A house is the one place where a family should feel safe and secure, yet it is here that teens are prone to get prescription drugs to misuse and abuse. To help prevent teen prescription drug misuse and abuse, the Partnership for a Drug-Free America and Abbott launched "Not In My House" (NotInMyHouse.com), a national education initiative that provides parents with useful information and tips to help them limit teen access to medicines.

A 2007 national survey of teens (1000, ages 13 to 18) and their parents (600) conducted by the Partnership with support from Abbott, uncovered startling information about the attitudes and behaviours that can contribute to teen prescription drug abuse:

More than half of teens who reported abusing prescription medications said they got the medications in their own home (15 per cent) or from a parent or relative (11 per cent) or friend (24 per cent).

More than half of the teens who tried medication without a prescription believe it is safer than street drugs and there is nothing wrong with taking them once in a while.

Partying, experimenting and relaxing are the top three reasons teens give for trying prescription drugs that aren't theirs. Additional reasons include dealing with physical pain or anxiety, trying to stay awake and getting more school work done.

Top three reasons 27 per cent of parents believe it is okay to give a teen a prescription drug that was not prescribed for that teen: getting hurt, bad menstrual cramps or problems sleeping.

"With one in five teenagers reporting abuse of a prescription medication to get high, parents must open their eyes to the dangers of this new tier of teen substance abuse," said Steve Pasierb, CEO, the Partnership for a Drug-Free America. "Teens and their parents have a false sense of security, mistakenly believing it's somehow safer to abuse prescription medication than street drugs. This issue demands the immediate action of parents, both by learning the facts and safeguarding medications at home as well as talking with teens about this very real threat to their health."

The website, www.NotInMyHouse.com, offers insight on talking about the dangers of prescription drug misuse and abuse with teens, helps explain how the teen brain may make them more vulnerable to addiction, details the teen drug culture and lingo and gives three simple steps parents can take to help secure their homes:

An inventory of prescription medications in the home can help parents know what they have and what they do not need anymore. They should count the pills left in the bottle or package after each dose. The supply should be checked regularly for missing pills.

Prescription drugs should not be readily accessible to everyone in the house. Parents should treat prescription medicines the same way they treat other valuables in their homes. Medications should be stored in a safe and secure place for those who need them.

Leftover or expired prescription medications should be disposed of properly. Pills should be placed in a non-see-through container with something unpleasant mixed in, like old coffee grounds or kitty litter. The container should be sealed and put in the trash.

"Prescription medicines have an important role in health care, but they have significant risks when they are misused and abused," says Jeff Haas, general manager, Pain Care, Abbott. "Abbott and the Partnership have developed the 'Not in My House' education initiative to help teach parents the importance of securing medications in their homes to help protect their children."

The Partnership for a Drug-Free America is a non-profit organization that unites parents, renowned scientists and communications professionals to help families raise healthy children. Best known for its research-based national public education programmes, the Partnership motivates and equips parents to prevent their children from using drugs and alcohol, and to find help and treatment for family and friends in trouble.