Teens Abusing Prescription Pain Relievers
One-third of all teens do not understand that abusing prescription pain relievers can be "as dangerous and addictive" as using street narcotics and other illicit drugs. 40 percent of young people wrongly believe that prescription medicines are "much safer" than illegal drugs.
Source - family.samhsa.gov

Theoretically they should be safer because of the regulation and clean environment they're created in, and it's the misrepresentation of that idea which gets kids confused. Everyone who's on them, seems to think they're a doctor. It doesn't don on them that there's a difference between a doctor and a chemist.

A long time friend on my mother is having a problem with her son and Oxycodone right now. He goes to a methadone clinic now, but he's still a problem. I'm actually not sure he still does the methadone come to think of it. Every time she gets out of debt, he gets a hold of her credit cards or something and puts her right back in.

The scariest thing is that these "geniuses" are trying to work around the laws of illegal substances. They're trying to synthesize substances that have nearly identical chemical makeups, but are just different enough that they shouldn't "technically" be illegal. I don't know how the law works with that, but it's definitely dangerous fiddling around with something that's already a controlled substance. Especially when you're making people believe that it's ok since it's not technically illegal.

I just went over to my brothers house today to have a BBQ. As we were going to get some stuff to grill up his neighbor catches us and gives him some crap in the corner of a little baggy. He didn't even ask what it was, he just snorted it. Finally the guy tells him it's just like MDMA but it's got an extra carbon atom in it or something.

Now I'm wearing shorts with no pockets today because it's hot and I was comfortable, so before we started to leave I had my brother hold my wallet/phone/keys. After I watched him screw around with that crap I asked him to let my see my stuff for a second, told him I'm not coming back, and I left.

As soon as I asked for my stuff his face dropped, he knew what was going on. We've been through this mess many times before and he knew better than to do that stuff around me. We've been through everything from reasonable explanation to physically beating each other up. I'm not even 30 and my hair is turning gray, I don't have time to waste with him about this stuff anymore.

But yeah, if you happen to be unlucky enough to get mixed up with the ones addicted to chemicals, even if it's your own family, it's in your best interest to stay away from them. Any help you give them is only enabling them to keep doing the stuff, they're counting on you being a "good person", just like they do with everyone.

I know what you mean Joebert... It seems like almost all of my cousins wear addicted to something... My dad would take them in and try to help them when they would get kicked out of their house and then stuff would start missing from our house or it would mysteriously get broken into. You just can't help people if they don't want it!

As far as the pain relievers, I hurt my shoulder and rotator cuff in school and my doctor game me some hydrocodine and man that stuff would make my loopy, I probably took it a little longer than I should have... it does give you the best nights sleep... but, it was very addictive... when I got off the stuff I couldn't sleep for about a week, I was anxious and didn't feel quite right. I swore never to take that stuff again unless I was in severe pain.

That friend of my moms son just had one of those mysterious break ins, they took all of the music equipment she bought him, instruments, amps, etc.

She thinks her neighbor did it apparently.

I've seen the scam time and time again, kid begs parents to buy musical equipment, parents cave thinking it will keep them out of trouble, kid gets bored and realizes they're not the next Kurt Cobain (or maybe they are?), kid knows parents will not be happy, kid arranges to have friends "break in" so they can get out of it and still sell the stuff, kids have a drug party with the loot.

That's a sad story. How old is your brother?

He's 24, almost exactly 3 years younger than me.

Exactly? You guys have the same birthday?

almost, 5 days apart.