Teen Med Addictions Often Start at Home

Each day in America, 6,000 teenagers are using prescription drugs to get high for the first time, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration says.

On "The Early Show," CBS News correspondent Michelle Miller offered a report on this phenomenon through the stories of teens who were addicts.

Miller visited the Daytop Adolescent Substance Abuse Center in New Jersey.

Megan, a 17-year-old, said she began using pills two years ago.

She told Miller, "I just took them and I fell in love."

Alexis, another 17-year-old in treatment, said, "Everyone in high school does it. It's just the thing to do."

Jamar, a 16-year-old patient at the center, said he had thoughts of robbing a pharmacy.

By all appearances, Miller said, these teens are unlikely drug addicts. She pointed out they are all from loving homes in well-to-do neighborhoods. However, they're among the millions of teens who have abused prescription drugs.

According to the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, 3.2 million teenagers admit to having abused drugs.

Miller said many kids, like Megan, get their fix from the family medicine cabinet. In hers, Megan found Oxycontin, an opiate prescribed for chronic pain and one of the most abused prescription drugs in America.

Megan said, "My mom had had surgery and she had them in the cabinet. I took them; she didn't notice. Two weeks later, I had already gotten to the point where I was doing them 24/7."

Miller asked Alexis, "How easy is it to get prescription pills?"

Alexis replied, "Some kids find a way to somehow get a hold of a prescription, how to write a prescription paper, and go to several different doctors and just get a couple bottles."

Alexis said she would use prescription drugs every day. She said she abused many drugs, including Oxycontin, Xanax and Klonopin.

Miller said, although these kids tried to hide their addictions, they were eventually identified. Each teen is currently receiving treatment.

Megan said she learned to make excuses to hide her addiction.

She said, "If I started to vomit because I was too high, I would just be like, 'Oh I'm sick, I ate something bad' -- something like that."

Megan said her mom "kinda wanted to believe" her.

Megan said prescription drug use is gaining in popularity because kids have easier access.

She said, "It's almost like a safer way to get it, because you don't have to go to the corner."

Miller said that sense of security has led to an epidemic.

Gary Boggs, a special agent with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, told Miller, "The abuse of pharmaceutical drugs is up nine percent over just last year. The teens who abuse, did it before the age of 15."

In an effort to reduce pill abuse and theft, the DEA will hold its first nationwide prescription drug take-back Saturday. People can safely dispose of unwanted medication at more than 3,000 sites around the country. For more on this program, go to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's page here.

Miller said to the teens in treatment, "There are parents out there that say, 'Not my kid, no way."

To that, Jamar replied, "I would say, 'Don't blow it off.' They're everywhere."

Megan added, "It can happen to anyone. There's no kid out there that has a bubble around them saying they'll never do drugs."

"Early Show" Contributor Dr. Jennifer Hartstein, a child and adolescent psychologist, said the 400 percent increase of prescription drug use over the last decade, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is due to the ease of access.

"It's in your house, it's in your medicine cabinet. You don't have to go seek it on and can hide it more if the signs aren't there so your parents can know what you are doing," she said.

"Early Show" co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez said, "What's also scary, kids seem to get younger and younger. Kids as young as 12 years old are doing this. … If your kid smokes you can smell the smoke or drink you can see they are drunk, but if they abuse prescription drugs, how can you tell?"

Hartstein said, "It much harder. They talked about feeling hot, maybe nauseous, their eyes are red, nose is running, they're really lethargic, problems in school. Some of the signs are the same, but much harder to look for. Also, look in your cabinets and see what's going on."

In addition to your cabinets, Hartstein suggested looking in your kitchen and garage for cleaning agents and appliances that may be used as inhalants.

"Anyplace there is some sort of chemical, you want to look there."

For prevention, Hartstein offered these tips:

•Monitor: Know what is in your house, know what's in your cabinets. Kind of do a little inventory.

•Secure It: Lock it up, keep it protected.

•Throw It Away: Dispose of the things you are not using. Get rid of it.

She also shared several slang code words kids may be using to indicate prescription drug abuse:

• Chill pills
• Tranqs
• Big boys
• Pharming