The most disturbing finding in the report shows that in the past ten years, the number of twelve-to seventeen- year-olds who abused controlled prescription drugs rose 212 percent, while the number of adults jumped 81 percent. (Philip, 2006, 132).

After looking at these numbers, I thought about the main reason these drugs are becoming so addictive: their availability. Kids no longer have to go to an underground party to drink alcohol nor do they have to pay a drug dealer, they can now find drugs in their own medicine cabinet for free. As educators, it is important that we don’t wait until one of our students is abusing a drug to speak up. Like the article pointed out, there are some steps we can take in order to prevent that our students become addicted. Last week, I observed a really good example of how a teacher dealt with a student taking medicine in her classroom. At the beginning of class, while the teacher was setting up, one student took out a bottle of Advil and the tablets made a noise. The noise was barely noticeable, but the teacher recognized it and immediately told the student to go up to her. At this point, she still didn’t know it was Advil, so I thought that once she saw it, she will let him have it, but I was wrong. The teacher asked me to go with him to the nurse’s office so that he receives his medicine from her. At first I was surprised that she didn’t let him have the Advil in the classroom, but then I realized that these teachers’ policies about taking pills in the classroom could have a great impact on the students. They don’t only reassure the teacher that the student is taking the right dose of his medicine, but also set up an example for him and his classmates about how serious these medicines are. As educators, it is our job to be informed about what to do to prevent drug abuse among our students, how to recognize the signs, and intervene when necessary.