As a former teen, someone who came up before the era of 'just say no', parent of two teens, organizer of community forums on drug abuse among kids, observer and advice giver, I've learned quite a bit. I'm not a certified bonafide expert, but that's never stopped me from shooting my mouth of, so here goes...
If drugs are everywhere at FHS , how does all these students, who are on drugs, score so well on test scores?
Ever heard of a functioning alcoholic? Millions of people go to work high each and every day. Their substance abuse often catches up with them.
Top acheivers are often very susceptible to drug abuse and addiction. Many feel they are so good at what they do, they can control it. Some can balance drug abuse and manage to do well in school, athletics, church, etc.
I remember my daughters and their friends claiming that the preppies and jocks did as much if not more drug and alcohol abuse, but because they were neat and polite and got good grades, no one bothered them.
If drugs are everwhere how do the students continually have the Top rated band in the country...
You are kidding, right? A musician I know once said that athletics without steroids is like music without drugs. I may not agree with her, but her point was that musicians have been abusing drugs forever. I had an agument with one of our members here once about the music of Stevie Ray Vaughan, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers before and after they got off of drugs. His argument was that they were better high.
I know two young men who were stars of bands here in Folsom. One is in an out of town rehab center, and the other recently sold the last of his musical equipment to buy his next fix. Both are addicted to heroin, right here in Folsom.
Oh my God! Drugs?! DRUGS???!!!! Thats worse than gangbangers right? Quit freaking out folks. Be happy your child isn't being jumped into a gang. Drugs are simple to bypass if your child is EDUCATED about them. Most teens try doing drugs in high school. I tried almost everything under the sun in high school. I enjoyed every minute of it.
Dare I call that an irresponsible and naive statement? Despite years of spending money to educate kids about the dangers of drug abuse, they still do them. The message needs to come from their parents and peers, not from labels and commercials. As long as they see actors, musicians, their friends and in many cases their parents doing drugs, they will continue to do so as well.
To dismiss it as something harmless, a rite or 'right' of passage, and something to be enjoyed is dangerous.
The ones who suffer and end up as junkies are the ones with family issues, and terrible information about these substances.
You must come to one of our PEP forums some time. You will learn that kids from wealthy, loving, religious, 2-parent households with everything going for them can just as easily fall into addiction as the ones with 'family issues'.
Drugs don't select their victims. Victims select their drugs.
Good luck!
Indeed
To the 'it's just pot' crowd, I can tell you that that phrase is the one cops, counselors, health care workers and teachers dread the most, coming from a parent.
At one of our PEP talks, one of the counselors explained that it's not 'just pot', it's a relationship with intoxication. While there are people who tried marijuana once and never again, and some who made it their drug of choice without trying any others, the vast majority develop the relationship with intoxication, and will try other intoxicants.
If you take away someone's weed, they will try the cough syrup, the vodka, the coke, the heroin, whatever will get them high. When I was a kid, someone told me that you could get high smoking a banana leaf. I thought they meant the skin. Man those things are hard to light!
I am not an anti-drug crusader, but rather, would love to see a world where kids make it through to adulthood without getting sidetracked, addicted or overdosing on drugs. There's plenty of time to dope it up once one reaches adulthood.
I'd have no objection to the guy making and eating his brownies and sharing them with friends, but to bring them to school and sell them to kids, that has to be taken very siriously.
