Released on: March 28, 2008, 9:51 am

Press Release Author: Melissa Haddow - Executive Director

Industry: Pharmaceuticals

Press Release Summary: CaféPrevention.com introduces its latest postcard to open up
the lines of communication between adults and teens to reduce OTC and prescription
drug abuse among teens.

Press Release Body: Springfield, MO - CaféPrevention.com aims to combat OTC and
prescription drug abuse in teens by introducing to parents and adults a drug
prevention postcard entitled "Hard to Believe, Isn't It?". Research indicates that
the latest drugs being abused by teens are likely to be found right in the homes of
your community. This is a shocking concept, and many parents and adults within
neighboring towns may unknowingly be helping kids get high. Café Prevention aims to
help inform parents and adults about this growing problem with the introduction of
its newest drug prevention postcard.

CafePrevention.com works to provide community coalitions, schools, youth
organizations, and youth ministries with drug prevention resources. One of Café
Prevention's top priorities is preventing substance abuse among youth through
eye-catching prevention strategies including drug prevention games, pamphlets,
posters, and most recently their latest postcard where each has been developed to
encourage kids to reach their highest potential.

New reports tell us that 1 in 5 teens currently report abusing prescription drugs to
get high. For the first time, there are as many new abusers, aged 12 and older, of
prescription drugs as there are marijuana users according to SAMSHA. Additionally,
1 out of 10 teens report using cough medicine to get high. Community Partnership
(http://www.cafeprevention.com) realizes that abuse of prescription and OTC drugs is
an emerging threat to our young people and requires community action.

The good news is that research also shows that kids who learn about drug risks from
parents and adults are half as likely to use as teens that don't have that
conversation. As a result, Café Prevention is launching its newest postcard to help
communities marshal a response before the situation escalates even further.

Their latest addition, "Hard to Believe, Isn't It?" has been developed to target
parents and adults. With this simple yet effectively written postcard, adults are
given essential information needed to start those all-important conversations.
Furthermore, these postcards can be mailed or handed out in a variety of settings
including physicians' offices, libraries, workplaces, PTA's, faith congregations,
schools, and health fairs. The list of places that can benefit from these drug
prevention postcards really is endless.

CaféPrevention.com understands that the abuse of prescription and OTC drugs simply
isn't on many parents' and community members' radar screens. However, it needs to
be, and they have stepped up to make this a problem of the past by creating its
newest postcard. In a 2007 survey, 62% of teens stated that prescription drugs are
easy to get from parents, 47% stated they are easy to get from friends or relatives,
and in 2006, 39% stated they were easy to get online or over the phone. Recently,
there has been a dangerous shift towards pharming - the trading of prescription
medications which are then ingested by the handful and oftentimes then mixed with
alcohol - among teens.

There are troubling signs that teens view prescription and OTC abuse as much safer
than illegal drugs. However, this is not the case. Rather, teens' use of
prescription drugs and OTC drugs to get high is a problem with far more serious
consequences than most realize - teens that abuse have a higher risk of engaging in
sexual activity, contracting STD's, failing in school, addiction, overdose, and even
death.

"We have taken statistical evidence regarding drug use among teens and coupled this
with our desire to provide high-quality, cost-effective, and eye-catching drug
prevention resources aimed at strengthen and empower today's teens. We have made
these materials, along with our latest postcard "Hard to Believe, Isn't It?",
readily available to community coalitions, youth organizations, and youth
ministries," states Melissa Haddow, Executive Director of CaféPrevention.com
Designed to deliver critical information in an engaging, easy-to-follow format, the
latest postcard, in addition to the extensive resources available at
CaféPrevention.com, forms the basis of educational campaigns in communities around
the country. These resources alert adults to new substance abuse issues and teaches
them how to open the lines of communication. By showing adults how to educate
children about substance abuse, as well as providing valuable strategies, this new
drug abuse prevention postcard has been designed to get prescription drug abuse 'on
the radar screen' of parents and adults. It is Café Prevention's goal that this
latest postcard will help mobilize communities around prescription and OTC drug
abuse by teens.


CaféPrevention.com is a community's source for high quality prevention materials
designed to improve the health and well-being of our youth. For more information or
to order eye-catching drug and alcohol prevention materials, please visit
http://www.cafeprevention.com or call Melissa Haddow at 417-888-2020.

Web Site: http://www.cafeprevention.com

Contact Details: CafePrevention.com
Community Partnership
330 North Jefferson Ave
Springfield, MO 65806
Tel: 417-888-2020
Melissa Haddow - Executive Director
mhaddow@commpartnership.org
http://www.cafeprevention.com