Every year, there are horror stories about children dying from accidental drug overdoses. Many times, the children got hold of the drugs by going through the family’s trash. Other times, no immediate damage is done. But failing to treat prescription drugs as the powerful and potentially dangerous substances that they are may lead down the slippery slope of drug experimentation and misuse.
Under no circumstances is it appropriate to dispose of unwanted or unneeded prescription medications via the regular garbage service. Flushing medications down the toilet is also not an option because of the potential to poison water supplies.
If you can’t just keep unneeded, expired prescription drugs laying around but you can’t throw them out like normal waste, what can you do? Join Gateway in participating in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.
Information About National Prescription Drug Take Back Day
In the past few years, the nation has been dealing with some significant drug abuse problems. The current prescription drug epidemic actually inspired the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to figure out ways to get drugs off the streets. One way that we can allow friends, family, and community members to help is by providing people with designated locations they can then use to safely dispose of medications. The DEA even gave this special day a title.
Since 2010, the DEA has collected over 7262 tons of medication through organized Take Back Days through the United States. The next National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is slated for October 23, 2021. On this day, people can dispose of unwanted medications at specific locations. Law enforcement agencies will then collect these drugs and dispose of them in a safe manner.
Gateway Supports National Prescription Drug Take Back Day
For more than 50 years, Gateway has been intimately involved in the treatment of dependent drug users. To combat prescription drug addiction, Gateway provides lifesaving, evidence-based treatment at 16 Illinois locations. While we are highly successful at treating patients, we encourage everyone to do their part to remove unused or expired medicines from their homes so we can avoid them falling into the wrong hands in the first place.
More About Gateway
As one of the nation’s elite treatment organizations, we proudly offer addiction treatment services all over the country. While some centers might specialize in a particular type of treatment, we do maintain a standard set of treatment options. For the benefit of our clients, we customize our treatment programs to address a client’s specific needs. History indicates our approach is highly successful. Here’s a partial list of our services nationwide:
- Outpatient and Intensive Outpatient options
- Inpatient care up to 180 days
- Withdrawal management programs
- Certified Dual Diagnosis Treatment
- Motivational Interviewing
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
- Evidence-based treatment modalities like CBT, MAT and DBT
Prescription drug misuse is a far-reaching problem that affects all of us, and all of us need to be part of the solution. We hope you will support National Prescription Drug Take Back Day by properly disposing of unwanted, unneeded medications in a safe manner. Let’s all do our part. If you or a loved one are suffering from an addiction, Gateway is a great place to get treatment. For information about our services, you can call and speak to one of our representatives at 877.381.6538.
