, their goal was to use the casual spin usually associated with prescription drug abuse – it’s not abuse, it’s just popping pills – to emphasize its seriousness–that prescription drug abuse is a growing problem in the United States today, one that demands our attention.
Here are the TOP 12 reasons why teens use prescription drugs.
- 62%: Easy to get from parent’s medicine cabinet
- 52%: Available Everywhere
- 51%: They are not illegal drugs
- 50% Easy to get through other people’s prescriptions
- 49%: Can claim to have prescription if caught
- 43%: They are cheap
- 35%: Safer to sue than illegal drugs
- 33%: Less shame attached to using
- 32%: Easy to purchase over the internet
- 32%: Fewer side effects than street drugs
- 25%: Can be used as study aids
- 21%: Parents don’t care as much if caught