As the holidays approach and you begin to decorate your home, take time to also secure your medicines. During the holidays when you have friends and relatives in your home, they often have full access to your prescriptions stored in the medicine cabinet. While you may not think that anyone would be looking to take medicines from your medicine cabinet, the home is one of the most likely supply sources for prescription medications for teens and their friends.

Teens are abusing prescription drugs more than any recreational drug other than marijuana, including cocaine, heroin and crystal meth combined. Teens are making the decision to abuse prescription medicines based on misinformation. In fact, many people think that abusing prescription drugs is safer than abusing illicit drugs. As the facts will tell you, prescription drugs can have dangerous short- and long-term health consequences when used incorrectly or by someone other than for whom they were intended.

What prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs do you have? Where are they kept? Would you know if some were missing? The good news is that you can take steps immediately to limit access to these drugs and help keep your teen drug-free. If medicine is not stored properly, there can be serious consequences:

· The medicine may get into the wrong hands if a family member or visitor takes it without your knowledge. They may use it incorrectly to try to treat a medical condition — or worse, they may abuse it.

· Heat, humidity, or changes in temperature may damage the medicine.

· Children or pets may be accidentally poisoned by ingesting easily accessible medicine.

If you have prescription medicine in your home, it is your responsibility to properly safeguard and dispose of it.

For further information on the dangers of prescription drugs for non-medical purposes, contact Talbot Partnership at 410-819-8067 or info@talbotpartnership.org. Please also visit our website at www.talbotpartnership.org or find us on Facebook.