Did you know that cough medicine abuse has become a problem with some teens in their efforts to get high?
I know we all love and want to protect our children so that they can have the best life possible.
Of course, with so much pressure to experiment with drugs, sometimes it can be hard for teens to resist.
Have you heard of the
The Five Moms are a group of mothers from all over the country who are working to educate others about over-the-counter (OTC) cough medicine abuse in teens.
Meet the Five Moms:
- Becky Dyer, Mother of one, Deputy Sheriff, a Former D.A.R.E officer from Kansas
- Christy Crandell, Mother of two, Author and Drug Awareness Advocate from California
- Blaise Brooks, Mother of one, Cares for two nephews, Accountant, Community Advocate from California
- Peggy McKibbin, Mother of two, School Nurse, from Delaware
- Tammy Walsh, Mother of two, High School Educator, Founder, Northport Community Book Club, from New York
The prevention campaign StopMedicineAbuse.org and its Five Moms initiative is working to alert parents and members of the community about the problem of teen abuse of over-the-counter (OTC) cough medicines containing dextromethorphan (DXM).
How did the Five Moms get started?
In 2004, national surveys began to track abuse of over-the-counter (OTC) cough medicine among teens. Experts predicted, “abuse among adolescents most likely will increase, as the drug is relatively easy to obtain and inexpensive. Moreover, adolescents perceive the risk in abusing the drug as low.”
This was a call to action.
To fight the potential rise of teen DXM use, the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) launched the Five Moms: Stopping Cough Medicine Abuse campaign to raise awareness about teen DXM abuse and offer peer-to-peer guidance on how to prevent it. Following the success of the Five Moms campaign, CHPA created StopMedicineAbuse.org to serve as the online home for Five Moms and provide valuable resources for parents and their communities. Together, these initiatives have reached millions of parents to date.
Talking to your teenagers about difficult issues such as drug, alcohol, and medicine abuse can be tricky. It should not be a discussion you have just one time, but rather an ongoing dialogue and it’s never too soon to start. Parents can build trust by asking open-ended questions and beginning the conversation early. ~Tammy WalshThe Five Moms Mission Statement:
We are five moms from all over the country who have come together with a common concern: teenagers abusing over-the-counter (OTC) cough medicine to get high. Not only do we worry about our own kids, but we are also concerned about those of our friends and neighbors.
Furthermore, we work in our communities to spread the word about cough medicine abuse and to encourage parents to talk to their teens, to monitor their medicines, and to tell other parents and community leaders about this problem.
Parents face challenges in getting through to our teens, and we talk openly about those challenges. The message we send is from-the-heart advice on how we can all work to prevent OTC cough medicine abuse in our homes and communities.
With your help, we can reach parents all over the country.
Together, we can make a difference.
In this video post, Five Mom, Tammy Walsh provides strategies and offers suggestions for parents to talk to their teens about abuse.
Check it out below!
You can read Tammy’s story and learn more about the Five Moms by visiting their website, Facebook, or Twitter.
What are your thoughts about teen cough medicine abuse? Share in comments.
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Wonderful Cathy!
I think all these wonderful five Moms are doing a commendable gesture of creating awareness and helping out others through their work, and wishing them the best with it too.
I think we’ve to be very careful with our kids, more so teens and to all the extent they can go to, though I’m glad our end things haven’t gone to that extent as yet. It’s not only the teens because I’ve even heard some adults take on such cough medicines, which is simply harmful to their health too.
Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Hi Harleena,
The teenage years can be a challenge for many. It is wonderful that these moms are spreading awareness about cough medicine abuse. Knowledge and communication is the key to prevention. Thanks so much for stopping by.
WOW! Thank goodness for Five Moms who are spreading awareness about cough medicine abuse. The strategies and suggestions for parents in the video are excellent! Thanks for sharing.
Yes, they are so needed and hopefully many families will hear their message. Thanks for stopping by!
It is unbelievable how resourceful people are in finding drugs to alter their reality! I HATED cough syrup when I was little and can’t imagine this, but in teen years it is very normal to feel uncomfortable in your world and they feel drugs will help them be more at ease.
Hi Aimee,
For some teens there is peer pressure and they so want to fit in. Hopefully cough syrup abuse will be short lived. With the help of these wonderful women who are spreading the danger, families will become more aware of the danger. Take care.
What a great thing you gals are doing, bringing awareness to this subject. AWESOME!
Thanks so much Norma! Appreciate you stopping by!
Thank you Cathy for bringing these wonderful women into my awareness. I was totally oblivious to this aspect of addiction and the suggestions in the video are awesome. Am forwarding to the mums I know with teenagers.
Love Elle
xoxo
Thank you for doing your part, Elle. I know if parents knew ahead of time about the dangers of cough medicine, much of this abuse could be prevented. Take care!
As a former schoolteacher…. this is so important. Thanks to these 5 for devoting the time to bring these problems before the public. It is something that always needs to be addressed.
Hi Barbara,
Welcome! I’m a former school teacher as well, and these kinds of issues occur with students across America. The more families that are aware of the dangers, the more lives can be saved. Of course when teens experiment with cough syrup, it is possible that they will go on to more substance abuse. Thank you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts.
This was an eye-opener for me! Thanks for letting us know about the Five Moms, Cathy, and their mission.
Hi Meryl,
You are welcome. The people know that these types of organizations exist, the better. All the best.
It warms my heart when people stand together for common cause and good! Awesomeness!!
Hi Anita,
It is great and the more people know about substance abuse, the better for all of us. Thanks for stopping by.
This is awesome! Thanks for sharing this message and working together to educate parents on the abuse! Great job!
Thanks so much Elizabeth. Appreciate you stopping by.
Cough medicine abuse is a new subject for me. Here in Canada, we have a terrible tasting cough syrup called Buckleys and I had to bribe my kids to take it, when they were sick. It must be heartbreaking for parents to have to deal with the horrors of this. Kudos to the 5 moms for raising awareness of this.
Hi Sherie,
Most kids do hate the cough medicine when they are young. For those that want to experiment, they will go past the unpleasant taste to get the drug, dextromethorphan (DXM), that gets them high. It’s unfortunate, but the more parents realize this is happening, the better. Take care.
Many college students will end busy days or weeks by taking over the counter cough medicine and drinking a glass or two of wine. I have 2 friends whose daughters wound up in the emergency room with severe and dangerous side effects from this habit. Thanks for writing about this. I certainly think it is a silent danger to our children.
Hi Lorrie,
That is too bad to hear about your friend’s daughters. Some just are so eager to to try anything to get high, and just don’t fully understand the consequences. It is a danger that we should all be aware of. Thanks for stopping by.
Uggggggggg….it is so easy to forget that our precious teens don’t have the wisdom of years to put to use in making smart choices that help them live their gifts. Thanks to each of you for spreading the word and caring so much.
It is maddening isn’t it? What we wouldn’t give to have a way for our teens to have fun and explore life without the pitfalls. Take care.
Thanks for sharing this supportive and inspirational post – Well done to each of you for getting behind this issue and providing the awareness and support for something that some may find very overwhelming.
Thanks for stopping by and for your support Moira!
Wow Cathy, great article and I will watch the video next. So amazing what this organization is doing to help parents and teens. I’ve been through the high school phase with two kids and now am in the midst with another so I always appreciate reading your posts!
Thanks!
xoxo
Betsy
Hi Betsy,
As we know, most kids make good choices, but we do want to be aware of what is out there that could tempt our teens. All the best. Take care.
Shocking the things we have to be aware of these days. But it is awesome that you are taking such a stand to bring that awareness!
There some things to be aware of, especially for teens. Thanks for stopping by!
Thanks for bringing this to our attention. If it isn’t cough syrup, unfortunately, it will be something else. There will always be some teens who just have to push the envelope, or whose lives are so full of despair that they feel a need to medicate themselves into oblivion. And figuring out what to say to them that isn’t met with an involuntary eye roll is SO hard. It is only much later that they recognize the wisdom of what you tried to tell them – and by that time, they may have already ruined their lives.
So true, Susan. That is why early intervention is so important. The more we can spread the word, so that parents understand this can happen to them, the better. There are always kids who want to experiment and it is so sad when they do ruin their lives. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts.
I am so grateful that 5 Moms are spreading awareness about cough syrup abuse. Thank you for bringing more attention to this problem, Cathy. This could grow quickly into a huge problem because of easy access to DXM,
Hi Lisa,
There is easy access to cough syrup or any prescription drug for that matter. It is wonderful that they are spreading the word on this one. Thanks for stopping by!
What an amazing group of moms, Cathy! Thank you so much for sharing their important work – so many parents (and people, in general) are not aware – spreading this information is so important.
Valiant (and valuable) effort they’re making, Cathy. What’s so frustrating is that the drive to get high on “something” will just move the pursuit to something else. But I recognize how important it is to at least keep up with the latest substance … and give a heads-up to other parents.
Wow… Thanks for sharing this Cathy! I would have never thought of cough syrup as something to be abused and get addicted to.