The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health released results from its annual survey of drug and alcohol habits among Ontario teens this week. (Link: CAMH) It's largely a good-news study of self-reported data: Use of alcohol, as well as use of cigarettes, has reached an all-time low. Teens use cough syrup as a recreational drug However, this stood out to me:

The only drug use measure that shows a significant increase in recent years is over-the- counter cough/cold medication used to “get high.” The percentage reporting the use of OTC cough/cold medication to “get high” in the past year significantly increased between 2009 and 2013, from 7.2% to 9.7%.

Another thing to bear in mind. Drunk driving rates are going down, but:

The percentage of drivers in grades 10–12 reporting driving after cannabis use is higher than the percentage reporting driving after drinking. One-in-ten (10%) drivers report driving a vehicle within one hour of using cannabis at least once during the past year (an estimated 31,500 adolescent drivers in Ontario).

My own sons are pretty young for detailed discussion around drugs, but I am so glad to know what we should be talking about. Did you know that teens are using cough syrup to get high? Have you talked to your kids about it? Here's an article from our archives about how to talk to your teen about drug use. (Photo: iStock)