prescription painkiller abuse | The Crossing Point

Rural Teens Face High Risk of Teen Drug Abuse, Especially Prescription Painkiller Abuse

teen drug abuse, prescription painkiller abuse

A recent research study has found that prescription painkiller abuse among teens from rural areas and small communities is higher than what has been seen in large cities and urban areas. The research showed that this type of teen drug abuse was 35% higher for adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 years old who lived in rural communities. Teens who reside in small towns are 21% more likely to engage in this form of substance abuse than urban adolescents. One explanation for the increased risk that researchers have focused on is that primary care providers are not widely available in rura areas, causing teens to go to an ER or urgent care clinic. These medical facilities are typically more likely to prescribe opioid drugs for pain.

The study on teen drug abuse and prescription painkiller abuse by adolescents utilized data that was collected for the National Survey on Drug Use and Health for the years 2011 and 2012. The data included survey information from more than 32,000 teens. According to Pennsylvania State assistant professor of rural sociology, demography, and sociology Shannon Monnat “Over 1.3 million adolescents abused prescription opioids within the last year. With this number of adolescents there are major implications for increased treatment demand, risk of overdose, and even death from these opioids.” The study also showed that girls were more likely to engage in prescription painkiller abuse than boys were. The prescription drugs which seem to be used in rural areas include morphine based formulations like percocet, Oxycontin, and oxycodone. Monnat went on to say “There has been a shortage of primary care practitioners in rural areas for a long time. Often, emergency rooms or urgent care clinics might be the only place for someone to receive treatment in a rural area.”

Does Prescription Painkiller Abuse Raise The Risk Of Heroin Use?

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According to some of the latest research results from SAMHSA’s Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality the illegal use or abuse of any narcotic prescription drugs will increase the risk of heroin use by a considerable amount. The study states that those who have abused prescription drugs in the past were as much as 19 times more likely to engage in heroin abuse. Americans who were between the ages of 12 years old and 49 years old, and who had previously abused prescription drugs intended to relieve pain, were much more likely to turn to heroin abuse within the following year than those who have never abused narcotic prescription drugs. The study did note that a little under 4% of this population had used heroin in the 5 years following the prescription drug abuse though.

Non medical use of prescription painkillers often causes addiction, and this can lead to serious or permanent injury or even death in some cases. In 2011 the number of Americans that admitted heroin abuse had doubled when compared to the levels for 2007, and this trend is alarming. The rate for this form of drug abuse in individuals under 12 did not change, but the rate for those between 12 years old and 49 years old skyrocketed. What was surprising is that the rate for heroin use was lowest in the southern USA, but this region still had high prescription drug abuse rates. The study also showed that African Americans were the least likely to turn to heroin abuse when compared to other ethnic groups and racial populations. What reasons can you think of for these differences?