DEARBORN — 52 million people in the United States over the age of 12 have used prescription drugs non-medically in their lifetime. The United States has 5 percent of the world’s population and consumes 75 percent of the world’s prescription drugs.

Our communities aren’t immune from the abuse of prescription drugs. According to the Center on Young Adult Health and Development, 61.8 percent of college students are offered prescription stimulants and 31 percent use them non-medically. 

Adolescents use prescription drugs such as Adderall, painkillers, tranquilizers and stimulants, which can be addicting.

Adderall is a medication used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, some college students who are not diagnosed with ADHD abuse the drug to maintain “good grades.”

Adderall helps patients with ADHD focus, maintain concentration and control fidgeting. However, students without ADHD take advantage of this medication and take it before an exam to help them focus or study more efficiently. 

On a rising popular social media application called Yik Yak, students post anything on their mind anonymously, with a different feed for each university campus. At the University of Michigan-Dearborn feed, some students post anonymously about taking Adderall. 

 “When I’m on Adderall I feel like I could hold a debate with Obama,” one student wrote. “It makes me confident and so precise like even down to my walk.” 

Labiba Radwan, a clinical social worker working at the Arab American and Chaldean Council, is a certified advanced addiction counseling specialist. She said the prescription drug and alcohol abuse in our communities is a serious public health issue. 

Radwan said the most prevalent drug abused is marijuana and the second most prevalent abused are prescription drugs and alcohol. The most common age range is 18 and older. 

In regards to pain medication and Adderall, the most prevalent group is comprised of adolescent males in the Arab American community. 

According to Radwan, prescription drugs are easily accessible either from the parents’ medicine cabinet or from a friend/relative and problems are usually not discovered until a crisis happens. 

Radwan said the Arab American and Chaldean Council uses an electronic system to track medication. 

“The more cultured and assimilated the client is into the Western culture, the more prevalent the drug abuse is,” Radwan added. “It’s almost like a lifestyle experience.”

Although prescription drug abuse is a common problem in adolescents, Radwan has had some success stories. One concerns a 20-year-old man from Hamtramck who was introduced to Vicodin in the ninth grade. It slowly became addicting. Within two years, he was buying off of the streets and from friends. He was taken to the hospital when the parents discovered his addiction. 

 “Parents don’t realize the condition the son/daughter is in until a crisis happens,” Radwan said. 

She added that it’s very rare for clients to come knocking on their door; it’s usually discovered after the emergency room.

With treatment, her client from Hamtramck has been clean and sober for about a year.

Usually, treatment differs with abuse and dependency. Dependency is a more physical problem with physical treatment and people are referred to rehab centers or detox programs. With abuse, treatment requires support groups or one-on-one counseling. 

Radwan also discussed a prevention program called “Teen Health” that targets children and parents. It educates them through outings or activities that help prevent a serious addiction in school-age children.