Is This Where Your Teen Goes to Get High?   - A growing danger among teens today is the intentional abuse of prescription drugs and over-the-counter cough and cold medicines to get high. One cause of the problem is how easily teens can find them. These drugs are most likely already in your own home. Over half of teens who abuse prescription pain relievers report they get them for free from the homes of family or friends, or they take them from family or friends without asking.Most frightening, however, is that teens often don't recognize the dangers of prescription and over-the-counter drug abuse; they don't see it to be as harmful as illicit drug use. After all, these drugs are approved for medical use. But when taken without medical supervision, intentionally abused, or mixed with other drugs or alcohol, prescription medicines can be dangerous. Teens who decide to abuse prescription drugs run the risk of addiction, strokes, seizures, comas, and even death. Unfortunately, it's a growing trend. Teens are turning away from using street drugs to prescription medications to get high. New users of prescription drugs are actually catching up with new users of marijuana.