A study by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) finds that the number of websites that advertise or sell prescription drugs dropped from 581 to 365 in the past year.

"'This decline in the number of Web sites advertising or selling controlled prescription drugs may reflect efforts of federal and state agencies and financial institutions to crack down on Internet drug trafficking...' said Joseph A. Califano, Jr., CASA's Chairman and President and former U.S. Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare."

Unfortunately, not all the news was good. CASA also found that few sites require proof of a prescription before consumers purchase controlled medications. Source: PharmaLive

Labels: internet, pharmacies, prescription_drugs

The pharmaceutical company Reckitt Benckiser has announced that is has launched Addiction411; the first-ever MySpace account developed to educate people about the dangers of opioid dependence. The site offers information about treatment options, addiction red flags, and more.

"Addiction411 is the first time that MySpace members will have direct access to information about this increasingly prevalent disease and practical guidance on how to find treatment."

The World Health Organization and the National Institute for Drug Abuse both recognize opioid dependence as a chronic brain disease. Read more online.

NorthStar Center is a substance abuse treatment center located in Bend, Oregon that caters to the needs of young adults.

Labels: information, internet, support

When your teenager is sending messages to her friends on MySpace, she may not be sharing the latest high school dating gossip, but rather, telling her friends about her latest drug- or alcohol-related escapades. A new study by Caron Treatment Centers found that 1 in 10 messages posted by teenagers asked for advice on "safe" ways to take illicit drugs without getting caught.

"The study also found that in messages about alcohol, hooking up and having sex when drinking were the top behaviors discussed by teens. While a few teens expressed regret over things they did while drunk, many chalked it up to 'fun', 'being wasted' and 'having a good time.'"

The majority of messages posted by teens were free of this type of content. Of the 10.3 million messages analyzed, 160,000 contained drug, sex or alcohol related content; that's about 1 1/2 percent. But of that 160,000, 80% of the messages discussed alcohol, marijuana, cocaine or acid/LSD.

Read more online.

Labels: communication, drug_abuse, internet

Prescription drug abuse has become more common than the uses of heroin and crack/cocaine combined. Most parents take proactive steps to keep their prescription medications where they can't be found or stolen, but teens can also buy them online - often without a prescription.

"According to CASA [The Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse], there are 581 websites that advertise or sell controlled prescription drugs... One of the most disturbing things about this study is that 84 percent of these websites don't require a prescription to buy these drugs."

It's becoming increasingly important for parents to monitor what their kids are doing online. Prescription drugs can only be bought online using a credit card, so careful scrutiny of credit card statements is important as well. Read more at Fox16.com.

Concerned about adolescent substance abuse? DrugRehabTreatment.com has the answers you're looking for about prescription drug abuse and other more about drugs and teens. Visit DrugRehabTreatment.com for help on teen drug addiction.

Labels: internet, over-the-counter-drugs, prescription_drugs