Dr. Drew Pinsky
Dr. Drew Pinsky, Sue Scheff, and I were recently brought together for a teleconference to discuss the dangers of cough medicine abuse. Dr. Drew Pinsky is a nationally renowned drug abuse expert, the host of the popular radio show Loveline, and the star of the VH1 hits “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew” and “Sober House.” Sue Scheff is a strong parent advocate, author, and works with families in crisis.
The folks at Stop Cough Medicine Abuse arranged the conference call. The call brought together top bloggers and leading educators in the field of teen and family health and addictions. The goal was to discuss how to get the message out to teens and families regarding the dangers of abusing cough medicine.
Sue Scheff
What emerged from the call was a remarkably personal and insightful conversation that went beyond just talking about cough medicine abuse. I wanted to share some of the insights from the call with you.
- 1-10 teens have abuse cough medicine – that’s 2.4 million teenagers using cough medicine to get high.
- Dr. Drew suggested the ABC’s of preventing cough medicine abuse – be Aware that it occurs, Be willing to discuss it, and Communicate concerns
- Parents are out of the loop on the slang involved in cough medicine abuse. Some slang to listen for is – Robbotripping, Skittles, and Triple C’s.
- DXM is the chemical in cough medicine teens use to get high.
- Although anecdotal – anti-social behavior seems to be part of the profile of the teen cough medicine abuser
- The signs of abuse are no different than other addictions and/or mental health issues – loss of cheerfulness, depression, thought disturbances, drop in grades, change in attire, sleep, weight, friends, etc…
- Worse thing a parent can say “Not my kid…”
One of the more interesting thoughts Dr. Drew shared was -
“…We gravely misunderstand the interconnectedness of relationships. We are all deeply affected by the experiences of others on a profound level. The end of life is the accumulation of all those one-on-one personal experiences….”
We also talked a bit about public vs private schools when it came to alcohol and other drug use.
- Public school students often start their alcohol and/or other drug use earlier and use more recklessly than their private school peers.
- By the time teens reach high school, levels of alcohol and other drug use level out between schools.
- Rates of on-campus drug availability appear to be higher at public than private schools.
Lastly, I’m paraphrasing – but a wonderful thought about smart kids and substance use and abuse -
Alcohol and other drug use is not about intellectual functioning, teens that go to private schools are all smart, but it is how they are managing their emotional lives that matters and drives the risk.
To learn more about the Stop Cough Medicine Abuse campaign and to view videos of Dr. Drew speaking with Christy Crandall of Five Moms – follow the links above.
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