Count It! Lock It! Drop It!^® wants to remind everyone to be vigilant about keeping prescription medications safe in your home during Thanksgiving and the remainder of the holiday season. This is the time of year where we are often inviting our friend and family into our homes, which is why it is important to keep your prescriptions out of the wrong hands.

According to the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, 55 percent of people using prescription drugs recreationally got them from a friend or a relative.

Here are a few ways you can safeguard your medications and ensure your friends and family stay safe this holiday season:

1. Count Your Pills. While CLD normally recommends counting your pills every two weeks, it might not be a bad idea to count them more frequently during the holidays, especially if you have guests in your home. Download a free counting sheet here.
2. Lock up your pills. Keeping pills in a secure location, as opposed to a medicine or kitchen cabinet, can help keep your loved ones safe.
3. Purchase a lock box. Many local drug stores carry a variety of home lock boxes, but you can also order them online.
4. Hide your lock box in a safe and secure location. Consider keeping your box in a room that doesn’t get much traffic, such as your bedroom or closet. Avoid leaving it in a bathroom or living room.
5. Remove unused or expired medications from your home and take them to a local drop box. Use our drop box finder to find a permanent location nearest you.