The other day, the first day my new as-many-channels-as-God cable package was installed, I had decided to spend my day entirely planned around the idea that I would do nothing but explore the vast spaces of entertainment now available to me. Spaghetti Westerns, French cooking shows, my guilty pleasure of infomercials for the magic bullet…. Never again would I be without any of the things my heart desired. In my media induced coma, I began to notice a theme of every single comedy/drama/procedural that involved a teenager character. The theme, of course, being that this teenager was involved in some sort of “experimentation” phase with drugs, a phase sniffed out by the concerned parents, a sitdown is called, an emotional climax is reached, issue resolved, all in thirty minutes. The thing that struck me most was not that it all happened so quickly, or in such an awkwardly contrived manner, but rather, the ubiquity of the “drug experimentation” phase, which, of course, is a reference to marijuana, almost exclusively. There seems to be some sort of leftover 90’s era PSA Just Say No aura about it, this huge focus on Drugs compelling me to think everyone IS experimenting with drugs, which, in reality, the numbers do not support, especially not at 14, 15. Don’t believe the hype – not everyone is using.
- Chad
Posts Tagged ‘Drugs’
On “Experimenting with Drugs”
Saturday, February 12th, 2011
Actions Affect Us Beyond Comprehension
Saturday, February 5th, 2011
The past can haunt us. Fear, anger, anxiety, sorrow, and lonesomeness can linger all of our lives if we let them. Battling these memories and overcoming them is something we all must do to be healthy. I personally am fighting to overcome memories of abuse. The memories themselves are not always what defeat us. It is the feelings associated with them that have the most sway. Our minds can bring up the stress of these emotions without even bringing up the memory fully. Some trauma never leaves those who endure it. To try to overcome this trauma we must challenge the emotions consciously and constantly. This is how I broke my addiction. To be honest though there are stresses I have not been able to break. Due to the particular abuse that I have gone through I have much difficulty with interpersonal relationships and do not make friends easily. I also have much difficulty with self esteem and certain situations that involve my body. The emotions I endure because of the abuse in these long hence situations is not easy to bear nor are they easy to surpass. I must try time and time again and many times to no avail. The trying itself gives me confidence and slowly I grow to be able to change my ways. What you do unto other people will stick with them for the rest of their lives even if not consciously. Please remember that every action you perform will have consequences forever.
- Kevin
Keeping The Addiction Down
Wednesday, January 19th, 2011
When faced with cravings for using substances we have been addicted to there are multiple difficulties and considerations to ponder. Personally I experience cravings almost every day for substances which I used to use daily. One technique is called urge surfing. This involves holding on to yourself during the urge by doing something very consuming so as to distract yourself somewhat. This can be a constructive writing project, talking with someone about the craving, or even a video game can help. Any option you choose this is not an easy task but try not to focus on not thinking about the craving because I find that this makes you just think about it all the more. Instead, try thinking about why you stopped or want to stop. Think of the rewards to yourself and others and the consequences of relapsing. Quitting addictions is no one time thing and requires constant upkeep and remediation. Another major tip I have for all of you out there struggling with this issue is that you cannot beat yourself up for relapsing because this will only make the want to relapse again even stronger. Instead look at the negative consequences that happened and find ways to make amends in the present and prevent the situation from happening again. I myself relapsed several times and by constantly nagging myself and degrading myself for doing it caused panic attacks while relapsing, more pain afterward, and made me lose sight of the greatness in my life.
- Kevin
Drugs Are No Joke
Friday, January 7th, 2011
Drugs as we know can be extremely harmful to our bodies. many youth begin using drugs as an act of being under peer pressure. It is not always easy to say no to “the crowd”. Drugs can and will become addictive, sometimes on the first try. Drug abuse can change you life in many ways. Many homes are broken up because of drug and alcohol abuse throughout the family. I’ve seen this as a reality in my family. My mother herself was an alcoholic. She became too dependent of alchol that she didn’t maintain her responsibilities as a mother. She became extremely careless when it came to the caretaking of her children. As a result, six of her seven children ended up as foster children. Many of them have either learning or mental disabilities, or both. Now that we are older our family does not know how to operate as a family. It has gone worse from there.
I wont travel too far into details. I shared this as an example of how drug/alcohol abuse can have an effect on an entire family. What my mom started off as peer pressure at a young age, grew to be a huge mistake that destroyed our family. Drug and alcohol abuse can also lead to many other things. I have observed that many of the crimes, rapes, murders, car accidents, and deadly accidents overall, are all results of drug and alcohol abuse. Things happen while intoxicated, that can change your life in a split second, all due to being under the influence. I’ve seen so many lives destroyed because of addictions to drugs and alcohol. When we try these things as young adults, we don’t always think ahead and realize the huge downfall that these behaviors may bring. Life is so much more assured when we choose to live above and beyond these negative behaviors. If you know anyone who has a drug and alcohol addiction, it is vital that you get them some help before it is too late for them. Remember that the success of the future world starts with us. Don’t allow that to be japordized my alcohol and drug abuse. :SAY NO TO DRUGS”!!!