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Illegal narcotics are not the only drug problem for young people. Teenage abuse of prescription drugs has become a serious problem that is often missed by parents. One in five U.S. teens has tried painkillers like Vicodin or OxyContin to get high—a total of nearly 4.5 million teens.
Using the family medicine cabinet as a drug dealer is more common for teens than buying on the street ("Teen Abuse of Prescription Drugs Goes Unchecked, Study Indicates," Associated Press, May 16).
Besides the obvious problems of poisoning your body with chemical substances, getting high on illegal or prescribed drugs is similar to the sin of drunkenness from alcohol in which a person loses full control of his or her mind. But drugs—whether illegal or prescription—can be much more powerful, dangerous and deadly.
God tells us to guard our minds ("heart" in Proverbs 4:23) and to take care of our bodies (1 Corinthians 6:19). He describes the dangers of abuse and addiction (Proverbs 23:29-35) and warns that no drunkard will be in God's Kingdom (1 Corinthians 6:10).
