Cough Syrup New Teen Drug of Choice

Lock up your medicine cabinets, moms and dads. There's a new drug craze, and it's...cough medicine. That's right, chugging Robitussin is the latest way to get a high. Many parents are not even aware of the problem, but cough medicine abuse is on the rise. It's cheap, easy to get, and comes in both liquid and gel-cap forms, providing teens with opportunity and temptation.An educational campaign called Five Moms has launched this month, courtesy of the Consumer Healthcare Products Association. The association represents over-the-counter drug manufacturers, and has recruited five mothers across the country whose lives have been touched by cough medicine abuse. Five Moms.com features blogs from the moms, a social networking forum available for worried parents, and warning signs that your kid might be using.

Though cough medicine might sound innocuous enough, don't be fooled. Used to excess, the substance can cause paranoid delusions, psychosis, and other cognitive problems. Users like the medicine for the trance-like, dissociative state it induces.