Teen shares her struggles with addiction to alert parents about prescription drug abuse

By Staff Writer

A 17-year-old student detailed her journey from alcohol abuse to pill addictions during a recent forum in Massachusetts. She told her story before urging parents to monitor their teenagers if unhealthy behavior develops.

According to the Cape Cod Times, Erikka Williams, who is a senior in high school, said that she started drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes in middle school. Before the end of her sophomore year, she began using medication that produced hallucinogenic effects.

After an overdose landed her in a treatment facility, Williams found sobriety and she is now focused on alerting teens and their parents about the dangers of prescription pill addiction, the news source reports.

A former police chief also spoke at the panel, according to the news provider, and he advocated for more drug education in middle schools. He said that many children in their early teens don't understand the negative repercussions of drug abuse. Their ignorance to the dangers connected to pill addictions can lead to destructive habits later in life, he said.

According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, prescription abuse by teens exceeds marijuana use.