Kids learn cough syrup abuse online

by Bethany Sanders (Subscribe to Bethany Sanders's posts) Mar 25th 2008 5:01PM

Categories: Teens & tweens, Health & Safety, In The News, Alcohol & Drugs, Education, Gadgets & Tech

Though stores have started monitoring the sale of certain cold medications, cough suppressants are still pretty easy for teens to get their hands on. The medications contain an ingredient called DXM and some kids are using it today to get high. If that isn't scary enough, kids who aren't exactly sure how to use it are able to turn to the Internet, where they can access thousands of sites and online videos to give them a tutorial.

Though using cough syrup to get high might not seem as scary as a hardcore drug, many kids who abuse DXM end up in rehab or move on to harder drugs. The average age of first time DXM users is 12 to 13 years old, so as the saying goes, it's never too soon to talk to your kids about drug use.

How can you protect your teen? Experts say to keep an eye on your supply of cough syrup, or don't keep it in the house. Talk to your kids about drug abuse and how to make better choices. And as always, know what they're up to when they go online.

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Comments (1)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Blaise Brooks 3-27-2008 @ 2:27PM

Bethany, thanks for bringing up this issue to all of your readers. I’m one of the Five Moms, and we’ve been working to spread awareness about teen cough medicine abuse for the last year. And, as you mentioned, since many teens look to the Internet to find information about how to abuse these medicines, we at the Five Moms turned to the Internet to help raise parental awareness about the issue. We have a lot of practical information on our web site, www.FiveMoms.com, about how to help prevent this teen substance abuse problem and about the importance of safeguarding your medicine cabinet, both its over-the-counter and prescription contents. We also make it easy to share information with other parents and provide links to other sources on how to talk to your kids about drug abuse, because, as the Partnership for a Drug-Free America tells us, teens who talk a lot about drugs with their parents are half as likely to abuse drugs.

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