TALKING WITH 

YOUR CHILD 

ABOUT OPIOIDS:

Keeping Your Kids Safe

TAKE ACTION

Use these tips to talk with your child:

•	 Plan to have many short talks;

•	 Choose informal times to have the 

conversations, such as in the car or 

during dinner;

•	 Continue talking as they get older;

•	 Clearly state what you expect regarding 

drug use;

•	 Create family rules together, such as 

expectations when hanging out with 

friends; and

•	 Let them know you are always there for 

them.

Exit Plan

Talk to your children about having an “exit 

plan” if they are offered prescription pain

relievers that are not theirs. Peer pressure 

can be powerful among youths, and having a 

plan to avoid drug misuse can help children 

make smart choices. Talk with your children 

about what they would do if faced with a 

decision about drugs, such as texting a code 

word to a family member. Be sure to practice 

the exit plan in a safe environment.

Safe Storage and Disposal

It is important to properly store and dispose 

of medication. For more information about 

how to safely store or dispose of your 

family’s medicine, read Safe Storage of 

Prescription Medications9

 or Disposal of 

Unused Medicines: What You Should Know.

10

9 Safe Storage of Prescription Medications (https://bit.ly/2Hwwy2k)

10 Disposal of Unused Medicines: What You Should Know (https://bit.

ly/2luz8L1)

www.underagedrinking.samhsa.gov

SMA-18-5082
OPIOIDS CAN BE PRESCRIBED 

FOR PAIN

Opioids are a group of drugs that includes 

prescription pain medications and illegal drugs 

like heroin. The most common pain medications 

involved in prescription opioid overdoses include 

drugs such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, 

and morphine.1

After marijuana and alcohol, prescription drugs 

are the most commonly misused substances 

by Americans age 14 and older.2 Misuse can be 

described as taking someone else’s medicine, 

taking a medicine in a way other than prescribed, 

taking a medicine to get high, and/or mixing 

medicine with other substances.

Start talking to your children early to ensure they 

understand what opioids are and the risks of 

misusing prescription medication. 

PRESCRIPTION OPIOID MISUSE

Children who take opioid pain medication that is 

not prescribed to them—even just one time—can 

suffer serious illness or death.

Between 2004 and 2005, about 71,000 children 

under age 18 went to emergency rooms because 

they took medicines while their parent or 

1 National Institute on Drug Abuse. “Opioids.” NIDA.

2 NIDA for Teens. “Prescription Drugs.” (March 1, 2017). Retrieved from teens.

caregiver wasn’t looking.3

 Taking prescription pain 

medications can have serious consequences, 

including:4,5

•	 Allergic reactions;

•	 Breathing problems;

•	 Coma; 

•	 Permanent brain damage; and/or 

•	 Death.

JUST BECAUSE IT WAS 

PRESCRIBED, DOESN’T MEAN IT 

CAN’T BE HARMFUL 

It is unsafe and illegal to take someone else’s 

prescription medication, even if the drug was 

prescribed to someone your child knows. Doctors 

prescribe different dosages based on a person’s

size and age, and taking the wrong strength can 

be deadly. Studies show that 53 percent of people 

ages 12 or older obtained prescription pain 

medication for nonmedical use from a friend or 

relative.6

 

Talk to your children about the dangers of taking 

prescription pain relievers that don’t belong to 

them.

3 Schillie, S. F., Shehab, N., Thomas, K. E., Budnitz, D. S. (2009). Medication 

overdoses leading to emergency department visits among children. Am J Prev 

Med, 37:181–187.

4 National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2016). Misuse of prescription drugs: Is it 

safe to use opioid drugs with other medications?

5 National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2017). Drug facts: Prescription pain 

medications (Opioids). NIDA for Teens.

6 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2018). Key 

substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: Results from 

the 2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (HHS Publication No. 

SMA 18-5068, NSDUH Series H-53). Rockville, MD: Center for Behavioral 

Health Statistics and Quality, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 

Administration.

ARE PRESCRIPTION PAIN 

MEDICATIONS ADDICTING?

Parents should also talk with their children 

about how addiction is a disease and misusing 

medications can have major, life-threatening 

consequences. 

In 2017, an estimated 2.1 million people ages 12 

or older had an opioid use disorder.7 Prescription 

opioids—when used long term or incorrectly—can 

cause the brain to become reliant on the drug, and 

can be extremely addictive.

In some cases, your doctor may prescribe an 

opioid to your child for things like surgery or 

a broken bone. Talk to your doctor and your 

children about the risks of prescription pain 

relievers prescribed to them. 

Research suggests that one of the most 

important factors when a child is growing up is a 

strong, open relationship with a parent.8

 Though 

it may not seem like it, children really hear your 

concerns, and it’s important that you discuss the 

risks of using pain medications with them.

7 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2018). Key 

substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: Results from the 

2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (HHS Publication No. SMA 18-5068, 

NSDUH Series H-53). Rockville, MD: Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and 

Quality, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. 

8 National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. (2004). Young children 

develop in an environment of relationships. Working Paper No. 1.