Teen Drug Slang: A Dictionary For Parents

Know What Your Kids Are Talking About With This Guide To Today's Drug Terms

(WebMD)  Is your teen robotripping on CCC?

How would you know if you don't even know what that means?

"It's very important that parents brush up on ... slang, because just like with text messaging, kids use all these abbreviations and parents don’t know what they mean. But the more they understand what these things mean, the more they will be able to monitor kids’ behavior," says Gregory Pollock, a psychotherapist specializing in addiction at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Ohio.

That's why WebMD went directly to the experts on the front lines of teen drug abuse to get a better handle on the today's teenage drug slang.

Here's what you need to know about teens and drugs today:

Cold Medicine Abuse

Dextromethorphan (DXM): This is a drug contained in
over-the-counter cough suppressants. After 900 milligrams, it becomes a hallucinogen. Synonyms for DXM include Candy, Dex, DM, Drex, Red Devils, Robo, Rojo, Skittles, Tussin, Velvet, Poor Man's X, and Vitamin D. "Tussin is a very popular name that’s has been catching on lately," says Pollock.
"Cold medicine abuse is a very serious problem, from what I have seen, because it is so available."

Syrup heads: Users of DXM

Dexing: Abusing cough syrup. Synonyms include robotripping or robodosing because users tend to chug Robitussin or another cough syrup to get high.

Triple C: This stands for Coricidin HBP Cough and Cold. "The triple C or CCC is something that we are seeing a lot of, and that is specific to Coricidin, but anything with DXM is abused today," adds Kevin M. Gray, MD, an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.

More Teen Drug Use Terms

Special K: A medication used as an anesthetic in humans and animals, ketamine is sometimes abused as a "club drug." It can cause hallucinations and euphoria in higher doses. Synonyms include vitamin K, breakfast cereal, cat valium, horse tranquilizer, K, Ket, new ecstasy, psychedelic heroin, and super acid.

Crank: The stimulant methamphetamine. Synonyms include meth, speed, chalk, white cross, fire, and glass. "Crystal methamphetamine is called ice," says Cleveland Clinic's Pollock. "Crystal meth is smoked, but meth can be injected, snorted, or taken as a pill," he explains.

Antifreeze: Heroin. Synonyms include Big H, brown sugar, dope, golden girls, H, horse, junk, poison, skag, smack, sweet dreams, tar, and train, according to the web site of Phoenix House, a national alcohol and drug abuse treatment and prevention facility.

Crunk: This is a verb that means to get high and drunk at the same time.

Snow: Cocaine. Synonyms include Charlie, crack, coke, dust, flake, freebase, lady, nose candy, powder, rock, rails, snowbirds, toot, white, and yahoo, according to Phoenix House. "After all this time, alcohol and pot are still the most used drugs by teens, but cocaine is really a strong third, especially with females, because of the weight issue," says Janice Styer, MSW, a clinical coordinator-addictions counselor at Caron Treatment Center in Wernersville, Pa. "The drug of choice among women with eating disorders is almost invariably cocaine." A stimulant, cocaine can decrease appetite.

X: Ecstasy or 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). Synonyms include Adam, E, bean, clarity, essence, lovers speed, MDMA, roll, stacy, XTC, according to the Phoenix House.

Georgia Home Boy: This refers to Gamma Hydroxybutyrate (GHB), a central nervous system depressant can produce euphoric, sedative, and body-building effects. Other synonyms include Gamma-OH, Grievous Bodily Harm, Liquid Ecstasy, Liquid E, Liquid X, Organic Quaalude, and Scoop, according to Phoenix House.

Roofies: This refers to rohypnol, a.k.a. the date rape drug. Synonyms include the forget pill, La Rocha, Mexican valium, R-2, rib, roachies, roofenol, rophies, roche (pronounced roe-shay), and rope.

Kibbles and bits: The attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drug called Ritalin. It is sometimes also referred to as pineapple, says Pollock.

Teens and Drugs on the Web

Cheese: This is a hazardous mix of black tar heroin and Tylenol PM or other medicines containing diphenhydramine). It looks like grated parmesan cheese -- thus the name. There were more than 20 teen deaths in Dallas and surrounding neighborhoods that have been attributed to Cheese since it was identified in 2005.

Candy flipping: This term refers to a high that’s achieved by combining LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) or acid with ecstasy. "The new thing, especially with kids on the Internet, is which drugs are best and safest to combine," explains Styer.

A new study by the Caron Treatment Centers found that one in 10 messages on the Internet involved teens seeking advice from their peers on how to take illicit drugs. The messages were posted on common online message boards, forums, and social network sites such as MySpace.com.

When it comes to teens and drugs, "You will never know everything, but you don’t want your kids to think you are an idiot," Styer says. "You need to keep communication open and talk to your kids about the dangers of the Internet."

• Is your teen’s behavior worrying you? Talk with other moms and dads on WebMD's Parenting: Preteens and Teenagers message board.

[furniture23]

I noticed a text message to my stepson from one of his friends asking him if he wants to "do tracks". What does that mean?

[nottellin1]

shermed,
Posted by brianbwb at 12:59 AM : Aug 08, 2007

Shermed - angel dust

[yoopermom]

And remember, if your kid senses that you don't trust them, they won't trust you.
Posted by GermanYzzy

Wonderful advice!!!

[earthlives]

I've heard the term "rock cocaine" used in connection with smoking a drug. Is that synonymous with crack, or is it another type of cocaine?

[tinadianne]

yes it is its just cooked and hardened

[bennyblack1]

Great guys, just use some interesting information to protect kids, and then turn around and use it meet other drug abusers. What is WRONG with you people?????!!!!!!

[seabre986]

"Chronic" is just another slang term for marijuana..

[brittee]

However, I do believe the interpretation is different in other geographical areas of the US(i'm west coast).

[brittee]

Marijuana can easily be laced with anything but chronic generally just refers to indoor grown marijuana, which often has a higher concentration of THC.

[grammawhamma]

BrittEE....I think you translated it right. Except I don't think chronic is just plain marijuana, isn't it mixed with crack?

[dragonmouse-2009]

It seems easy if you insist on your kids speaking ENGLISH like they're actually "educated" instead of talking like they belong on MTV or something.

[germanyzzy]

I'm a 17 year old girl who lives in Sin City (Las Vegas) Nevada. I only knew two of these slang words. Don't think that your kids know these slang words, because I didn't even know a majority of them. And living in Vegas, I'm around drugs all the time. I can remember in 8th grade, I was sitting in the third seat from the front row in my Math class, and a guy and a girl were sitting in the front row. I could see them perfectly because no one else was sitting in front of me. Well the guy was selling cocaine to the girl. She even did a line of coke on her desk and I was the only one that noticed! Just because your kid uses slang, doesn't mean it's slang for something harmful, kids just like to talk in different ways from other people so that the other people don't have any idea what they're saying, they don't just do it to their parents. And remember, if your kid senses that you don't trust them, they won't trust you.

[brittee]

"I wad'n hangin', cause they be tweekin', blowin', half of 'em E'd out, fumin', shermed, and blind on s*it, I ain't down, me, I'll drop a dot, if it's legit, and hit some chronic, that's about it, I ain't into that hard s*it."

=

I wasn't hanging out with them because they were doing meth, cocaine, half of them were on ecstasy, huffing (fumin?), taking hallucinogenic mushrooms, and generally incoherent due to the drugs. I'm not supportive of that. Me, I'll take acid (LSD) if it's verified, and smoke a little marijuana, but I don't do hard drugs.

[nathan167]

Candy Flipping is not new. This dates back at least to the early 90's when ecstasy and LSD were popular in the rave scenes.

"Crunk" as slang has evolved into more than just a definition of a drug induced state. I've heard the term liberally used to define "having a wildly good time". Parents, check urban http://www.urbandictionary.com/ http://www.wikipedia.org. They provide generally reliable information on 'common knowledge' as well as an insight into vernacular terms and concepts. Articles like this only have the ability to articulate a very small perspective. Teaching your kids to respect what they put into their bodies, in general, helps to nail these issues at their root cause.

Previous comment from "devilsadvoc1"
"just chug a bottle or two of robotussin extra strength cough and cold... DXM is the only active ingredient."

Robotusin Extra Strength Cough and Cold also contains psuedoephadrine (which is the "Cold" in "Cough and Cold"). This is a pretty hefty stimulant that can put people on edge. There are also inactive ingredients that the liver can take a while to process in quantities implied (fillers, heavy flavorings, large amounts of coloring).

[notanairplan]

I hear gage is all the rage if you're a viper.

[johnpdevel]

'That's why WebMD went directly to the experts on the front lines of teen drug abuse' .. i think the experts need to put down the crack pipe.. because this is some WACK information! Good way to completely mis-inform people. Thanks webMD!

[seabre986]

"Is your teen robotripping on CCC?"

HA HA HA HA!!

Whoever wrote this is a dolt.

"Robotripping" strictly refers to Robitussin.

[johnpdevel]

I'm sorry.. 900mg of DXM is a SUPER high dose. They should not be recommending that to ANYONE.

Anything over 250mg will make you hallucinate.. good job CBS and webMD for telling people outrageous doses.. so now some kids are going to go home and freak out when they think they are OD'ing on 900mg of DXM. Anyone who is really concerned about drug use should check out www.erowid.org for ACTUAL real information regarding drugs, and drug use.

[klingon69]

shermed,
Posted by brianbwb at 12:59 AM : Aug 08, 2007

That wouldn't have anything to do with mushrooms would it?

[klingon69]

How about this sentence; "I wad'n hangin', cause they be tweekin', blowin', half of 'em E'd out, fumin', shermed, and blind on s*it, I ain't down, me, I'll drop a dot, if it's legit, and hit some chronic, that's about it, I ain't into that hard s*it."

Any translators out there? Try your luck...
I did not stay because they were doing cocaine. Not sure about shermed,
Fumin I believe has to do with crack or PCP.
Drop a dot refers to microdot acid.
Chronic is Marijuana
Hard Sh*/t has reference to Heroin.

Am I pretty close?

Posted by brianbwb at 12:59 AM : Aug 08, 2007
+ report abuse

[dzfromsc]

You would be surprised at who the drug users are. Some of them are people you would never suspect because they don't have mood swings, don't lay out of school/work, don't go broke, don't get really skiny or really sick. Sometimes, you just don't know who they are. You have to talk to your kids if you want answers.