Purple Drank

My temperature spiked again last night to 100, better than the 101.5 I registered on Thursday, but still an indication that I wasn't getting better.  Within a few hours of getting under the covers,  I awoke, drenched as if surprised by a sudden downpour on an afternoon hike. My temperature was immediately back to normal, but I was weakened by the ordeal.   Just thinking about food made the bile in the base of my stomach churn. Constant nausea and a burning sensation in my sinuses, throat and chest made it a long night.  I needed a plan for when the sun came up.   A google search led me to a clinic at the base of my hill.  Reviews on Yelp were overwhelming positive.  I was the first one at the door when they opened, and within 45 minutes I had been diagnosed with bronchitis and sinusitis, and given prescriptions for two medications.  All for a co payment of $30.  Finding an open pharmacy on Sunday proved to be the biggest challenge.  Thankfully, a friend at home with a computer and clear head directed me to the nearest one.  I'm not big on medications, but I'm desperate and sicker than I've been in quite some time.  Still, I wanted more information about what I was putting into my body.   That's when I learned my cough syrup, promethezine and codeine, is a popular recreational drug in the Hip Hop community.  Mixed with sprite, jolly ranchers (jolly ranchers!) and ice, it has several terms of endearment: purple drank, sizzurp, purple jelly, Texas tea and Tsikuni.  Houston, Texas producer DJ Screw popularized the concoction, which is widely attributed as a source of inspiration for the "chopped and screwed" style of hip hop music.  Were the liquor stores closed one night, and he was out of vodka or tequila?  This wasn't a one time experiment, his love of the cocktail lead to an overdose and death in 2000.  The potion is referenced in lyrics by Three 6 Mafia, Eminem, Slim Thug, Kayne West, Lil' Wayne, Ludacris, and Drake, to name a few.  Oh the things you learn on the internet.  Cheers!