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Prescription Drug Data & Drop-Off Locations

​

Protect your children. Remove your expired, unwanted and unused medications from your home. Be aware of the medications that you do need and keep them locked up. Remember... addiction happens fast, and if it does, you're in for the fight of your life.

The 2016 American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM)  Facts and Figures notes that "four in five new heroin users started out misusing prescription painkillers."

When it comes to opioid prescriptions, NJCARES www.njcares.gov shows the number of prescriptions dispensed by doctors and pharmacies in New Jersey ticked up from nearly 5.3 million in 2013 to almost 5.4 million in 2014 and topped 5.6 million in 2015. But then it began to decline, thanks in part to the growing awareness of the epidemic and its causes, and stricter federal prescribing guidelines. In 2016, 5.3 million scrips were written in the Garden State; by 2017 it had dropped further to 4.9 million. 
And as of September 13, just over 3 million opioid prescriptions had been issued to New Jerseyans in 2018, according to state records.
Source: www.njspotlight.com/stories/18/09/30/latest-opioid-data-good-and-bad-news-for-new-jersey/

Prescription Drug Drop-Off Locations in Monmouth and Ocean Counties

Ocean County
http://www.americanmedicinechest.com/?p=locations&find_state=New+Jersey&find_county=Ocean

Monmouth County
http://www.americanmedicinechest.com/?p=locations&find_state=New+Jersey&find_county=Monmouth


Statistics

Every day, 46 Americans die from an overdose caused by prescription painkiller abuse, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Overdoses of opioid prescription drugs now kill more people in the U.S. than heroin and cocaine combined. 
​
From 1999 to 2016, more than 197,000 people died in the United States from overdoses related to prescription opioids.

Since its launch in 2011, New Jersey’s Project Medicine Drop program has collected more than 12,740 pounds of unwanted medicine and destroyed it safely through incineration. Drop Boxes are now located in all 21 counties in the state, including a college police department and two military installations. Drop Boxes accept solid pharmaceuticals such as pills, capsules, patches, inhalers, and pet medications. They cannot accept syringes or liquids.


​
According to the CDC, More than 191 million opioid prescriptions were dispensed to American patients in 2017 and 48.5 million people have used illicit drugs or misused prescriptions.​
​

In New Jersey, the CDC reports that 62 prescriptions for painkillers were written per 100 residents in 2014, which equates to 5.4 million prescriptions. Prescription pain medication can become a gateway to heroin use, with research showing that four out of five heroin users abused prescription pain relievers before turning to heroin. Over the last decade, heroin abuse among young adults, ages 18 to 25, has quadrupled. Source PDFNJ 

27,000
Estimated number of teens in New Jersey who admitted to nonmedical use of pain relievers in the last year Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
 
70%
of people take at least 1 prescription Source: Mayo Clinic 
 
73%
of teens say it is easy to access prescription drugs from their parents’ medicine cabinet Source: Partnership for Drug-Free Kids
Over 50% of prescription drug abusers got them from family or friends.

– “2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health,” Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (September 2013)

Over 67% of 12th graders who abused prescription narcotics, such as Vicodin® or OxyContin®, were given the drugs by a friend or relative. 
– “2012 Monitoring the Future Survey,” from the National Institute on Drug Abuse

22% of 12th graders who abused prescription narcotics took the drugs from a friend or relative without asking.
–  “2012 Monitoring the Future Survey,” from the National Institute on Drug Abuse

In 2012, 6.8 million people aged 12 and older used prescription drugs non-medically.
– “Results from the 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health,” Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (September 2013)

Side EffectsIn addition to the serious risks of addiction, abuse, and overdose, the use of prescription opioids can have a number of side effects, even when taken as directed:
  • Tolerance—meaning you might need to take more of the medication for the same pain relief
  • Physical dependence—meaning you have symptoms of withdrawal when the medication is stopped
  • Increased sensitivity to pain
  • Constipation
  • Nausea, vomiting, and dry mouth
  • Sleepiness and dizziness
  • Confusion
  • Depression
  • Low levels of testosterone that can result in lower sex drive, energy, and strength
  • Itching and sweating

Other Resources

Aware Rx
Get informed.
http://www.awarerx.org/get-informed/abuse-misuse-dangers#why


Stop Medicine Abuse
http://www.stopmedicineabuse.org

Drug Decoder Guide
http://decoder.drugfree.org

Lock the Cabinet
Accidental drug abuse from your own medicine cabinet. A recent survey by DART in Ocean County, NJ showed 3,000 teens said they first got their drugs from their parents' home, their grandparents' home or a friends' home. Dispose of unused medicine properly at drop-off centers or mix them with undesirable substances like kitty litter or used coffee grounds, and throw them away. Don't flush!
http://www.lockthecabinet.com

Prevent Rx Abuse/ CADCA
www.cadca.org/resources/prevent-rx-abuse

Brothers & Sisters
A video about siblings doing drugs
https://vimeo.com/144760358




Laura's Poem, "Little Blue Pill" as featured on Governor Christie's www.reachnj.gov

  • Blog
  • Resources
    • Important Phone Numbers
    • For Parents >
      • Letter to a Friend
      • Grief and Recovery
      • Child Abuse/ Human Trafficking
      • Bullying & Cyberbullying
      • Internet Safety
    • For Friends/ Teens & Adolescents
    • For Senior Citizens
    • Drug Court, Reentry, Job Resources & Housing >
      • Gang Awareness
    • Substance Abuse >
      • "KUDOS" to These N.J. Treatment Providers
      • Hiding places
      • Meeting locations
      • Prescription Drug Drop off Locations
      • Underage Drinking
      • Heroin, Opioids, NARCAN
      • 12 Steps & 12 Traditions of Alcohol Anyomous
      • Faith-Based Recovery
      • Performance Enhancing Drugs
      • Tobacco, E-Cigarettes, Marijuana & CBD's (HEMP)
    • Healthy Lifestyles >
      • Wellness and Nutrition
      • Food Pantry/ Soup Kitchen Resources
    • Mental Health >
      • College student resources
    • Veterans and Military
    • Women's Issues >
      • Domestic Violence
      • Pregnant and Low Income Resources
    • Teacher Data Sites, Realtor and Pet Med info >
      • Pet Medications
      • DATA SOURCES
      • Expressive Creative Art Therapies
      • Realtors
  • About
    • Testimonies
    • Donna's Bio
    • Laura's Blog
  • Contact
  • Donate