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An Important Message from CCCADA |
The holidays are upon us and many parents are not aware that teens today only need to look to their local supermarkets, pharmacies or home medicine cabinets to get high using Over The Counter (OTC) cough medicines and cold remedies.
Although overall teen drug use has declined over the last several years, parents are often unaware of this latest threat. Many of these medications contain Dextromethorphan (DXM), a cough suppressant, which when taken in excess amounts can cause delusions, loss of consciousness, and even death. Even more startling is that some teens consume these drugs along with alcohol, making the effects even more dangerous. But parents can help stop the abuse by safeguarding OTC drugs & alcohol, and showing extra vigilance during the holidays, as well as flu & cold season, by properly concealing and disposing of old or unused medications and setting clear rules for teens about all drugs and alcohol use.
If parents need more information on this or other similar topics, they can call CCCADA at (856) 427 – 6553. In addition, if they would like advice on how to bridge the teen-parent generation gap and how to best talk to their teen about drugs and alcohol, they can visit the Advice Section of Media Campaigns website at WWW.TheAntiDrug.Com/advice. Let's let the gift we offer to our youth this holiday season, be one of hope for a better today and tomorrow.
From the Desk of Naomi L. Hubbard
Executive Director
Camden County Council on Alcoholism & Drug Abuse, Inc.
WWW.CCCADA.Org
