Lean is prepared by mixing cough syrup with other sugary drinks or soda. It is also popular with different names, like purple drank. Adults started using this drug in the 1960s. The EDM (Electronic Dance Music) and hip-hop culture promoted it again in the 1990s.
Lean drinkers, especially young adults, start to depend on it if they use it regularly. Because it directly attacks their central nervous system. Due to its addictive nature and dangerous effect on a person’s physical and mental health, it has become a big worry. However, recovery is possible because treatment is available.
On this page, we are going to explain all about the Lean drink, including what is lean, its effects, risks, and prevention. Stay with us till the end to learn a lot of new information.
What is Lean Drink?
Do you know whats in lean? The composition of lean drink includes cough syrup that contains codeine and promethazine.
- Promethazine is an antihistamine used for the treatment of allergies
- Codeine is an opioid that works as a pain reliever.
When this cough syrup is mixed with soda/other sweet beverages, it creates a purple liquid drink. To increase flavor, some candy, especially Jolly Ranchers, is used in it.
For a long time, people have been misusing codeine (the main component of lean). But pop culture raised Lean’s popularity many times more than ever. It appeared in party scenes in the late 1990s. Rappers have been praising it in their songs. These celebrities gave the wrong sense (explain the benefits without side effects) to young people using it. Unfortunately, many artists lose their lives due to the dangerous effects of lean.
- Recently, Bow Wow talked about his addiction to lean, which pushed him too close to dying.
- Late Mac Miller also exposed his addiction to lean in 2013.
lean is known by a good deal of slang, including:
- THC Lean
- Texas tee
- Sip-Sip
- Sizzurp
- Purple Lean
- Purple tonic
- Dirty Sprite
- Barre
- Purp
Is Lean Illegal?
Lean contains codeine. All the products with codeine come with a prescription to prevent misuse. Therefore, any products like lean that are composed of cough syrup (codeine and promethazine) can be illegal if they are sold in the market without a prescription.
What Does Lean Do? Mechanism of Action
What is in lean that makes it more harmful to health?
Codeine | Codein is an opioid (pain relief medication) that is used for short-term relief. It directly attacks the central nervous system and minimizes the feeling of pain by cutting the ways nerves signal pain between the body and brain. The user can feel happiness or excitement after using it. |
Promethazine | It is the best substance to treat the allergic reaction. After consuming, the user can feel relaxed and want to sleep. Promethazine also helps to control vomit. |
What does Lean do to you? Due to both of these ingredients, the lean creates the feeling of relaxation and euphoria (a condition of feeling happiness and excitement). The user feels the feeling of flying. In fact, it slows down your brain activities to produce the condition of sleepiness and relaxation. At the start, the lean users feel pleasure after drinking. This thing can lead to drug dependency and addiction with time.
How long does lean stay in your system? Its working time depends on the amount of codeine that is present in Lean. Usually, it starts its work within 30-45 minutes after ingestion. The regular users feel the desired result within 1 to 2 hours, which lasts for 4 to 6 hours.
Lean Drug Risks and Side Effects
Risk Factors for Lean Addiction
The following are some risk factors for lean addiction:
- Age: People of all ages use lean, but young adults are using it more. Adults like to drink it due to its amazing taste.
- Lifestyle: It is widely connected with party scenes (dance and music parties). A person with a party lifestyle has a higher chance of becoming addicted to it because people drink lean to add fun to parties.
- Other Drug Users: A person with a history of other drug users like alcohol may get involved with lean.
- Peer Pressure: Since the lean drug is the favorite of adults, they may start it under peer pressure. In this way, they become addictive.
- Family History: The National Institute on Drug Abuse stated that many people who become drug addicted depend on their genetic makeup. Therefore, family drug history plays an important role in being drug addicted or not to children.
- Poor Mental Condition: People with poor mental conditions use lean to get rid of life worries.
Lean Side Effect
Codeine, which is contained in lean, is an opioid and causes a lot of negative health impacts. The overall mixture of this drink only enhances them. The following are a few main lean effects:
- Change the ways people think
- Stress, fatigue, and cloudy thoughts
- Decrease allergic reaction
- Poor judgement
Short-term Effects
The short-term bad effects of lean drinks include:
- Blurred vision
- Constipation (a condition in which an affected person feels uncomfortable during the removal of waste products from the body)
- Vomiting
- Cause allergies in some people
- Inability to urinate
- Increase body temperature
- Slow breathing; may lead people to death who are facing other respiratory issues, such as sleep apnea (a type of sleep disorder in which breathing can stop or start repeatedly)
- Difficulty during driving and completing work on the job
- Many pregnancy complications
- Tremors (shaking)
Long-term Effects
The long-term negative effects of lean drinks are as follows:
- If you consume the extra quantity of Purple Drank, it may cause severe liver damage (symptoms: fatigue, dark urine, abdominal pain)
- Purple Lean has some habit-forming components. It means users can quickly develop tolerance and dependence on it. Some withdrawal symptoms are trouble sleeping, irritation, restlessness, sweating, fever, and body pain.
- Frequent seizure (epilepsy)
- Dental problems
- Badly affects the body’s ability to produce hormones (sometimes leads to infertility)
- Personality and behavioral changes
Interaction with Alcohol and Other Substances
Using purple lean with other drugs like alcohol can cause more serious side effects. For example, mixing codeine with alcohol can increase the risk of poor judgment, a strong desire for sleep (drowsiness), breathing problems, etc. If someone uses lean with other drugs, they may be at high risk of getting kidney or liver damage.
Addiction and Dependency
How does lean make you feel? The sweet flavor of the lean attracts the users to try it again and again. People who think about their addiction to lean are usually addicted to codeine, which is its active ingredient. This component controls the lean abuser’s brain, which completely loses its power to decide to stop the use of lean drugs. The following are 5 signs of lean addiction and dependency:
- Want to stop using it but fail to do so
- Spending a lot of money and time to find lean or its related ingredients
- Continuing to drink despite knowing its health issues and work problems
- To get normal feelings, they force themselves to use purple lean
- Develop the habit of using it daily.
Overdose Signs and Symptoms
How can you control the situation immediately if you or someone else faces trouble due to overdoses of this drug? The following are some symptoms that help you understand the effects of overdoses of purple lean:
- Confusion
- Vomiting
- Trouble breathing
- Coma
- Loss of consciousness
- Low blood pressure
- Blue lips and fingers
- Weak pulse
- Blurred vision
- Seizures
If you experience these situations, you should call 911 as soon as possible. You may be scared to call because you used illegal products, but it is better than permanent damage.
How to Make Lean Addiction Treatment and Recovery?
The recovery treatment is available for lean addiction. These are:
- Detoxification: Removal of drug substances is important to start proper treatment. Therefore, it starts with detoxification. This process removes the drug traces from the body, which helps to minimize the physical harm. The drug user may be uncomfortable during the detoxification process due to withdrawal symptoms. Therefore, it must be done under medical supervision so that patients get immediate support. Some medications are also given to patients to control the withdrawal symptoms and relieve them.
- Inpatient Treatment: In this type of treatment, patients have to live in a rehab facility where they receive all-time care. It is most suitable for moderate to severe lean drug addiction. In this structured environment, the patients learn important skills and attend therapy sessions such as CBT (cognitive-behavioral therapy) for recovery. Once the patient understands the negative thinking patterns, they follow all the advice of the therapists who work to change their behaviors. The length of inpatient treatment programs may be one month, two months, or three months, depending on the strength of the addiction.
- Outpatient treatment: In this treatment, patients do not need to live in a rehab center to receive care & support. It is an ideal step for mild to moderate drug users. In an outpatient program, the patient gets therapy sessions and educational support to fight against the lean addiction. After getting therapy, patients can go home. The patient may receive therapy for 2 to 8 hours a day. This treatment may be continued for 8 to 12 weeks per patient needs.
- Support groups: Sharing your trouble with people helps you to find a way to control the situation. You must join the best support groups to get help or provide help to people who are facing the same situation. Members of groups talk about the challenge of recovery by sharing their experiences.
Alternative to Lean
If you want to relax and feel calm, you don’t have to use drugs, especially lean. Many effective and useful tips can help you with this. You must try the following herbal teas:
- Lavender: A natural sedative that improves sleep and minimizes stress and anxiety.
- Ashwagandha: A herb that reduces fatigue and stress.
- Rose petals: Produce relaxing effects and can be used by mixing with other teas like black tea.
With these teas, you must do some exercises like some kind of yoga, pushups, walking, boxing, swimming, and weightlifting. Exercise improves a person’s mood and leads to better night’s sleep.
Conclusion
What does lean taste like? With the mixture of candy and soda, it offers a delicious taste. Its taste is the big reason people drink it. Due to the presence of codeine, getting its addiction is common. If you are seeing the symptoms of Lean addiction, never stop using the substance immediately; its effects may be life-threatening. The lean withdrawal symptoms can push the person to death. Recovery from lean addiction is possible. So, try to get the best treatment under medical supervision and find a rehab near you. Addiction treatment may be tough, but it is vital to save lives.