Chinese Teens Turn to Mind-Numbing Drugs to ‘Run Away from Reality’
BBC News
By Laura Bicker, China Correspondent
At just 14 years old, Xiaomei, a high-achieving student from a coastal province in China, made the distressing decision to overdose on cough medication. She wanted to impress an older boy who had told her it would help her relax. Typically requiring a doctor’s prescription, she managed to procure them online.
Initially, Xiaomei experienced dizziness, but soon became addicted to the brief respite from exam pressure that the drug provided. When taken in large doses, these medications can lead to severe side effects such as hallucinations and impaired coordination. Over time, she experimented with other prescription drugs recommended via chat groups, some for pain or epilepsy. Sometimes taking five tablets at a time, other times more than ten, she sought out different substances to escape the pressure of her demanding studies.
For two years, Xiaomei consumed various prescription drugs without a legitimate prescription, all obtained through online channels. She shared her experiences with numerous Chinese teenagers in various social media chat rooms, revealing a common escape mechanism from what they perceive as overwhelming pressure. They seek a "pharmaceutical high" to evade reality.
In one voice note, a girl, after taking large doses of a neuropathic pain drug, slurred, "I feel my body doesn’t belong to me. I’m so dizzy." The advice offered was simple: "Just sleep. You will be fine tomorrow." Another user suggested faking a prescription for the same drug using an old one from his father, while others provided tips on which keywords to use online to find these substances.
The extent of this issue remains unclear due to a lack of official statistics, but it is severe enough that the Chinese government initiated a nationwide crackdown two years ago on the cough suppressant Xiaomei initially used, classifying it as a psychotropic drug and limiting access to patients with doctor’s prescriptions. However, in April of this year, authorities noticed a shift among young people towards another drug, leading to tighter controls on its prescription and dispensing. Even then, the BBC was offered this drug for as little as 10 Chinese yuan ($1.5; £1.09) per gram in an online chat room.
As stated in a 2025 paper for the Crime Prevention Institute at the Ministry of Justice, "Unregulated substances are easily acquired, and even when one drug is controlled by authorities, young people quickly find alternatives."
