Purple drank or lean purple drank are slang terms for a recreational drink that combines prescription-strength cough syrup with soda and sometimes hard fruit candy to add sweetness. The drink initially became popular in the 1990s with the southern rap community in the United States. Effects from the concoction include euphoria, lethargy, and disassociation.

What Is Purple Drank?

Despite the mainstream attention that drugs like meth, heroin, and cocaine receive, another category of drugs consisting largely of homemade ingredients can be similarly dangerous. One such drug is the concoction known commonly as purple drank but may have other names like lean purple drank, sizzurp, purple drank lea, dirty sprite and Texas tea among others.

This drink combines soft drinks, prescription cough syrup with opiates and then hard fruit candy. The most dangerous element of this drug is the opiates present in prescription-strength cough syrup. The other danger is the presence of promethazine in cough syrup, which is an antihistamine that causes sedative effects.

Because of how lean is consumed, users can quickly lose track of how much they’re drinking. The sweetness and familiar flavors of the candy and soft drink mixers make it easy to consume too much. Drinking too much lean can result in an opiate overdose and it can also result in addiction.

Use of lean has been historically hard to track due to its legal ingredients. However, it holds an appeal to younger crowds due to widely publicized use by celebrities such as rap stars and sports figures.

The Effects Of Purple Drank Abuse

Purple drank has a number of desirable and undesirable side effects. The high from this drug consists of a mild euphoria and then a feeling of disassociation from the body. The effects last between three and six hours.

The high from lean can sometimes be described as a swooning euphoria. This refers to the combination of wooziness with euphoric feelings. First-time users may experience dizziness, memory problems, nausea and blurred vision.

Other side effects that fall into the undesirable category include the following:

  • Slurred speech
  • Uncontrolled eye movement
  • Dental problems
  • Loss of balance
  • Addiction
  • Slow heart rate
  • Constipation

As lean contains opiates, the potential for addiction with long-term or heavy use is quite high. Cases of users falling into a coma or dying have also been reported. The risk of these complications increases with use of another substance at the same time. Lean is commonly combined with alcohol, which especially raises death or coma risk.

Part of the danger of lean lies within the fact that it contains legal ingredients. This creates a false idea of safety for the people who take it. Even though the cough syrup in question is safe in prescribed doses, it is absolutely not safe when abused. Celebrities with addictions to lean have reported serious health problems after a long period of abuse.

Purple Drank Addiction

The main ingredient in the prescription cough syrup used in purple drank is codeine. This belongs to the opioid class of drugs, which has a very high rate of addiction. In all likelihood, you’ve heard about the opioid addiction situation on the national news. It is indeed a significant problem affecting every level of society.

Opioid addiction results from the variety of pleasant effects that the drug produces. Prolonged opioid use also results in tolerance, which requires the user to consume more in order to get the same effects. The more the person consumes, the more dependent their body becomes. Physical and psychological dependence constitutes addiction.

The Need for Professional Purple Drank Addiction Treatment

One danger with purple drank addiction is thinking that you can recover all on your own. This is much more difficult than you might imagine. The body gets used to the presence of opioids. When you try to quite, the body doesn’t like not having those opioids present. This can lead to uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms. In a professional setting, doctors and therapists are there to monitor you and help get through withdrawal easier.

Even if you get off purple drank, you haven’t resolved why you were taking it in the first place. For that reason, relapse can happen quite easily. This is another reason to opt for professional help rather than doing it yourself.

Treatment for opiate addiction starts at a quality rehab facility like Beaches Recovery in Jacksonville, Florida. Professional treatment addresses the underlying causes that lead a person to addictive behavior. Many of those who abuse opiate and opiate-related drugs have co-occurring disorders such as anxiety and depression.

At Beaches, you will have access to the following treatments:

  • Gender specific rehab
  • Cognitive behavioral therapy
  • Inpatient, outpatient, and partial hospitalization programs
  • Group and family therapy
  • Holistic treatment like art and music therapy

Start Your Recovery From Purple Drank Addiction Today

Getting free of the harmful effects of opiates through detox is the first step, but it must be followed with effective addiction counseling and treatment for a lasting recovery. Trying to do all of this on your own is difficult. Seeking professional help is more likely to get you the recovery you’re looking for.

If you are struggling with an addiction to prescription drugs, get help today at a quality drug rehab like Beaches Recovery. Stop addiction from destroying your life, and start your path to recovery by calling 866.605.0532 today.