National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is Saturday, April 28, 2018, a day that addresses public safety and public health issue. Unused or expired prescriptions drugs can be safely, and responsibly disposed of at locations across the country. Just days after the first Take Back Day In 2010, Congress approved the Controlled Substances Act, which provided the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) with an option develop a permanent process for a safe and convenient way to dispose of prescription drugs.

Take Back Day in October 2017 proved successful across the country:

• Total Law Enforcement Participation: 4,274
• Total Collection Sites: 5,321
• Total Weight Collected: 912,305 lbs. (456 Tons)

What’s the problem?

Storing unused prescription drugs increases the risk of someone else using or abusing the prescription, and can also increase the risk of accidental poisonings. The 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health showed that 6.4 million Americans abused controlled prescription drugs, many of which were obtained from medicine cabinets of friends or family.

The misuse of prescription drugs can have several medical consequences, as studies show an increase in emergency room visits, overdose deaths, and treatment admissions in the last 15 years. Since 1999, unintentional overdose deaths from opioid pain relievers have quadrupled, outnumbering those from heroin and cocaine.

How can medicine be disposed of properly?

We all have a responsibility to dispose of unused prescription drugs properly, and there are steps we can take to do so:

1. Remove the medicine from its original container and mix it with an undesirable substance, such as used coffee grounds or kitty litter.
2. Place the mixture in a sealable bag, empty bag, or another container to prevent the medicine from leaking.
3. Additionally, protect your identity and personal health information by scratching through all identifying information on the container to make it unreadable.

Learn more about proper Safe Medication Disposal in this short video:

How is addiction treated?

Lifeskills South Florida is proud to promote this important event, as we know the dangers of substance abuse. Addiction can have adverse physical and mental impacts, with some effects persisting even after drugs have been eliminated. Residential treatment is often suggested to be the most effective way to recover from substance abuse.

At Lifeskills South Florida, we help individuals learn how to manage symptoms related to mental health conditions, and the cravings and triggers that lead to addiction. Our team works closely with clients to customized program tailored to their specific needs. Through individual and group therapy, our nationally certified clinicians provide clinical pathways coupled with targeted treatment such as Cognitive Remediation, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) for Chemical Dependency and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) which emphasizes changing behavior through applying specific skills.

Through a full continuum of care, including Residential Treatment, Transitional Living, Partial Hospitalization (PHP), Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), and an Outpatient Program (OP), we help clients successfully transition back to their life after treatment. Our goal is to help individuals take the next step towards recovery with newly found self-esteem, direction, and balance.

Unused and unwanted prescription drugs are a safety issue that can lead to severe consequences. Take Back Days are the perfect time not only to raise awareness of the dangers of prescription drugs but how proper disposal can save lives and protect the environment.