OTC Medicine Abuse

My girls are quite young right now. The oldest is five. However, I pay attention to issues that could affect them as they grow older. One such issue about which I only recently heard is that of children abusing cold and cough medicines to get high. Frankly, such a thought never occurred to me during my childhood, and I hope it never occurs to my girls, either.

Unfortunately, this appears to be a growing problem, and kids are so brazen as to upload videos to YouTube showing themselves getting high from the medication. (I'm not going to link to any videos; you can find them yourself if you really want to see them.) What they don't realize (or don't care about) is that an over the counter (OTC) medicine that is abused is just as dangerous as illegal drugs purchased off the streets. Just like with any other drug, OTC medicine abuse can lead to addiction, disabilities, and/or death. The road to addiction recovery may include an embarrassing but necessary stint in drug rehabilitation, and there is no guarantee that an abuser will escape physical problems related to the drug abuse.

Although my children are young now, I am creating an offensive plan in hopes of saving them from heartache in the future. First and foremost, I will ask the Lord for wisdom as I train my children, for eyes to see what they may not want me to see, and for protection for my children. I will also talk to my children about the seriousness of taking only the proper dosage of any medication and will explain to them the possible consequences of failing to do so. I will keep an eye on our medicine supply, watching to make sure that its use appears consistent with our needs.

Have you considered this threat to your children? Do you have a plan of action?