h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Weed has been in use for over 5.000 years. Just not in the West.

As for me, I smoked my first cigarette when I was 17, I drank my second beer () when I was about 27 and I smoked my first joint when I was about 35 years old. In my experience it helps a lot if you are already making something of your life. You have something to lose.

So say you're an 18-year old collegastudent without hobbies. That, I think, will make you vulnerable to drugs(and that definitely includes alcohol). I already had some good things going(like my music, my career, etc.) so I had something to lose.
I found that, although I like to smoke pot and drink beer, I very seriously try not to get it to influence my 'normal' life...whatever that means... I don't want to lose what I built up in the last 20 years. It's not worth it.

"Too Much Of A Good Thing Can Be Either Beautiful Or Fatal."

Having said that : 'I'd rather be stoned than drunk anytime'. And with good reason. And anyway, Hey I'm a hyperactive musician(apart form being just hyperactive...). So a little relaxation sometimes improves my creative processes. I can't say that I have ever had a good idea for a song when I was drunk.

TM.

P.S. My father always used reverse psychology as in : 'You can do what you like. But I wouldn't do it if I were you...'.

Worked until I was 17 years old...

Nadsat Fashion says, to reinterate, Francis Bacon once said, 'The more laws you create, the more criminals you make.' The law should be to protect people and their property from harm from others. Any law that tries to protect us for ourselfs, is intrinsically fallable. The government has no place in our bedrooms, or our homes. I know that some of you have agreed, however I feel that it's important for everyone to understand that point.

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"If I could figure out why I didn't and everyone around me did(late '60's, early '70's, US)I could single handedly end the problem!"

You may have stumbled on to the very core of the problem.

You think so?

I can't view my actions objectively, so I can't be sure why I wasn't tempted. There were quite a few like me, and we were all pretty much the "Social Outcasts". (But then, I've always been a veritable hermit, so it never bothered me much!)

If one didn't do drugs and alcohol, one was considered less than desirable company. Actually....more of a threat. I never quite understood that, as I really didn't care what they did. Their actions had absolutely no bearing on my life, whatsoever!

I think maybe they were trying to escape....from what, I was never really sure! I could find nothing in life that I was in need of escaping from! No, I didn't have a "Bed of Roses" as a teenager, but I wasn't faced with any situations I didn't think I could handle. Also, I was of the opinion that problems were best solved with a clear mind.

Perhaps if someone could do a poll of teens who don't do drugs.....ask them why the DON"T, instead of asking the users to explain why they DO, we might get some real answers. Intead of the users telling us how "society caused the problem", maybe we need to know why that bunch of "nerds" don't have a problem.

Perhaps reality doesn't scare them as much!

NM

Well, I can understand (mostly meaning = I've heard it before) why you SAW yourself as "social outcasts" - but of course that's not the same as saying you actually WERE that! I had a lot of friends - or aquaintances, if you like - that I thought were cool, even if I didn't socialize very much with them (as they were not into the same things I was - i.e. dope/rock music). Funny thing is: We thought WE were the social outcasts as well...

But, more to the point, what I really meant was: Maybe you are right in focusing on why young people DON'T use drugs instead of focusing on why others DO. I've never heard anyone say that before. Hence above mentioned reaction!

I wouldn't tell my kids about any drug use. I would simply say that you knew people who....*what ever example you want.*

I'd say how great their life was before the drugs and how lousy it was during and after.

I'd use examples of movie stars that, thinking they were invincible, used and died, or ruined their career and those who didn't use and are still with us.

I think it's important to get kids into some activities they enjoy, a couple for each season. (yes, it will cost! everything from the finding out what the kid likes, to buying the equipment or supplies necessary for the activities they choose) But, there will be no excuse, when they're 14 to be hanging around the Mall with 'nothing to do.' Then, trying drugs for that reason.

'Whadda ya mean 'nothing to do' kid.....!? You've got skates, use them!'
'You want to go skiing on Saturday, best you not be walking the streets on Friday night.'
'Like your dance class? Good...can't do that if your lungs are polluted with smoke....(either kind.)'

Scarey though, eh?

That would be nice if it worked......and it might with some kids. I know one it didn't work on, though........my son.

We did everything you suggested. Activities out the "yang-yang", all things he enjoyed. An absolutely FULL schedule....to the point WE didn't have time to breathe! We thought it was the route to use, but my young sir found time to hang with "the wrong crowd" anyway!

And telling a teenager how bad it will be for them is a waste of soundwaves. Teenagers' truely believe they are invincible and immortal! It applies to the rest of the world, not them. Nature programmed them that way, and there is nothing you can do about it....trust me, I tried!

I do agree that it's not a good idea to admit your own expieriences to them until they are older. Such honesty, while wise in some areas, will only backfire in this one. They will never hear the downside, just the part about "My parents did it, so it must be OK with them"!

It's a minefield.....and one wrong step as a parent is all it takes!

NM

Crap!
I thought I had the answer. I tried to figure out what might have prevented me from trying drugs and my previous post was the answer I came up with. I wasn't a herion addict or any thing, but I probably tried more drugs than I should have. (I now think any thing besides pot is excessive.)(I don't smoke pot, btw)

I have a 7 year old daughter! She's in swimming, skating, and Brownies. I have a smile plastered on my face as evening after evening I haul her to her to her activities, and tell her how much fun she's going to have and how talented she'll become, and how proud I am of her!

What I say to her is true, but I can think of numerous other things I would rather be doing. I've just chosen to do that which I think is most important.

I knew my solution wasn't 100% -- I just hoped it would be way up in the high 90's. I have no intention of giving up though. I'll keep her close and let her test her wings a little at a time, when she's ready. I'll love her and teach her and be there for her and oooooooo god! hope that between her dad, myself, and everyone who can guide her, she'll grow up to be a happy healthy and drug free adult.

I hope that works for you and your daughter (and why should it not? It certainly works for some people). But I'm afraid FS is right it is not THE answer. Thank you anyway!

Sus!e....

There are a LOT of DIFFERENT answers. Yours' is about the best any parent can try. Besides.....all those activities are wonderful memories you and your daughter will have to share with each other in future years. I know my son and I speak often of his younger days of Soccer and baseball. It was a pleasant time, which I am very happy to have experienced.

It also will teach her things you can't. Viewpoints, meathods and ideas which are alien to your familys' culture, yet will serve her well as an adult.

Who knows.....for your child it just might be the answer....it's WELL worth the effort!!!!

NM

I may be the wrong person to ask about this as i have never been into drugs so much so that when i broke my arm this year i would not take pain killers.
I do not drink smoke or use pot and never have.
But to ask me why when the rest of my family do i would have no clear answer it could be that my brother as been coming home drunk since i was 4 years old is moto being that 1 is to many but 20 is not enough or it could be that i don't like cigs as my grandad died of cancer when i was only 3 he lived with use at the time and i have only just found out that he did not smoke.
I now work nights in a petrol filling station we get a lot of drug addicts drunks and a few that have turned to street walking to pay for the drugs don't get me wrong some of the best people i meet do drugs some of the them are friendly drunks and there are even some nice LADYS OF THE NIGHT that don't do drugs but i seem to see so many people in the night that have nothing but the drugs and when you have to tell people that you have no large papers they can become threatning(top sellers on a night 10 cigs large papers)you have to think why do this to yourself so perhaps the best thing to do is tell children that if you try drugs you could end up like this the sad thing is that these are the lucky ones.
P.S.I do like the job working nights.

the best way that usually works is if you contact your local hospital and get ask them can you show the Kids round the O.D. and rehab words. and the saverdissabilatys word two show them what happens 90% of the time.
take them to the grave yard and the prison and show them whathappens the rest of the time. let them talk to someone who has had there life wrecked beond reper by the drugs and make shure that non of it is cushond. show them the harsh reality and get them away from the filmstare imadge and if all els fains beat the hell out of them and show them what happens when they run out of mony to pay off the dealer

I have done everything but the last one with a 70% sucsess rate and I have no idea what the rest of them want me to do but I m working on it. anther thing that usualy helps is try to get some kids involved. I am 17 so I am about the same adge as the people I am talking to and I have at least some idea of what they see in the drugs and drinking thing. although I canot talk to much about the drinking because I still do that to much


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Thank you, Bob. I really think you are on to something here!

as he said we have had some sucsess with it...alhough I think he was a little to optmistic with the persentadges. I can give you the adress of the charity we work with if you like and I am shure no matter where you are Mike will have some contacts in the local hospital he usually does

I've been out of the loop for a while, so missed the dialoge with Sus!e. One of the things which was interesting about what you said is that you recommended a full schedule. Then in your second posting you said: " I have a smile plastered on my face as evening after evening I haul her to her to her activities, and tell her how much fun she's going to have and how talented she'll become, and how proud I am of her!"

You are not just filling the schedule, you are consciously and continuously building her self esteem.

... damn, posted too quick there.

As TowelMaster says, "In my experience it helps a lot if you are already making something of your life. You have something to lose."

People do the greatest damage to themselves when they value themselves the least. As I said in my own posting, the reason I don't smoke cannabis any more is that I am terrified of the short-term memory loss. Actually I had some fairly recently, and it was really good - but not better than taking the edge off my mind. I have way too much to lose, just now.

So Sus!e I reckon your approach may well work, not because of the full schedule, but because of the self-worth you are building in your daughter. Good luck.

Boy, am I glad to see this thread come to life again . I thought it would never happen and that all yours (and my) efforts had been in vain. Now I'll download it to make sure that all your comments are saved. And one of these days I'll write something for our children (and our cildrens' children's children - an appropritate addition, don't you think? )

Ime glad Its sorted. this is somthing that needs to be written about. If you need any help I would be happy to see what I could do

You are welcome, Bob! Just read the first posting. Then you'll know what to do