Drug Abuse – Facing the Problem

080929

06-05-03

“It won’t hurt you.” “But I don’t want to try it.” “How can you know what it’s like if you have never tried it?” “I don’t need to try it—I know it’s not good for me.” “Yeah. Right. Is that what the teachers tell you? Do you believe everything you are told? I wonder if you are capable of thinking for yourself.”

Do you know how to answer these questions? If you have not already, you will face questions and pressure similar to this at some point in your life. Nearly 20 million Americans—1 in 11—use illicit drugs in one form or another each month. In addition, every year, about 2.5 million teenagers will start taking drugs by abusing prescription medications. However, the most commonly abused illicit drug remains marijuana.

Whether it is marijuana, prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications or more serious drugs, teenagers often start taking drugs believing that there is little danger—as long as they are not caught. While it is true that getting caught using drugs means serious consequences, this is not the gravest concern. The use of drugs involves a “trip,” a “high” or any number of extreme physical or emotional sensations. Many warnings about drugs talk about potential side effects. However, it is often the intended effects that are the most dangerous.

Uncertain Behavior

When one uses illicit drugs, the goal is intense feelings, “exciting” changes in behavior. This is usually achieved by impairing the function of one’s brain or nervous system, producing the “high.” However, when one’s brain malfunctions, the resulting behavior—potentially your behavior if you should ever use any illicit drug—is often unstable, random and unpredictable.

Discussions of drug use often include talk about “reduced inhibitions.” If you read interviews of drug users, you can find the intended purpose is usually to “let go,” “let loose,” or “lose yourself.” While their description might sound like a great way to get rid of stress, what these phrases really mean is “lose control.”

When one loses control, they are no longer in charge of their actions. Unable to clearly process information, the user’s ability to make sound decisions is reduced or removed entirely. A person under the influence of drugs may have seemingly random fluctuations of emotions, and may react to situations in an unusual manner. Often they become angry, sad, paranoid or aggressive.

At best, a user under the influence of drugs is emotionally unstable. At worst, the intense feelings, strange thoughts and unpredictable behavior can lead the user to completely “freak out.” Unable to control themselves, users become insane—most often temporarily, sometimes permanently.

However impaired, drug users are held responsible for their actions.

Marijuana

Many people believe that marijuana, the most common drug on the street, is completely safe to use, posing little or no danger. Some hold that marijuana is a natural plant and is therefore something that God intended for humans to use. However, this thinking is incorrect. The fact that many plants are clearly poisonous and should not be ingested proves this.

Many believe that the only “side-effect” of marijuana is a minor impairment of motor function. It is true that under the influence of marijuana the user has severely impaired coordination, delayed reaction time and a diminished short-term memory. This clearly leaves the user unable to handle driving or operate machinery safely. Marijuana is also associated with impaired judgment and reduced inhibitions.

But marijuana is also notorious for impairing learning, and long-term use will lead to reduced focus, lack of attention and a limited ability to organize information. This is commonly known as “burning out.”

Once one uses marijuana, he or she has already started a behavior of illegal drug use. Contacts with drug dealers and drug culture make obtaining and using hard drugs easier. Teens who smoke marijuana are 85 times more likely to use cocaine than those who do not. Also, 60% of youth under the age of 15 who use the drug will later use cocaine.

There is plenty of misinformation claiming that marijuana does not have any negative effects, but most of this comes from individuals and organizations wishing to justify their own behavior. Consider. Would you believe an alcoholic that states there are no dangers involved with binge drinking? Clearly, such a person has shown they lack the capacity to make sound decisions. The same reasoning applies to marijuana advocates. Why would you listen to someone who is advocating illegal behavior?

Prescription Drug Abuse

Another form of drug abuse teens feel is safe is abusing prescription drugs, or over-the-counter (OTC) medication. The thinking goes, “Since these drugs are given by doctors, there is less danger in using them.” This thinking could not be more wrong!

Prescription and OTC drugs are powerful medications designed to alter the chemistry of the body. Taken in large doses, these drugs can have disastrous consequences. They are more powerful than anything people are intended to ingest daily and the side effects include everything from headache to loss of consciousness—even death.

The most commonly abused prescription and OTC drugs are pain killers, depressants and stimulants. These all carry a high risk of addiction. In addition, because these drugs affect your nervous system so profoundly, your body will try to counteract the effect. This can lead to a dependency—the body’s inability to function normally without the drug.

Let’s say someone regularly uses a prescription or OTC stimulant. He likes the effect the drug has on his concentration and thinks he can be more productive by using it regularly. His body will naturally try to reestablish regular sleep patterns, including normal, alternating periods of resting and alertness. Reacting to an imbalance in this pattern, his body will begin producing more of the natural chemicals designed to cause one to sleep and less of the natural chemicals that lead to alertness.

Quickly the user will find he cannot function without the drug! If he stops using it, he will not be able to stay awake at all. Still wanting to maintain increased productivity, the user will continually increase his dosage, trying to counteract the measures his own body is taking to restore order and resume a natural sleep pattern. This cycle of trying to outpace your own body can lead to disastrous—often fatal—overdoses of common drugs, simply in an attempt to stay awake.

Underage Parties—Automatic Danger!

No discussion of drug abuse would be complete without explaining the most common situation where one first encounters pressure to take part: underage parties. If your parents are diligent and pay attention, you will never be given permission to attend a large gathering of teenagers without adults present, especially a gathering with peers outside the Church. Yet, you may still encounter opportunities to attend such events without your parents’ knowledge.

When these opportunities present themselves—do NOT take them.

Understand. Your parents are aware that they cannot possibly monitor every single thing you do. To some degree they have to trust you. When they are not around, will you be able to stand up to your peers?

Without a doubt, this will be hard to do. You will be faced with questions as to why you will not attend. It could hurt your social standing, and you may even offend some. Yet, any true friends you have will respect your decision. However, if they want to attend parties, and you do not, will you want to be close friends for long? This is something you should be prepared for when you make the decision not to attend these parties.

A question remains: Why would you not want to go to these parties? It seems like a great opportunity to grow in social skills, and you can have a lot of fun. Maybe you will play sports, or go swimming.

But let’s face some facts. If teenagers are purposely gathering where there are no adults present, it is because they do not wish any adults to see what they are doing. Try to think of any other reasons teenagers would do this. There are none!

The list of activities youth engage in when adults are not present is practically endless: Drinking, illicit drugs, inappropriate sexual advances, fighting and destroying property. If you honestly assess the situation, it is clear that at least ONE of these activities will occur at underage parties—that is their purpose!

Obviously, these are not activities in which someone in God’s Church would participate.

Maybe you feel you could somehow attend without participating in something that is against God’s commands. Maybe you think you have an “iron will,” or that you have enough social standing to be able to refuse gracefully without question. If you wrongly think this, you need to understand the danger you are facing.

Peer Pressure

You have probably heard of peer pressure before. Your school most likely has health programs, pamphlets and videos of all kinds, containing information about resisting peer pressure. Likely it is a core component of the local anti-drug program. You can probably vividly recall the skit so often presented in schools: Some friend approaches you casually and pressures you to try a drug, and you are supposed to “just say ‘no.’”

This situation is accurate, and it is likely you will face this particular scene more than once. It is true that “just saying ‘no’” will probably be sufficient in these common scenarios. You may even gain a reputation for “saying ‘no,’” and eventually people won’t bother you with those kinds of questions.

But there is also a positive kind of peer-pressure: Pressure to improve your character. One might “pressure” someone new in the Church to participate in wholesome activities at a Church picnic, or one might encourage a fellow member of the church to study more or to wake up on time to properly pray. This kind of peer pressure is often appropriate and can be a good thing.

Raw Self-preservation

The peer pressure you would face at a party is much more serious—and dangerous. Being ostracized by your peers is likely to be the least of your concerns. Let’s understand. The carnal mind is entirely selfish. While friends at a party may claim to be pressuring you to participate in drugs or some other activity because “they want you to have fun,” they really have something else in mind.

Remember the discussion about an iron will. Suppose for a moment you have entered a party believing you will be able to resist the pressure. At first everything seems great. People are just eating nachos, drinking sodas and having a good time. After maybe an hour or two, people start passing around some kind of drug. Pretty soon, you are offered some, you say “no,” and feel pretty good about yourself. Then, the pressure starts. You were ready for this and decide it’s time to leave.

This is when something you may not have expected occurs. The pressure turns to insults, your peers get loud, aggressive, and openly hostile. You are now not just being pressured; you are surrounded by angry, intoxicated, hostile teenagers who are demanding that you take part.

Do you doubt this will happen? Consider it from their point of view for a moment. To them, they are a group of maybe 20 or so people who are all obviously engaged in illegal or at least immoral activities. You have clearly showed that you disagree, do not want to participate, and are now leaving. To them, YOU now represent real danger: they may be found out, turned in—even face jail time, lose their job or get kicked of school.

They are now full of fear and are ready to protect themselves. No amount of assurance will assuage this fear. To them, the way to ensure that you won’t turn them in is to make you take part. If they can get you to take part, then you can’t turn them in without getting in trouble yourself. It is common for the demands to include some threat of violence.

It is at this point where most people give in. It might actually be dangerous to resist. You may be forced to participate—just because you are there. You can neither escape nor fight a large group of peers. And even if you could, you cannot be certain they will not pursue you later. Worse, if they are found out, they may claim that you were part of the activity even though you did not participate! It’s your word against theirs—and you were there.

Clearly, risking all this is not worth a little “social” time.

Never Worth It

Taken as a whole, drug abuse is a dark world filled with unreliable people, health risks and dangerous situations, all linked to a life of crime and shame. Drug users are not people with whom you want to associate. Their lifestyle is not one you want to experiment with; their way of “fun” is not the one you want to experience. No moment of pleasure is worth the risks.

A Christian life is to be filled with light—far away from the darkness prevalent in society. There should not be room for the world of drugs in your life. Prepare yourself for the worst encounters by staying away from them in the first place (Prov. 22:3). Keep out of the dark corners of the world and fill your life instead with bright, wholesome activities.

Instead, head for a better future and a different life. Pursue healthy hobbies and associate with good friends and family.

You will be glad you did! 

Also in this issue…

• Dare to Be Different!
• How Do You Cope With Information Overload?
• Learning to Dance