Seven months ago, the Five Moms set out to raise awareness among parents that teens were abusing cough medicine to get high. Last Tuesday, one of the most respected yearly surveys of school-aged children and substance abuse – Monitoring the Future – was released. Conducted by the University of Michigan and funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the survey is in its 33rd year and questioned 50,000 8th, 10th, and 12th graders nationwide on smoking, drinking, and drug use. According to the survey, 4, 5.4, and 5.8 percent of 8th, 10th, and 12th graders, respectively, reported abusing OTC cough medicines to get high. While we are pleased that cough medicine abuse did not increase among 8th and 10th graders over last year’s findings, and actually decreased among 12th graders, our ultimate goal is that our efforts to raise awareness about the dangers of medicine abuse result in a decrease among all age groups. Until we accomplish this, our job isn’t done. More parents need to be made aware of this disturbing trend that continues to impact our kids. Make a difference to protect yours by telling your friends. Thank you for the work you’ve helped us with already –  but our job’s not done yet.