Drug Free Communities of Fond du Lac County’s youth action team, Students Taking Action Against Negative Decisions (STAAND), will participate in National Drug Facts Week (NDFW) Monday, January 23 through Friday, January 29. This week-long observance was launched in 2010 to counteract the myths about drugs and alcohol that teens often hear from the Internet, TV, movies, music, or friends. The STAAND groups in Fond du Lac, Campbellsport, North Fond du Lac and Ripon along with Fond du Lac middle schools, will be sharing information throughout “National Drug Facts Week” (NDFW) to spread awareness about prescription drug abuse. NDFW is organized by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and takes place across the country. Although the use of tobacco, alcohol and illicit drugs among youth has declined, studies have shown that many teens have turned to misusing prescription drugs. Drugs can put a teenager’s health and life in jeopardy and many teens are not aware of the risks. One out of 20 Fond du Lac School District 8th, 10th, and 11th grade students surveyed in 2014 reported using Rx medication that was not prescribed to them in the past 30 days. The medication was taken only for the experience or feeling it caused. Additionally, of the students who had reported Rx misuse, 1 in 3 of those students’ source was from a friend or peer. In fact, prescription drugs are misused more by this age group than any illicit drug, except for marijuana. The nonmedical use of these medicines—the very same drugs used to legitimately relieve pain, and treat conditions like anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, or ADHD in some people—is a growing and under-recognized problem that puts young lives at risk. For adults in the community, it is important to be educated and aware of the drugs that are found right in our own medicine cabinets – Rx medications. Parents and family members are in the best position to reduce access to Rx drugs by keeping track of medicines in their home and by properly disposing medications when they are no longer needed utilizing the local community drug disposal site. Model good behavior by not sharing your medications and only take them according to your doctor’s orders or by following the instructions on the label. For more information on local Rx disposal, please visit: drugfreefdl.com. Information about STAAND can be found on Drug Free Communities of Fond du Lac County’s website, drugfreefdl.com.
