Previous studies have shown that prescription drugs can take life if not handled properly. Despite the alarm raised by various government authorities against the misuse of prescription drugs, these drugs are easily available to teenagers.

According to the 13th an annual survey from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University in New York, most teenagers claim that acquiring prescribed drugs is even easiers than getting a beer.

The survey also showed that the number of cases of drug addiction of prescribed drugs is rising. However number of cases of drug addiction of illegal drugs is decreasing.

This survey included more than 1,000 teenagers and more than 300 of their parents. This survey also showed that most parents are unaware about intake of drugs by their kids.

Forty six percent teenagers accepted that they leave their homes on school nights to hang out with friends. These teenagers didn’t deny the occasional use of drugs and alcohol on these outings. The survey found that only 14% are unaware about this fact about their wards.

CASA President Joseph Califano said, "These parents are passive pushers by not taking care of their drugs." He added that reasons behind increase in addiction of prescribed are still not known. He said that some people believe that prescription drugs are safer than other illegal drugs.

Ralph Lopez, a New York pediatrician, associate professor of pediatrics at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University said that prescribed drugs can adversely affect teenagers. Lopez added that a commonly prescribed pain pill like Vicodin can be detrimental to the still-developing teenage brain and can impair judgment in people who already are prone to mistakes in judgment. The drugs increase "the risk for accidents, sexual activities (and) more drugs.

The present survey has shown that negligence of duties by parents can lead to adoption of bad habits by teenagers. Authorities added that parents are not keeping enough check on their wards. They added that some techniques of good old parenting can be helpful in case of teenagers.

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