Be Smart about Prescription Drugs

Rx for Understanding:

Be Smart about Prescription Drugs

Educator's Resource Guide

Prescription Drugs: Proper Use Misuse Abuse

Easy-to-use, standards-based, cross-curricular lessons for grades 5 ? 8

? NEA Health Information Network This program may be reproduced for educational use only.

Table of Contents

Welcome................................................................................................................................................................. 1 How to Use This Resource Guide........................................................................................................................... 2 Teacher Background Information and Resources................................................................................................... 4

Lesson 1 | Grades 5 ? 6 Rx for Understanding: Building a Foundation for Health....................................................................................... 6 Lesson 2 | Grades 5 ? 6 Rx for Understanding: Proper Use of Prescription Drugs.................................................................................... 14 Lesson 3 | Grades 5 ? 6 Rx for Understanding: Misuse of Prescription Drugs........................................................................................... 24 Lesson 4 | Grades 5 ? 6 Rx for Understanding: Abuse of Prescription Drugs ? Consequences and Support............................................ 30 Lesson 5 | Grades 5 ? 6 Rx for Understanding: Creating a Healthy Future................................................................................................. 40

Lesson 1 | Grades 7 ? 8 Rx for Understanding: Building a Foundation for Health..................................................................................... 48 Lesson 2 | Grades 7 ? 8 Rx for Understanding: Proper Use of Prescription Drugs.................................................................................... 64 Lesson 3 | Grades 7 ? 8 Rx for Understanding: Misuse of Prescription Drugs........................................................................................... 76 Lesson 4 | Grades 7 ? 8 Rx for Understanding: Abuse of Prescription Drugs ? Consequences and Support............................................ 88 Lesson 5 | Grades 7 ? 8 Rx for Understanding: Creating a Healthy Future............................................................................................... 102

Family Connection: Optional Parent Letter........................................................................................................ 112 Meeting National Education Standards.............................................................................................................. 114 Acknowledgements.............................................................................................................................................120

NEA Health Information Network iv

Welcome

Dear Educator,

Thank you for your commitment to educating your students about the crucial health issue of prescription drug abuse. The Office of National Drug Control Policy calls prescription drug abuse "the Nation's fastestgrowing drug problem." The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has classified prescription drug abuse as an epidemic. The problem of prescription drug misuse and abuse is particularly alarming among young people.

Every day for the first time, an average of 2,000 teenagers use prescription drugs without a doctor's guidance. More teenagers are abusing prescription drugs than cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine combined. One in four teens report that they have taken a prescription drug that was not prescribed for them. Sixty percent of teens who have reported abusing prescription pain medications did so before age 15. We must act now!

One of the most significant (and preventable) causes of prescription drug misuse and abuse among youth is a lack of knowledge and understanding about the importance of proper use. Forty-one percent of teens believe that it is safer to get high using a prescription drug than it is with a drug such as marijuana or cocaine. Teenagers believe that since prescription drugs are given by doctors, they must be safe. We need to help build an understanding that this perceived safety is predicated on proper use. The objective of this resource is to change the way adolescents and teens view prescription drugs, ensuring that they know the value of proper use and the dangers of misuse and abuse.

As an educator, you have a unique opportunity to educate your students about their health and the importance of proper prescription drug use in a way that is meaningful and memorable. We thank you for the opportunity to assist you with this mission! We also thank Purde Pharma L.P. for their support of this project through an educational grant.

Sincerely,

NEA Health Information Network

Every day for the first time,

an average of 2,000

teenagers use prescription drugs without a doctor's guidance.

1 4 in teenagers report

that they have taken a prescription drug not prescribed to them by a doctor at least once in their lives.

NEA Health Information Network 1

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