Some drugs seem to take on a life of their own in the public consciousness. Meth, cocaine, and heroin receive substantial coverage in the news and popular magazines. Other drugs, like lean, never get the kind of public scrutiny of their more famous counterparts. So it begs the question, what is lean and should you know about it?
What Is Lean?
Lean is a homemade street drug. It’s a combination of soda, hard candies like Jolly Ranchers, and prescription cough syrup. The fruit flavor of the candy and sweetness of the soda help cover the cough syrup flavor. It’s a purple color, courtesy of the cough syrup.
Lean gives people a sense of euphoria or excited happiness. That feeling stems from two drugs in prescription cough syrup: promethazine and codeine.
Promethazine functions as a sedative and an antihistamine. Codeine is made from opium. Its main use is as a painkiller. It also works as a cough suppressant, which is why you see it in cough syrup. Both drugs are generally safe when people use proper doses.
What Is Lean’s Origin
Lean first showed up in the 1960s in Houston among the blues crowd. A rapper from Houston named DJ Screw helped to raise Lean’s profile in the 90s. Post-2000, most of the attention on lean comes from rapper deaths and NFL player suspensions.
Like many street drugs, Lean gets called a lot of different things depending on where you live. Some of the more well-known names are:
- Purple Drank
- Syrup
- Dirty Sprite
- Purple Jelly
- Barre
- Effects and Hazards
From a health perspective, Lean’s effects and hazards become more important than asking what is Lean? Setting aside euphoria, the drug also impairs your motor control, creates drowsiness, and leaves you feeling apathetic.
Drinking Lean also puts you at risk for codeine addiction and withdrawal. A few common withdrawal symptoms are muscle cramps, insomnia and feeling sick to your stomach. A lean overdose can kill you. Codeine slows breathing and can even stop your heart.
Lean Treatment
Since drinking Lean puts you at high risk for codeine dependence or addiction, the first step is detox. A good detox program helps you manage the worst withdrawal symptoms and provides on-site medical care in an emergency. Residential or outpatient rehab follow detox.
You can succeed with either a residential or outpatient program. Residential programs offer you the benefits of round-the-clock supervision and support. Your level of support during rehab can often mean the difference between long-term sobriety and a relapse. Substance abuse treatments you’ll often see include:
Denver Recovery Center
Denver Recovery Center offers several rehab programs in the Denver, CO area. Its rehab options include a partial hospitalization program, outpatient program, and intensive outpatient programs.
Don’t let Lean ruin your life. You can beat your Lean addiction with help from Denver Recovery Center. Call us today at (844) 602-3175 to learn more about our programs.
