COUGH MEDICINE: A DANGEROUS FAD AMONG TEENS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Press Release)

Nov., 2011 -- Most parents seem to believe that their young teenager would never experiment with drugs, steal medicine from the family medicine cabinet or get peer pressured into taking an illegal substance in order to fit in with other teens.

The truth is, most parents are wrong.

Available in almost every family household, and having a unique chemical compound which makes it impossible to detect with standardized drug tests, cough syrup is a choice of drug for many young teens.

Statistics shows that the majority of teens who abuse cough medicine are between the ages of 12 and 17, often consisting of seemingly “good” kids whose parents would never in their wildest dreams imagine their children are abusing cough medicine to get high. In most cases teens abusing cough medicine are oblivious to the dangerous side effects of the drug. Hallucinations, drowsiness, severe behavioral changes are just a few to name. Teens have shown up at the emergency room not knowing where they are or who they are, and the parents are terrified and have no idea what’s going on.

Inspirations teen addiction treatment encourages parents to get actively involved in their teen’s life in order to be able to detect suspicious behavior and potentially troublesome friends. Parents should keep bottles of cough syrup and other medicine out of their children's reach and monitor their social circle in order to ensure they are not receiving mysterious gifts from friends that could land them a trip to the emergency room. Furthermore, they should present them with scenarios and situations where they might be tempted to experiment with drugs and teach them how to successfully refuse illegal substances.

If you have any questions, please know that we are here to provide you with support and guidance, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We welcome the opportunity to answer your questions free of charge about teen behavior, substance use, adolescent addiction, teen drug rehab, or other related matters. If you would prefer, please fill out our short form and one of our counselors will respond.