/EINPresswire.com/ InterFACE Pens Article to Client Base To Alert Parents About The Dangerous Trend of ‘Sizzurp’
If most people were asked to give a few reasons why they may need to present a valid photo identification one might hear the typical answers: To enter a bar, to board an airplane, or to purchase tobacco products, etc. Not many people would assume that they would be carded at a local pharmacy when trying to purchase cough medicine to help them beat a pesky cold or flu. Cough medicine? It sounds preposterous, but the answer is yes, and as a company that works heavily with teens, InterFACE feels it’s important to educate parents on the dangers of this obscure, yet expanding epidemic.
It seems hard to believe but Robitussin, Nyquil, and the likes have been the culprits in a sickening trend that is sweeping the youth in recent years, and one that has ran rampant in the Southwest since the 1970s. Colloquially known in urban culture as “sizzurp” or “purple drank”, the latter is toxic mixture of common cough syrup, a carbonated drink, and the addition of candy (jolly ranchers) or other sugary additives. This lethal combination acts as a sedative and hallucinogen, and has become an addictive and debilitating habit that is practiced by several teens and young adults who idolize urban culture.
The phenomenon of “sizzurp” was created in the late 1970’s in Texas, and became widely popularized in the 1990’s by Houston, TX legendary disc jockey, DJ Screw. DJ Screw himself was a self-proclaimed “sizzurp” addict, who made several references to the drink in his music. Having created and commercialized the famed “chopped and screwed” DJ technique, the sound is a slowed, slurred version of an original song, a characteristic that mimics the feelings of a person who has overdosed on “sizzurp.” Consequently DJ Screw died at the age of 29 from a codeine-promethazine-alcohol overdose due to drinking “sizzurp.”
Hip hop has embraced the dangerous practice, and it has been mentioned in several songs by artists like 3-6 Mafia, Rick Ross, Paul Wall, and Kanye West. Other famed hip hop artists have also perished from this troubling habit, including ‘Pimp C’ one half of the well-known Texas hip hop duo UGK, who died in 2007 as a result of a codeine overdose and sleep apnea.
How is this happening? How does Robitussin become a lethal drug? Typical cough medicine consists of prescription drugs codeine and promethazine, and sometimes an antihistamine. The purpose of the combination of these drugs is to trick the body into shutting down the part of the brain that triggers coughing, and offer relief from headache or sore throat due to persistent coughing. When consumed in large doses, these two ingredients can cause severe drowsiness, hypoventilation, hallucinations or even seizures.
However asinine the idea may be, the idea of drinking “sizzurp” to achieve a feeling of being “high” is more prevalent now than ever. The internationally known hip hop artist Lil Wayne publicly acknowledges being a “sizzurp” drinker, and has made several references to the concoction in his music, taking the phenomenon out of East Texas and unfortunately opening the doors for mainstream audiences to learn about the drug mixture. Lil Wayne’s love of the ‘purple drank’ has almost cost him his life, as he has suffered severe seizures and was most recently hospitalized in Los Angeles, CA after suffering multiple seizures on a video set.
Even athletes have been affected by this downward spiral, in 2006 San Diego Chargers player Terrance Kiel was arrested during practice for intent to sell prescription cough syrup after trying to ship a box of cough syrup to a friend. In June 2008 Innovative Beverage Group shamelessly released a commercial beverage called “Drank” which is an herbal juice marketed at teens and claims to slow down your thought process, a clever ploy aimed at those who enjoy the effects of “sizzurp.”
At InterFACE we deal with many aspiring teen singers and models who are facing a crossroads about forming their ideas of body image, and what is and is not harmful to them. It is unfortunate that something that is deemed so harmless such as cough syrup is being associated with a deadly and debilitating habit. InterFACE is doing their part to educate parents about this horrible trend, so that our teen clients can develop healthy habits that do not cause harm to their bodies and environments. InterFACE composed an informative article about the dangers of ‘sizzurp’ that was sent out to the entire client base to inform and alert them about this dangerous fad.
So what is being done by the rest of society to eradicate this harmful trend? As of 2011, prices in Texas for cough syrup are double the amount in the rest of the 49 states, as the public is slowly becoming aware of the seriousness of this urban fad. As more and more parents learn about this issue, they can begin to really take stock of what is in their medicine cabinets, and hopefully save their child’s life from a nostalgic remedy turned deadly.
InterFACE is the premier choice for talent marketing services. As an entry point for aspiring models, actors and singers, InterFACE connects talent with a broad base of industry professionals, marketing tools, information and visibility to help them effectively pursue their careers as models, actors and singers in the fast-paced, highly competitive world of fashion and entertainment. InterFACE also provides industry professionals–agents, personal managers, casting directors and music producers–with a talent pool that has been professionally developed and prepared to take on a variety of opportunities. The company boasts a client base of over 10,000 active clients, and provides entertainment marketing services for select regions including New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and South Florida. Please visit www.interfacetalent.com for more information.
Media Contact:
God-is M Rivera
InterFACE c/o Otriad Marketing
212.558.9495
http://www.interfacetalent.com
Press Release courtesy of Online PR Media: http://bit.ly/YWD81q