Cough Medicine Abuse: Teens Make the Right Decisions

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Teen Drug Abuse of Cough and Cold Medicine

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Teens: Make the Right Decisions About Cough Medicine Abuse

Today there’s a lot of pressure on teens to abuse drugs, including cough and cold medicines with DXM (dextromethorphan). Many teenagers want to avoid risky drug abuse, but they may not know how to handle uncomfortable situations. Remember, discussing drug abuse with your teen reduces the risk of them abusing drugs.

Parents, use this tool with your teens to help them work through their decisions. Have your teens write down their options, get them all down in black and white.

Use the diagram below to try out the method now. Then, create other scenarios that your teen may encounter and use a similar diagram.

Scenario: You’re at a friend’s house with some other kids you don’t know well. One pulls out some cough medicine and says, “Let’s see what happens if we all take these.” It seems like everyone else agrees with the idea. How about you? What are you going to do?

Options. Read the questions across the top of the diagram and mark your answers in the boxes: yes, no, or maybe. (The diagram has been started for you.) Continue on through all the choices and questions. There’s some space at the bottom for you to write in your own options if you like. Then circle your best choice.

Your Options	Questions to Ask Yourself
Your Options	Will this decision keep me safe?	Will the other kids make fun of me?	Will I lose real friends?	Will I regret this decision later?
1. Leave immediately and walk home – so long as you are in a safe area.	Yes	Maybe
2. Tell everyone about the dangers of medicine abuse.
3. Threaten to call the police.
4. Go wait outside and call a parent to pick you up.
5. Give in and try some of the medicine, but tell yourself it will just be this one time.
6. Go along with the group, but tell a school counselor what happened the next school day.