Substance addiction can come in many forms and widely differing materials. Aside from being addicted to illegal drugs and household chemicals, there is now an inexpensive alternative: cough syrup, as well as over the counter drugs, both of which can be acquired quite legally. The sad thing about it is that the teens addicted to these drugs are abusing a substance that was originally created to heal sickness and alleviate pain.

Cough syrup contains codeine, commonly used for analgesic purposes. It can be extracted from opium or synthesized from morphine, both of which are addictive drugs in themselves. Prescription-grade cough syrup contains larger concentrations of this chemical.

A common effect is an altered state of mind and sedation of the user, causing numbness. Users can easily go overboard as well, with overdose symptoms in common with other opiates. Some medicines also contain antihistamines that can cause another sedative effect.

Promethazine is also combined with codeine to combat cough, but this is also a chemical that, on its own, could also cause strong reactions in the user. It is a sedative drug, and as normally goes with these types of chemicals, causes inhibited function in terms of vision, and being slowed and having slurred speech as well. Users describe this feeling as being “zazzed”, when everything around you goes slowly.

Codeine in cough syrup is usually taken in a form called Purple Drank. The moniker comes from its color, which usually ranges from purple to pink depending on the cough syrup used and the ratio of mixing it with other drinks such as sodas.

This practice first gained influence in the southern states, and hip-hop artists popularized its use with the masses by including it in their songs. Effects include increased auditory sensations and visual stimuli, and leads to a feeling of being disconnected and strange, erratic behavior.

Among the foremost dangers in addictions of this type is how easy someone can get the materials, considering that it’s legally purchased from drugstores. Another scary factor is how cheaply it can be gotten, and considering the prices for illegal drugs, this would seem like a no-brainer for most teens on tight budgets wanting to get high.

A few dollars is all it takes to get high. The chemical of choice for most of the youth is Dextromorphan, also known as DXM, a substance found in many cough syrup formulations as well. This is what is commonly referred to as “Skittles” in underground lingo, and may even cause heart palpitations if it is abused. Medicine in tablet form contains much larger quantities of DXM; therefore a similar effect of consuming large amounts of syrup could be duplicated by just a few tablets.

Even cough syrup based drinks are easy to obtain, because all it takes is some prescription cough syrup, a can of soda, a Styrofoam cup, and you’re ready to get high. This is a very simple process in comparison to other types of drugs. Scary when you think of the implications. This is used as a recreational drink, and the effect will depend on the amount of the cough syrup, the ratio of mixing, and what else you put in it, commonly other pain-relieving tablets.

Sleeping aids can also be addictive in large enough doses, and could also have long-term effects on the user. Narcolepsy is common, and causes episodes of micro-sleep. This is particularly dangerous when driving, then falling asleep at the wheel. Diet pills being taken in larger than prescribed doses to shed weight faster is also dangerous, because the effects on the body are increased to a dangerous level.

Many people who struggle with alcohol or drugs have a hard time getting better. There are many reasons why these people do not get the help they need to get better. Many family members who see their loved ones struggle have a very difficult time in getting their loved ones assistance. Here are six suggestions on how to convince a person struggling with alcohol or drugs to get the help they need to get better.

1. Family Intervention

The most popular way to get someone the help they need is to do a family intervention. This is when family members and an interventionist get together with the addict to tell them how they love them and wish that they get help to get better. Each family member takes a turn and tells the person how special they are and that they need to get help. The person who is struggling listens and hopefully they become convinced to get the help they need.

2. Talk To The Person On What Will Happen If They Do Not Get Help

Another way to convince the person who is struggling with alcohol or drugs is to get someone who is an expert on addiction and have them do a one on one talk with this person. This expert on addiction should explain to the addict what will happen if they do not get the help they need to get better. Basically, the expert should warn the person of the dire consequences of what will happen if they do not change their ways. The expert should be vivid as possible and hold nothing back. The goal is to convince the person to get help or they will suffer a fate worse than death as their life will slowly come to an end.

3. Use The Services of A Professional Or A Former Addict

Try to find a professional or even a former addict who has “Been There” to talk to the person. This is similar to Step Two, however this time instead of scaring the person, these professionals can use their skills to talk and try to reason with the person. These experts are usually trained and can use a proactive approach into trying to convince the addict to get help. The goal is to try to reason with the person.

4. Find Out The Reasons Why The Person Won’t Get Help

Many people overlook this suggestion. Ask the person who is struggling with alcohol or drugs to list 3 reasons why they will not get help. At first, they will say all kinds of things, but continue to engage the person and get the 3 main reasons why they refuse to get help. It might take a couple of tries but listen to what they say. Once you get the answers, WRITE them down on a piece of paper. Note: Fear and Frustration are huge factors for the person not getting help.

5. Determine The Solutions To Those Barriers

Once you get those 3 reasons, then get a professional or an expert to find the solutions to those issues. For example, the person says that they won’t get help because they tried a few times and they failed and that they will fail again. Ask a few addiction professionals to find a solution to this issue that will help the addict overcome this barrier. One good answer to this example is the following: “Yes, you tried to get better and failed however this time we will do things differently. We will keep a daily diary of everything you do and you or someone else will document what you do each day. If you stumble or fail you will write down your feelings at the time and why you failed. When you recover from a bad episode you can READ your diary and find out what went wrong. Once you know what went wrong you will know why you failed and will find a way to prevent this from happening again.”

Use your list from step three and list every positive thing that will counter those barriers. When your finished, present this to the person who is struggling and explain what you came up with. This will help reduce the person’s fears and anxieties and may convince them to get help. Developing a plan to counter their reasons of not getting help will go a long way.

6. Talk to the Person Instead of Talking At Them

Nobody wants to be lectured. Be honest with them and tell them that it will require some hard work on their part but that they can get better. If they don’t get help, they will suffer. The person who is struggling is scared and they need help in overcoming their fears and resistance to getting help. Remember to find out those fears, address possible solutions to those fears, and you will have a better chance of getting through to that person. Hopefully, sooner or later, you will be able to get through to the person. The key is to be persistent. Be very persistent. Also, it would help a lot to have everybody pray for that person. Involving God with your current situation can sometimes produce unexpected results.

All of us would have used pain killers at some time or the other in our lives. In fact, pain killers are among the most commonly used medication all over the world. Generally the choice will be between an aspirin or Paracetamol or one of the NSAIDs. Occasionally, for those of us with very severe pain or for those suffering from a terminal illness and the associated pain, narcotics may be prescribed.

Narcotics act directly at the pain processing parts of the body and modify our response to pain. So we may feel the sensation but we will not be affected by it. This class of drugs is very potent in this respect. Consequently, a few patients become used to the apparent disconnect produced by these drugs and start using them even when the pain is not there. This becomes the painkiller addiction – an unfortunate outcome of using this particular class of medicines.

As time passes, such an addicted person becomes dependant on that particular drug and without it, becomes irritable and unsociable. This consequently leads to errors in judgment, issues with social skills, work place problems and finally social mal-adjustment. The severity of these changes in behavior will depend on the specific drug. Some drugs in the class, like morphine and meperidine are quite powerful, but others like buprenorphine or tramadol do not cause as much dependence. In fact, drugs having properties similar to the latter two are helpful in the process of de-addiction.

Fortunately, while a pain killer addiction can have serious long term consequences, there are several effective ways to get free of the habit. Common treatment stages include counseling, certain drugs, support groups, and behavioral therapy techniques. Using such therapeutic methods in a balanced way increases the chance of successful rehabilitation.

Like any addiction, the best possible time for getting de-addicted is before forming the habit – in other words, never get addicted at all! Hence the narcotics, as a class is restricted for use only by doctors duly licensed to prescribe them. Furthermore, measures to educate people, including patients and their relatives about the nature of the drugs and the unfavorable effects if taken without proper guidance and indication, will go a long way in decreasing the personal burden and stigma at the individual level and the healthcare costs at the national level.