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12-20-2005, 10:12 AM
CBN.com – (CBN News) - A new kind of drug abuse is on the rise among teens -- kids are getting high on cough medicines.
As many as one out of 11 have tried it, and it is harder for parents to detect.
It is called "doing skittles" or "robo-tripping," but no matter what you name it, the effects are the same.
"One of the things we've learned,” said Steve Pasierb, president of Partnership for a Drug-Free America, “is that what was really a fringe behavior -- drinking cough medicine to get that buzz -- has kind of gone mainstream, if you will, largely aided by the Internet."
An ingredient in the medicines called dextromethorphan, or "dxm," brings on hallucinations, and teens are going online to find out how to mix the medicines, so they will get the biggest high.
Carl Henon and his friends regularly drank "Robitussin," then one day Henon took too much, and it killed him. His mother found his body.
Mom Misty Henon remarked, "I was devastated. I was angry because I felt that I had so - I was so closely involved in his life, and I was looking for signs of drug abuse, and I didn't see them."
James Maiz also got hooked. He drank about five bottles a day, and says with more than 100 over-the-counter medicines available, it was pretty easy to support his habit.
"I could walk into the corner store,” Maiz said, “the corner quickie mart of whatever, and buy four bottles of Nyquil. Who's gonna say anything to me?"
But there are warning signs. Law enforcement officials advise parents to watch for slurred speech and dilated pupils.
And take note of empty bottles, especially when it is not cold or flu season.
Carl's mother noticed the empty bottles but had no idea they were related to a drug abuse problem.
"I feel that other parents need to know what to look for, that it is an issue," Henon stated.
An issue that she hopes they will take seriously, before it is too late.
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/news/051219e.asp
As many as one out of 11 have tried it, and it is harder for parents to detect.
It is called "doing skittles" or "robo-tripping," but no matter what you name it, the effects are the same.
"One of the things we've learned,” said Steve Pasierb, president of Partnership for a Drug-Free America, “is that what was really a fringe behavior -- drinking cough medicine to get that buzz -- has kind of gone mainstream, if you will, largely aided by the Internet."
An ingredient in the medicines called dextromethorphan, or "dxm," brings on hallucinations, and teens are going online to find out how to mix the medicines, so they will get the biggest high.
Carl Henon and his friends regularly drank "Robitussin," then one day Henon took too much, and it killed him. His mother found his body.
Mom Misty Henon remarked, "I was devastated. I was angry because I felt that I had so - I was so closely involved in his life, and I was looking for signs of drug abuse, and I didn't see them."
James Maiz also got hooked. He drank about five bottles a day, and says with more than 100 over-the-counter medicines available, it was pretty easy to support his habit.
"I could walk into the corner store,” Maiz said, “the corner quickie mart of whatever, and buy four bottles of Nyquil. Who's gonna say anything to me?"
But there are warning signs. Law enforcement officials advise parents to watch for slurred speech and dilated pupils.
And take note of empty bottles, especially when it is not cold or flu season.
Carl's mother noticed the empty bottles but had no idea they were related to a drug abuse problem.
"I feel that other parents need to know what to look for, that it is an issue," Henon stated.
An issue that she hopes they will take seriously, before it is too late.
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/news/051219e.asp