He is a good looking, bright, gifted and friendly twenty -five year old. He is also a cough medicine with DM addict.
When my son was 17 he researched all the ways he could experience being "high" without doing anything illegal and expensive. He had been taught to obey the law and he was curious. Unfortunately this curiosity has taken him down a near road to destruction.
Many of his friends were drinking and smoking pot, but as he had little money and wanted to "play safe" he went to the local small store and bought his first bottle for $1.00.
He tells me that the first time he tried it he knew he wanted that feeling again and again. He had been making good grades through his sophomore year and the next year they declined a bit but I had no idea what was happening.
By the time I discovered he was drinking several bottles week, I took him to a counselor. The counselor told him to drop out of high school and attend AA meeting three times a week. I sought other help. But help was not to come and for the last 8 years he has been living with a monster addiction.
I have done all the "right" things. He has been to a state run detox center with criminals. He has ended up in a mental institution because he was forecasting the end of the world in a restaurant.He has thrown up so many times I cannot count them. He has been to college and slept through 4 weeks of classes before I knew and he was kicked out because people were afraid of him. I have let him live on the streets (for a very short time). He has stolen money from me and from others. He has stolen cough medicine from others. He moved away and got off the cough medicine for 8 weeks and finally feel back into the addiction.
In the meantime, I have worked and tried to keep myself afloat. His dad died when he was seven and I have raised my two children on my own.
He began to drink alcohol in addiction to the cough medicine with DM and eventually was doing two twenty four ounce bottles at a time. I have worried he would have a stroke or worse die. And there have been those dark moments when I thoguht it might be better if he did.
Today, he has an added dimension to his addiction. He has a "voice" that talks to him and tells him others are laughing at him or talking about him. The "voice" is auditory and he "see" things that I do not see.
He never did anything worse than this- no crack cocaine or meth- but this has been horrible enough.
Currently he is living again with me and going to out patient substance abuse treatment after having been through 5 weeks of detox. He has no insurance and cannot keep a job. He is taking an anti-psychotic drug which has made the volume of the "voice" go down.
Every single day he wants to go get another bottle- cheap, available and lethal.
Thank goodness the word is finally getting out.
I am still hopeful that his nightmare will end some day for him and his sister and for me. I never knew 8 years ago to warn him about medicine abuse. Even today, the counselor at the mental services thinks he is addicted to alcohol in the cough medicine. There is no alcohol, only a most potent DM.
Parents need to know. I wish I had known.
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Comments: 17
I hope that your son recovers and loses the voices in his head. It must be difficult witnessing his agony and being helpless. My prayers are with you and others with this problem.
When it's your child? No one should have to go through it. No one, ever.
We hospitalized our daughter several years ago, for suicidal depression. It was brought on by Dex abuse. We were blessed, and there have been no relapses. You can bet I watch what is brought into the house, and how fast it disappears.
There is NO responsible way to abuse medication. My definition of abuse? If you aren't following the instructions on the container or taking it for what it was intended, it's abuse.
Color it any way you want to. Abuse is abuse and it will bite you in the butt sooner or later. I hope you make it out in one piece, most don't.
They've put sudafed behind the counter here in WA state. I think anything with Dex belongs there as well. It is a safe, effective product for 'most' people when taken as directed. The package clearly states persons with certain conditions, including hight blood pressure and depression.
For us, sueing the manufacter because our daughter was, for lack of a better term, an idiot, isn't the answer. We told her about the dangers of abusing medication, she lost an aunt and uncle.. she made bad choices. Her fault, no one elses.
Personally, I don't use DXM (or any drug) to escape my problems, I use them to see myself and the world around me from different perspectives. I explained that particular quality of cough medicine because I believe it is what causes certain people (like Maggie J.'s son) to become addicted.
Wendy C.: I disagree with your definition of abuse, but it's a subjective idea, and is necessarily different for everyone. I don't see behavior as "abuse" until an individual continues to do something that causes them harm. I have yet to perceive any harm resulting from my DXM use; my grades are good and my health is fine. As such, I see myself as a responsible user; I don't let drugs (negatively) affect my sober life.
I also don't believe sudafed or DXM containing products should be sold behind the counter. To me, it just causes excess hassle for the majority of people who use the products responsibly. Besides, making the drugs harder to obtain isn't a realistic solution. People will always find ways to get high, they need to be taught specific, factual reasons why it's more logical to find less risky ways to spend a Saturday night.
However, I completely agree with your stance on the ill-conceived lawsuit idea. Personal responsibility is paramount. Everyone, including kids, needs to be held accountable for their own actions. If I choose to take several times the recommended dose of a medication, the consequences, however gruesome, are no ones' fault but my own.
HERE IS A THOUGHT THOUGH ..BEAR IN MIND I DID GO TO COLLEGE THREE YEARS BUT DUE TO LIFE CIRCUMSTANCES AND DIFFERENT OPPORTUNITIES AT THAT MOMENT DIDNT GRAD. , JUST WANT TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE CLUE..ADDICTION DOESN'T JUST HAPPEN TO EVERYONE IMMEDIATELY...IT CAN ALSO BE VERY SUBTLE..BE VERY WARY.. AND HONESTLY WILL HAVE TO AGREE TO DISAGREE WITH YOUR OPINION ON THIS ISSUE..I ALSO THINK THROUGH LIFE EXPERIENCE YOU MAY CHANGE YOURS AS WELL..HOPE SO ANYWAY
It's good to know I come across as more than an abrasive jerk.
I also thank you for your concern and words of caution...I will give them more consideration than it might seem. I guess my relative inexperience with life could be hindering my understanding. After all, if I knew everything at 20, there'd be no point in living to two or three times that age. Anyway, I respect your opinion and I'll even give you the benefit of the doubt on this one.
Thank you for your valuable input in our discussion. As a deputy sheriff and D.A.R.E officer, I see first hand the destruction that drug abuse can cause. But, as a mother of three, my heart goes out to you and your daughter. I wish you both the best.
Since becoming involved in this campaign, I have learned so much about this specific type of abuse among teens and pre-teens. You will be happy to know that a large majority of the major retailers have already imposed age restrictions on medicines containing dextromethorphan - limiting the sale of these products to people aged 18 and up. I think this will go a long way by giving parents another tool to deal with this problem. But, as the substance abuse experts tell us, placing these medicines behind a counter will not stop the abuse. As you may know, teens are abusing prescription drugs at far higher rates than over-the-counter medicines. And while any amount is bad, the only way we are going to solve this problem is by educating ourselves about this issue and talking to our kids about the dangers of its abuse. Access is an issue, but it is not just the store. More than two-thirds of teens report getting these drugs from their homes or a friend's home. Parents must be aware and must be vigilant.
The fact is that most parents don't know that this is happening. Research has shown that parents are the most influential factor in their teens' decision to use drugs. The more parents who know about cough medicine abuse and talk to their kids about it, the better we will be able to protect our children. I talk to kids all day long about drugs, and I know that I make a difference. But the truth is, it's the parent that has the most impact.
Becky
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