Did you know that more than 2.4 million kids aged 12-17 admit to using cold/cough medicine to get high?
It seems as though teens will take anything to get high these days, even take to abusing cold/cough medicine. The truth is, only about 45% of teens believe that abusing cold/cough medicine to get high is risky.
And boy are they wrong.
Most cold/cough medicine can be bought without a prescription as long as the person buying the medicine is at least 18 years old. But your fridge most likely has some form of cold/cough medicine that’s readily available for your teens to use and abuse.
Click here for signs of cold/cough medicine addiction and for ways you can help protect your teens from cough medication abuse…
Signs of Addiction:
- Side effects of abuse, such as confusion, impaired judgment, blurred vision, and dizziness
- Code names that teens use, such as: Dex, Skittles, Candy, Red Devils, Robo
- Empty medicine wrappers or bottles
How to Protect Your Teens:
- Lock your medicine cabinet like you lock your liquor cabinet (hopefully!)
- Don’t stockpile on over-the-counter medicines
- TALK about the dangers of abusing medicines that may seem harmless
For a longer list of code names for cough medicine that your teens may use, check out the link below, and for more side effects of cold/cough medicine addiction, check out the link below.
What do you think of teens’ using cold/cough medicine to get high? Did your teen ever get high off of OTC medicines? Tell us (anonymously if you prefer) in the comments below.
Dangerous Teen Activity: Dexing, Skittling, Robo-Tripping in YOUR Medicine Cabinet [Michele Borba]
