Prescription Drug Abuse

Updated: April 01, 2013

There's a new drug craze poisoning teens and it's in your medicine cabinet. Though you or your friends may think recreational use of prescription medications isn't a big deal -- you're in for a dose of reality.

In a 2010 study, the Partnership for a Drug-Free America and MetLife found that 1 in 5 high schoolers -- 3.2 million teens -- have abused prescription medication. What's more, 64% of teens believe that the drugs are easy to find in the bathroom medicine cabinet.

Learn more about this not-so-secret-anymore epidemic hitting the U.S., how to spot the warning signs and where to find the help if you need it.

Quiz: Prescription Drugs

Learn the facts on the rise of pill use and the dangers associated with drug abuse.

Guide: Prescription Drug Resources

Find help for yourself or a friend who may be abusing prescription pills.

Video: Recovery High

Specialized high schools are helping some on the road to recovery.

Video: Prescription Drug Abuse

Overdoses from painkillers have tripled in a decade, report shows.

Video: Take-Back Day

The national prescription drug "Take-Back" campaign offered more than 4,000 sites around the nation where the public dropped off expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs.