Teen Connection Addresses Prescription Drug Abuse Among Wisconsin Youth
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The next Teen Connection will shed light on the prevalence of prescription drug abuse among teens in Wisconsin and will examine statewide efforts to educate teens and their families about the risks of prescription drug abuse.
Teen Connection “Teens and Prescription Drugs” airs statewide 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 17 on Wisconsin Public Television (WPT) and on MPTV Channel 10 in Milwaukee.
The program will feature the story of Lauri McHugh-Badura, whose son Archie died from a drug overdose in 2014. Since her son’s death, Lauri has educated others about drug abuse by sharing her son’s story with families that may be in search of answers.
As many as one in five teens have taken a prescription drug without having a prescription for it themselves, according to a report by the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids. This behavior cuts across geographic, racial, ethnic and socioeconomic boundaries.
Teen Connection will offer information about prescription drug abuse, its effects and user’s warning signs, and will provide a support network for teens and their families to cope with addiction. Guests on the live, call-in program will include teens and families impacted by drug abuse, Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel and Aurora BayCare Medical Center Emergency Medicine Physician Jane Witman, who will share real-life experiences and offer useful resources.
The Partnership for Drug-free Kids report found that while boys are more likely to abuse prescription stimulants to get high, girls typically abuse them to stay alert or to lose weight. The vast majority of teens who abuse prescription drugs get them from the medicine cabinets of friends, family and acquaintances. A small minority get them illicitly from doctors, pharmacists or over the Internet.
Additional guests on Teen Connection “Teens and Prescription Drugs” include the director of the Brown County Drug Task Force, Lt. David Poteat and the founder and president of DarJune Cafe Recovery Center, Mandy Suthers. Brigette Henschel, whose daughter died from a drug overdose, will talk about prevention efforts in Wisconsin. Former drug addicts Allyn Schaal and Kelsey Demar will also join to discuss recovery.
Teen Connection is a production of Educational TV Productions of Northeast Wisconsin (ETP-NEW) and WPT. Host Kathryn Bracho appears courtesy of WBAY-Channel 2 in Green
The live program features a call-in option at 877-988-2888. It is a toll-free call. The service will be provided courtesy of Nsight Teleservices. For more resources, including streaming video of this and previous broadcasts, check wpt.org/TeenConnection.
Viewers can text in their questions to 920-288-2574. Standard text message rates apply. Viewers can also submit questions on Teen Connection’s Facebook page before or during the program at facebook.com/WisconsinTeenConnection.
Joel Waldinger of WPT is the executive producer of Teen Connection. Dean Leisgang of Educational Television Productions of Northeastern Wisconsin and Eileen Littig, NEWIST/CESA #7, are co-producers.
WPT is a service of the Educational Communications Board and University of Wisconsin-Extension.
Wisconsin Public Television is a place to grow through learning on WHA-TV, Madison; WPNE-TV, Green Bay; WHRM-TV, Wausau; WLEF-TV, Park Falls; WHLA-TV, La Crosse; and WHWC-TV, Menomonie-Eau Claire.