Have you ever heard of a pharm party? It’s the new Russian Roulette game played by teens all over. Kids raid their parents’ medicine cabinets, taking all kinds of pills such as pain relievers, prescription medications, Tylenol, ibuprofen, cough drops and others. Then they take them to a party and throw them all together in a large bowl. What comes next is every parent’s greatest nightmare. They grab a handful and take them, regardless of what is being matched up with what. Do they get high? Do they get sick? Do they pass out? Do they die? It is all part of a new form of Russian Roulette. Pharm parties are just as dangerous as picking up a gun, spinning the barrel and taking the chance that when the trigger is pulled, the one and only bullet isn’t about to come out.
Some adults compare the kids’ pharm parties of today to “farm parties” with a keg of beer. In this writer’s experience, they were lake parties as we had a nice lake right by our small home town. Still, they were filled with flirting, high school crushes, a bonfire and beer. Every generation has its memories of those “party nights” with high school friends, some strictly freedom of choice, while others confess there was some peer pressure going on.
Kids want to fit in. They want to be popular, they want to have friends. Sometimes, though, it is through wrong choices. Hindsight is a gift many adults get with maturity but wouldn’t it be wonderful if teens could have it during those adolescent years? They don’t so it is up to parental role models, open and honest communication and being part of their every day lives to keep them from making the mistake of a lifetime, such as taking part in a pharm party.
What is the draw of medicine cabinet finds? Some teens say they take prescription and over the counter drugs from the medicine cabinet out of boredom, some say peer pressure or to fit in, some are curious. Some do not think such medicines are as harmful as illicit drugs because they aren’t illegal. Some feel depressed and do not know how to communicate with their parents and take them as a way to cope with life, high school, and other daily rituals.
Keep an eye on your medicine cabinet. Talk to your teen. Make sure your child is not the next statistic in a pharm party game of Russian Roulette.