Drug Takeback Day Lets You Dispose of Drugs Safely and Without Questions
The National Drug Enforcement Agency’s Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 27, gives people a chance to get rid of any unused or unwanted medications that are probably just sitting in a medicine cabinet at home.
“Properly disposing of unused medications is critical in preventing prescription drug misuse,” said Emma Kennedy, Director of the Department of Health and Environmental Control’s Division of Injury and Substance Abuse Prevention.
What Types of Drugs Will and Won’t be Accepted
The nationwide Drug Take Back Day is hosted twice a year by the DEA at specific locations across the country. Hours at all locations are 10 am to 2 pm. Residents can easily and anonymously drop off prescription medications that can include everything from tablets, capsules, patches and other solid forms of prescription drugs. Liquids, syringes and other devices with sharp points or edges will not be accepted. Vaping devices and cartridges will also be accepted, if the lithium batteries have been removed.
Drop-off Locations in the CSRA:
- Burke County Sheriff’s Office, 225 Highway 24 South in Waynesboro
- Columbia County Sheriff’s Office Substation, 650-A Ronald Reagan Drive, in Evans
- Kroger, 435 Lewiston Road in Grovetown
- CVS, Horizon South Parkway in Grovetown
- Walgreens, Horizon South Parkway in Grovetown
- CVS, 1520 Walton Way in Augusta
- CVS, 2902 Peach Orchard Road in Augusta
- Kroger, 2801 Washington Road in Augusta
- Parks Pharmacy, 437 Georgia Avenue in North Augusta
- Aiken Department of Public Safety Rural Health Services, 120 Darlington Drive in Aiken
There are also drug drop boxes located in Sheriff’s and Police Departments across Georgia in 153 counties. Most drug drop-off locations are in operation 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
There’s a drug drop box at the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office at 346 Watkins Street in Augusta.
National Drug Take Back Day Results from October, 2023:
- Total law enforcement participation: 4,383
- Total collection sites: 4,675
- Total Weight Collected: 599,897 pounds
- Total weight all time: 12,900,351 pounds, or 8,950 tons
Signs You'll Live a Long Life
1. You Eat These Healthy Things
According to a University of Michigan study (via TheHealthy.com), “Women who consumed the most veggies and fruit had a 46 percent lower chance of dying over a five-year period compared with those who ate them infrequently. The study involved 700 participants in their 70s.
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2. You Workout (Specifically, Run 40 Minutes a Day)
According to NBCNews.com, “Scientists in California found that middle-aged people” who ran “for a total of about 5 hours per week lived longer and functioned better physically and cognitively as they got older.” They state that the “researchers tracked runners and nonrunners for 21 years.” Aside from running, CNBC.com states that, “Strength training twice a week and aerobic exercise three times a week, even if for just 10 minutes a day” also helps.
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3. For Women, You Had a Baby After Age 44
For women, if you were pregnant and had a baby naturally after age 44, “you’re about 15 percent less likely to die during any year after age 50 than your friends who had their babies before age 40, reports a recent University of Utah study,” via NBCNews.com. Lead researcher Ken R. Smith, PhD, professor of human development at the university, tells NBCNews.com, “If your ovaries are healthy and you are capable of having children at that age, that’s a marker that you have genes operating that will help you live longer.”
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4. You Socialize
The National Library of Medicine states that people with bigger social networks and who socialize tend to live longer. In the study, Dr. Freeman states, “People who have more social support tend to have enhanced mental health, cardiovascular health, immunological functioning, cognitive performance, resilience, life satisfaction, stress response and more.”
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5. You're Slim in the Waist
TheHealthy.com states that, “Women with a waist of 37 inches or more had a life expectancy that was five years lower after age 40 than did women with a waist of 27 inches or less, found one study. For men, a waist of 43 inches or more was linked to a three-year decrease in life expectancy compared with those with a waist of 35 inches or less.”
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6. You Drink Tea Each Day
Apparently, drinking one or two cups of tea a day is good for your health. “Both green and black tea contain catechins, which relax blood vessels. However, you should be making the tea yourself; in ready-to-drink teas, most of the catechins have probably dissolved already, so they don’t have quite the same heart-healthy power,” says TheHealth.com.
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7. You're Careful with Your Calories
“Researchers in St. Louis reported that men and women who limited their daily calories to 1,400 to 2,000 (about 25 percent fewer calories than those who followed a typical 2,000-to 3,000-calorie Western diet) were literally young at heart — their hearts functioned like those of people 15 years younger,” says NBCNews.com. So, make every calorie count, and keep calories low.
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8. You Get Your Sleep
Getting a good night’s sleep is important to overall health. According to CNBC.com, getting good sleep is one of the factors to make it to age 90. So, turn off Netflix and get some shut eye.
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9. You Have a Purpose in Life
Do you wake up each day with a purpose? Do you feel needed in this world? According to a 2014 study in the journal of Psychological Science, having a sense of purpose means you’ll have a longer life. In the study, they report that people in the study who passed away, about 10% of the participants, had reported lower scores for purpose in life.
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Bonus - Take This Longevity Test
The experts at Media.nmfn.com actually have a lifespan test that you can take online. I took it, and I won’t divulge the age is says I’ll make it to, but I was happy and pleasantly surprised by the result. It asks you some basic health and family questions. Take the test here, and hopefully you’ll be happy with the result.
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