Cough medicine. What a handy, good tasting drug. Would you try it? Probably not, but your teen might. In fact even if your child is the ideal role model for other kids, he may still take a sip out of that bottle. So don’t put your head in the sand believing it may never happen to your teen because you don’t want to be surprised.
Why would your child experiment with drugs by drinking cough syrup or taking cough pills? It’s easy for them, their friends, and for parents not to think of it as a drug. It’s quick to get over-the-counter at the supermarket or from your bathroom cabinet. Kids can pass it easily from one kid to another or take it in their bedroom while you think they’re texting their BFF. It’s a way for teens to dip into trying drugs without taking it too seriously. Come on, the bottle is full of fun colored sryupy sweet stuff, if it tastes like candy it’s gotta be okay, right?
What do you think the average age is of the youngest abuser? 12. Studies show that teens age 12-17 are the most likely abusers.
As it turns out, since the media started mentioning the drug like effects that can occur by downing a bottle of cough syrup, some kids have seen it as “the thing to do”. And if it’s the thing to do, then you can bet there will be other kids pressuring your kid to do it. In fact more schools are reporting problems with teens abusing cough medicine, and drug rehab centers are seeing more people in need knocking on their doors. However by the time the teen seeks help from an inpatient or outpatient rehab facility he’s often moved on to primary drugs like alcohol and marijuana and gulps down cough syrup to supplement the buzz.
Why is it important to tell your teen, “just say no to drugs”? And what kind of high do these kids want? What they’re seeking and what occurs can be two different things. What occurs is drowsiness. (This seems counter productive because if they want to experience a high, don’t they want to be awake for it?) What else? Hallucinations and severe behavioral changes. However, if you think behaviorial changes might not be so bad for your kid, try this on. How about a little psychosis? A loss of contact with reality, but not the fun kind, the scary kind. A delusional belief or two. Feelings of depression or manic feelings. How about bizarre behavior and just for kicks problems living day to day. If you still haven’t mustered up the nerve to tell your child to just say no to cough syrup, how about this? You could be the parent, like other parents, who is called to the hospital by surprise to see your child writhing around on a gurney asking you who they are and who are you!
What might come afterward, after the dust has settled and your child comes home? Perhaps alcohol rehab, a rehab video, alcohol detoxification, drug addiction rehab, depression treatment, or the need to overcome anxiety from the situation.
So what can you do? Teach your child ahead of time about drugs. Teach your child how to set boundaries and feel good about themselves after the boundary has been set. And, keep an open line of communication, always.