Seeing the World through the Clouds

Being Strong

When Teens Become Addicts

More and more commonly we see teens using and selling drugs. When I was in high school I started smoking pot. I wasn't often that I did. My friends didn't smoke, I never had any money, and I lived out in the country so it wasn't easily accessible. I first smoke pot with my older sister , but I don't blame her for being the reason I became an addict. I honestly don't blame pot for my future addiction at all. When I was 17 I ran away to live with a boy I liked, I smoked pot with him all the time.
Youths across the nation have been more and more involved with the illegal sale of drugs. The average teen of any race responsible for the sale of Marijuana is 12%, Cocaine, Meth, and other drugs are on average 5%. Teens tend to sell drugs in urban inner city areas to help support their families. Some teens are pressured by peers and even families to be drug dealers.
Many kids feel the need to use drugs because they want to fit in. I have looked through many web sites that are made for teen entertainment and was astonished with the amount of teens bragging about their drug use. Then there are the teens, like I was, who were using drug use as an outlet. As a depressed and angry teen I turned to drugs, cigarettes, and alcohol. I picked up anything that would make me forget about the day. When I went to school, I was made fun of daily, picked on for being different. I was just being what I wanted to be and it was not accepted around me. I was laughed at, I was the butt of jokes all day long, I was even set up intentionally by other kids for the purpose of humiliation. It made me despise people and hate life. I was very angry and hurt but pretended nothing ever bothered me when deep down I was always crying. I started drinking a lot and would use drugs ever time I got the opportunity.
Teens don't understand the dangers of drug use. Most feel like if they only use a couple times, they will forget about it, no harm done. But in situations like my own, the realize it covers and helps forget so using becomes a must, which leads to addictions.
Over time I have talked to many former addicts who said it started out when they were teens and they could never kick it because they didn't want to.
40% of teens agreed that movies and TV shows
make drugs seem like an OK thing to do, according to a 2003 study. Teens who don't like being alone, can't seem to keep themselves occupied, or crave excitement are prime candidates for substance
abuse. Not only do alcohol and marijuana give them something to do, but it also puts them in a state that makes them feel like they are no longer lonely or sad that they are.
Getting drugs is no longer a difficult task since kids can get it from peers, family, and from people on the street. Drug dealers don't discriminate age like cigarette and alcohol dealers do. It is far more simple for kids to get their hands on drugs if they desire it and will the ever popular media trends that make drug use look "cool", teens will work harder and harder to get what they want to fit in, cover up, and trend with the best. Question is, what can we do as adults, and family to get the message to them? We must get the message across that they can destroy and damage their future and that drugs isn't going to resolve their problems and cause solutions to their needs.I am not saying it will be easy, but the sooner you start, the better.

Why Teens Think They Need Drugs

Teenagers today are faced with more stress than they have in many years. With bullying on the rise, the media forcing people to believe they should look a certain way, and internet social media being so influential it is no wonder why so many teens are on drugs.
According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse and Centers for Disease Control more teens die from prescription drugs than of heroine and cocaine combined.  They find these pills for free mostly from a family member.  1/3 of the teenage population get marijuana from someone who has a prescription for medical marijuana. 
They state that by the 8th grade 28% of teens drink alcohol regularly and 16% smoke pot, of which 6% admit to smoking daily. 
50% of teens admit they don't believe using crack cocaine a few times is harmful and 40% don't believe using heroine a few times is harmful. 
So how do we protect our teens from the ever growing number of teen drug abuse? It was shown that of 75% of teens that were taught the dangers of drug use from a relative or close friend were less likely to use than those who were not taught. As parents we must dig deep to find solutions for our children that are stricken with the stress of being kids. If you start to see your child become more distant,  angry, lose interest in their usual favorite activities, or even shy away from friends then it may be time to get to the root of their problem. Most of the time they get depressed over their appearance, loss of a boyfriend or girlfriend, being picked on, struggling in class, or even cyber bullying. This can all lead to drugs. It only takes one time for someone to tell them all their pain can be solved by one little pill, or smoking or snorting this and that. They are vulnerable and scared and whenever they discover it does take away the pain temporarily,  that is when the addiction sets in...

New Fads in Drug Use

In our ever changing world there is always new fads that everyone is trying to keep up with. This is also true about the drug world. There is always demand for something more potent, that will get you to that next level of high.
When I was an addict I chased trends and new drugs all the time. Some were even proven to be more dangerous than the original brand. The popular phase of legal drugs that give you similar sensations as its illegal cousin have erupted tremendously. The ever changing varieties of K2 and its many trendy names are essentially oils poured on various substances such a potpourri that you smoke and it takes less amounts to get you high than traditional marijuana. Over and over the scientists behind this have had to change ingredients to keep it on the legal marketplace. Each time it has caused more problems than it is worth. People having seizures, vomiting, illusions, organ failure, improper brain functions that have lead people to go crazy, and death are just some of the side effects associated.  So why does anyone buy this? Because it is LEGAL and doesn't get detected in urine tests. It is expensive but can be purchased at your local head shop.
Another trend is a rising concern called Budder or Wax marijuana.  This is 99.7% thc that is extracted by butane which is an explosive. This can make one feel as if they are leaving their body, but at what price? Severe psychosis, sleep disorders, severe anxiety, and not to mention again, explosive.  There has been multiple reports on people being burned when they light up. Doesn't sound like something I want to put in my body.
The ever so ignorant idea called "bath salt" which is synthetic cocaine. It is supposed to give you similar experience as you would snorting meth and cocaine. This has been linked to brain damage, seizures, and death, victims were found with blood pouring from their facial orifices while they lie convulsing foaming at the mouth.
So again, why would anyone take such a risk? These synthetic drugs are easy to obtain, and you won't fail a drug test, but is it worth the more extreme side effects than its counterparts? I am not saying using any drug is a good idea. But when people resort to the more legal drugs, they think they are doing a better thing when in reality, they are posing more potentially deadly substances into your body and taking more risk of becoming a synthetic addict.

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The Scary Thing About Drugs

Have you ever done so many drugs that even when you weren't high you functioned like you were? Have you ever been so high you couldn't figure out where you were, even if you were sitting at home? Have you ever developed strange habits you wouldn't do normally that you cannot explain?
There are so many effects drugs have on your brain, it is scary. It isn't just euphoria or slowing down or speeding up. Drugs effect your nervous system causing unusual sensations and loss of functionality. 
There were days I would just sit and stare off, not thinking about anything and once I snapped back I realized 15 min had went by and I would jump up afraid of what had happened in that time I was blanked out. There was this time I was in a hotel in Arizona when I had done such a large amount of cocaine, I sat in the bathroom sweating and shaking for hours repeatedly taking baths trying to get rid of it and sober up so I could go to sleep, but I couldn't. That was scary. There was many nights I would wake up and sit there nervously for a few minutes not knowing where I was. I developed nervous twitches in my body and my legs would quickly convulse here and there for no reason. My hands use to shake hard all the time, my skin was extremely oily and my hair was always dry and dirty, not because I didn't bathe but because my body produced more than normal amount of natural secretions. It was disgusting. 
I have heard so many stories of people killing others while on drugs and not realizing it. I was in jail with a woman who lost all her teeth because she tried chewing through the cage in the police car while on PCP. I was in jail with another girl who would masturbate for men for Meth because she thought she had to, that's what she was brainwashed to believe.
I never felt good, I was far from good on drugs. I was always afraid of people, afraid of working, of kids, of having friends, of the world. The world on drugs is scary, even if you think its a happier place, really take the time to look around and see if it is somewhere you want to live for the rest of your life or if you can improve it through sober eyes.