{
  "id": 3512625,
  "title": "Chinese teens are turning to mind-numbing drugs to ‘run away from reality’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/chinese-teens-are-turning-to-mind-numbing-drugs-to-run-away-from",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-08-26T12:47:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
    "slug": "myjoyonline-ghana",
    "url": "https://www.myjoyonline.com/chinese-teens-are-turning-to-mind-numbing-drugs-to-run-away-from-reality/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "At the age of 14, Xiaomei, a high-achieving student from a coastal province in China, decided to overdose on cough medication. She hoped it would help her relax and impress an older boy. She obtained the medication online, bypassing the usual doctor's prescription requirement. Initially, the medication made her dizzy, but she quickly became hooked to the numb sensation it provided, which offered a brief escape from the pressure of upcoming exams.\n\nTaking larger doses of the drug led to serious side effects such as hallucinations and impaired coordination. Xiaomei experimented with various other prescription medications found in online chat groups, sometimes taking up to 10 tablets at a time. For two years, she ingested large quantities of different drugs, all purchased illegally online.\n\n\"I felt too much pressure from my studies, or I didn’t do well at exams, or even when I quarreled with my parents,\" Xiaomei told the BBC. \"I was running away from reality.\" Similar stories were heard from dozens of Chinese teenagers on social media platforms, all seeking to escape the same thing: pressure. They were chasing what is being described as a \"pharmaceutical high.\"\n\nAuthorities have taken steps to address the issue. In 2025, China launched a nationwide crackdown on the cough suppressant Xiaomei started using, classifying it as a psychotropic drug that can only be obtained with a prescription. This made it harder for young people to buy the drug online. Later that year, tighter controls were imposed on another drug that young people had switched to, and they were offered for sale at a low price of 10 Chinese yuan ($1.5; £1.09) per gram.\n\nNon-regulated substances are readily available and when one drug is controlled, young people quickly find alternatives, according to a 2025 paper by the Crime Prevention Institute at the Ministry of Justice. The BBC even found that teens were using different names for drugs to avoid detection.\n\nThe issue of prescription drug misuse is not unique to China. Growing evidence suggests that young people worldwide are turning to prescription medication to cope with pressures and anxiety. In China, access to cheap prescription drugs is facilitated by the country's production of the vast majority of the world's pharmaceutical ingredients. Xiaomei was able to buy an entire box of the cough suppressant with just a few clicks through shopping platforms, using her ID number.\n\nChina has seen a significant decline in newly identified drug users under the age of 35, with a 41% decrease in 2025. However, authorities acknowledge that the misuse of prescription drugs is becoming a significant problem among minors. The National Narcotics Control Commission warned of this surge in a recent report.\n\nExperts suggest that the isolating environment of Chinese teens, who spend a significant portion of their day in school and have limited social interactions, contributes to their susceptibility to prescription drug abuse. The pressure to succeed academically, often under the intense scrutiny of parents who see their child as their only hope for the future, exacerbates this issue.\n\nIn some chat rooms, young people even encouraged one another to cut themselves to feel something. As the high-stakes entrance exams approached, Xiaomei turned to another drug to numb her anxiety. However, the drug's side effects left her with memory loss and a constant daze. The drug is typically prescribed to control epileptic seizures and acts as a neuropathic pain medication.",
  "summary": "At 14, *Xiaomei, a high-performing student from a coastal province in China, decided to overdose on cough medication.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "BBC News",
        "title": "Chinese teens are turning to mind-numbing drugs to 'run away from reality'",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/25/chinese-teens-are-turning-to-mind-numbing-drugs-to-run-away-from",
        "published": "2026-08-25T22:37:50.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}