So I'm a try anything guy...

[Batya33]

I don't mind debating anything. I do mind you posting on this forum that it is safe and OK to use illegal drugs. That's all and I am repeating this (again) just to make it clear. I don't need to educate myself about whether it is ok to encourage or condone illegal drug use on a public forum visited by teenaters - I know based on much research and experience - it is not ok to do that and my opinion is backed by lots of studies which I don't need to cite here - there are too many, anyway. I'm not interested in debating whether illegal drugs are a good idea, safe to take, should be made legal, etc - not because I can't but because I'm not interested in debating that topic.

 

I was interested in making sure that your post condoning illegal drug use did not stand without response and fortunately I and others have responded and made sure that that wasn't the case. I find it irresponsible that you chose to post that. That's my opinion - if I said that that was a fact I take it back - you are right that I suppose people may disagree on whether what you decided to post was reasonable or responsible.

[EvaGina]

ok

Kids are GOING to find out about drugs, and they are GOING to do them, whether you tell them to or not. Its naive to think otherwise.

 

do you want them to be educated on drugs by other kids? or dealers? or do you want them to have ACCURATE information given by scientists, not church groups or anti-drug lobbiests?

 

link removed

Yes, smoking a single cigarette is probably safer than taking one ecstasy tablet, but that's not the way real world users behave. The smokers don't stop at just one cigarette and the drinkers don't stop at just one beer. The statistics shown here mean exactly what they say: Your odds as an MDMA user of being killed from your MDMA use are a very small fraction of your odds as a smoker or drinker of being killed as a result of your smoking or drinking.

 

people on psychoactive drugs often come to the ER because they think something might be wrong; they get scared. With MDMA, a lot of 'got scared' stories appear to be happening as well. A study of ER admissions in the Netherlands found that, of the patients there for some complaint related to 'ecstasy', most (89%) did not require treatment beyond the initial visit/talk with a doctor.

^^^ Good point why scremongering is futile... people who drink too much water and drown or get sick from it, only do so becuase of proaganda that freaks them out.

 

It also says that most ER cases involving drugs also involve alcohol... most death involving drugs inlvolve alcohol... what kind of idiot gets drunk on drugs? THAT is the kind of thing we have to push through to kids when we know they arent going to refrain from experimenting.

You cant just chain your children up...

[JadedStar]

i thikn Batya's point here tho, is not that we think any kid reading this thread will think "wow drugs are bad, i aint doin it" based on any info here..it was more to settle the balance IN CASE a young person read it.

 

Think of it like this - pretend you are 14 years old and you read a thread that has all of these cool adults saying that drugs being bad is a bunch of propaganda and it goes on for pages and NO ONE interjects with any different data. That is more likely to give them a false sense of security vs a thread with equal amounts of the good the bad and the ugly.

 

I know for a fact both of my kids have tried drugs. I am not naive. Luckily thus far neither of them stuck wtih it. They experimented here and there thru high school....my son i worry about with drinking because his dad is a big drinker and he tends to think it such a great thing at times...ALL I CAN DO as a parent is educate him. If i go telling him sure drinking is okay, go for it, then I failed as a parent. at the end of the day he is becoming an adult and it will be himself responsible for the decision he makes. I can only educate on what my life experiences have taught me. That is all anyone on these threads do. Very rarely is one person entirely right and another entirely wrong. Disagreements are critical so that the reader has a fair and broadened view of the topic so that they can make the decisions that seem most logical to them.

 

I also can only hope and pray that for my son growing up seeing me drink socially and WISELY and safely will overturn watching his father's excessive drinking habits. Not only do we teach our kids by telling them things, we teach by example.

 

Almost ALL kids experiment. But the ones who had parents who led by example are more LIKELY to not continue as they get older.

 

 

I know I am older than a lot of the respondents on this thread but I am not naive. I am far more realistic than most parents I have ever met and I don't lecture my kids....I talk to them like I would a friend ... i have friends who are casual users of various substances and they all call me the cool nerd of the group...they know I don't partake but they know that I am not a prude and can party with the best of them...i just do it a bit more sober than the rest. I am a wildchild rather naturally and don't need substances LOL.

 

So for some of us, we only chimed in on this thread so it would be a fair and balanced bit of information...

[justpaisley]

shikashika - people often tend to not stop at the less addictive stuff, such as ecstasy and marijuana. People with addictive personalities, people with lives they want to escape, etc. They realize how good those things make them feel, and they want to seek better highs. I think it's a little silly to call these things gateway drugs, because they can become addictive all on their own, but it's effectively what they are. Since we never know if we can become drug addicts until we are completely addicted, it's best never to try any of that stuff at all. It's a very, very risky game to play, and one that can and does ruin lives every single day.

 

Of course there are many people who can try a drug once and never use it again. People can run accross busy highways, and often they won't get hit or cause accidents. It's simply and absolutely not worth the risk involved.

[JadedStar]

To be honest I KNOW i have an addictive personality having grown up the child of an alcoholic. I saw the propensities i could potentially have as a young adult, so I made the decision that I can't get hooked on what I don't try.

 

Euphoric drugs are the worst because who doesn't want to feel like that again? And again? They are far more addictive than most people think. I hang out with a middle class crowd and it blew my mind how people who seemed so together were so falling pray to addictions.

 

So I don't point fingers at ANYBODY, I just hope to share my life experiences and if just one person takes something from it, then I feel i did a good job. I just have to always caution anyone who thinks that they can't get hooked. I have known some people who tried crack a coupe of times and walked away, but for some reason even months or YEARS later they were pulled to it again and it was that second or third time of trying that hooked them. Not the first few times.

[Batya33]

Yes, thanks, that was my only point. I do not think it will prevent kids from experimenting either. EvaGina, I hope it's ok to say that when I hear about people like you - bright, dynamic, intelligent - using drugs and drinking excessively - it makes me especially sad, particularly when you are using your really good debating skills to try to convince people that anti-drug messages are "propaganda" or the like. It's a waste and a shame in my humble opinion and something tells me - just from the way you write - that within 10 years from now you will agree with that and this will all be far behind you in the past.

[justpaisley]

You cant just chain your children up...

 

Why not??!?

 

I won't chain my child up, but I certainly won't feed him the unrealistic view that drugs used recreationally are completely harmless, especially given our family history. I will fully educate my child on the dangers, yes the DANGERS, of drugs and pray that he makes the intelligent, informed decision to stay away from them.

[melrich]

People should at least be informed of drugs, what they do etc rather than just being scared into not taking them.

 

Shika,

 

I think this is absolutely correct, I have no problem with that being part of the approach. I think part of that approach has to include educating about the dangers of certain drugs as well.

 

What I don't think we add to the message is, "it's Ok to do drugs as long as you just do them a few times a year."

 

no one here is saying alcohol is Ok or doesn't cause 10 times the problems drugs cause, it does because it is another drug and it is far more widely used. Same with ciggaretes. This is not about drugs vs other things that can harm you.'

 

I don't know why people are bringing up MDMA. The Op was talking about coke. the initial posts to this thread that I had a problem with were not saying "E is Ok but don't do coke". They were saying to this young guy who had just tried coke, "drugs are Ok as long as you use them only a few times a year."

 

We all get that teenagers are going to experiment and probably don't want a few fuddy duddys telling them what to do. My 4 year old doesn't want to listen to me telling him not to climb too high in the tree, and he will still climb high in a tree, but it would be irrespossible of me not to try and educate him about the dangers of that activity.

[EvaGina]

Think of it like this - pretend you are 14 years old and you read a thread that has all of these cool adults saying that drugs being bad is a bunch of propaganda and it goes on for pages and NO ONE interjects with any different data. That is more likely to give them a false sense of security vs a thread with equal amounts of the good the bad and the ugly.

 

Fair enough...

its not really giving teens enough credit tho... they arent stupid!

 

the people who are bombarded with staunch anti-drug veiws, however, are the ones who dont seek medical attention if they need it... they are too scared of getting in trouble.

So in a weird way, its a parents attempt at protecting thier children that kills them.

 

Im lucky I didnt die on "herbal" pills... they are legal here and I had never been so ill. The only reason I didnt go to the hospital was becuase I was too scared of my parents.

I was bedridden for 2 weeks...

 

I think this is absolutely correct, I have no problem with that being part of the approach. I think part of that approach has to include educating about the dangers of certain drugs as well.

 

exactly what I was saying. So we ARE on the same page. EDUCATE was the most featured word in my posts.

It goes without saying that you tell people the dangers of drugs. I am not so moronic that I would say "only do them once or twice a year" without telling the taker WHY...

[JadedStar]

Fair enough...

its not really giving teens enough credit tho... they arent stupid!

 

the people who are bombarded with staunch anti-drug veiws, however, are the ones who dont seek medical attention if they need it... they are too scared of getting in trouble.

So in a weird way, its a parents attempt at protecting thier children that kills them.

 

Im lucky I didnt die on "herbal" pills... they are legal here and I had never been so ill. The only reason I didnt go to the hospital was becuase I was too scared of my parents.

I was bedridden for 2 weeks...

 

 

I guess that is where i am different then some parents I have met. My kids for some reason shared so much with me, things that i would nEVER have shared with my parents.

 

I think the main reason why is that i NEVER forgot what it was like to be 13 or 14. I identify with young people very well and the neighborhood teens always flocked to our house. My ex was the opposite he had these staunch views and totally FORGOT what being a teenager was like.

 

It is the parent who forgot what it is like that really turn kids off. When my kids talk to me about their problems I am so in tune with it because i can remember being in that position like it was yesterday.

 

My son and I had an indepth convo last night. He just broke up with his g/f. HE is 18. He shared his feelings about this more than I ever would have with my parents at that age. The most they would have known is i broke up with someone. I would not have shared my thoughts and asked them for advice like he did me. he even told me he cried and it made him feel like a wus. A kid who is embarrassed to talk to their mom wouldn't have revealed that innermost secret that was really bothering him. It makes me feel good that they do that.

[melrich]

exactly what I was saying. So we ARE on the same page.

It goes without saying that you tell people the dangers of drugs. I am not so moronic that I would say "only do them once or twice a year" without telling the taker WHY...

 

This is your first post to this thread and if you had not been challenged, possibly would have been your last. Where have you warned about the possible dangers and side-effects of drugs?

 

I havnt tried coke as far as I know, but I do love my occasional binge

as long as you are smart, and I mean actually smart... not "I can smoke crack every weekend and Il be ok"... but "I can do something once or twice a year and be alright, if im with people I trust and have an emergency back up plan" then cool beans

 

nothing I have tried has been as bad as booze, except weed, I hate that stuff

and "legal party pills" BZP is EVIL, its cow wormer

 

thus ends my rant

 

I'd totally agree with you if you said, look understand you are going to try these things but look just think about the following dangers and potential impacts........

 

This is coke the guy is talking about. You cannot plan against addiction unfortunately.

[EvaGina]

Melrich, I was talking to an adult who seemingly knew what he was talking about, not a kid who had never done drugs before.

Im not going to patronise anyone...

 

 

 

Yer, you are an exception to the rule, which is unfortunate

More parents like you are needed, parents who listen and understand, not force their own values onto their children

[JadedStar]

Melrich, I was talking to an adult who seemingly knew what he was talking about, not a kid who had never done drugs before.

 

 

 

Yer, you are an exception to the rule, which is unfortunate

More parents like you are needed, parents who listen and understand, not force their own values onto their children

 

 

I agree it is very sad that many parents are "do as I say not as I do" type of mentality and lack LISTENING skills.

 

But parents are people too and sometimes make as many or more mistakes than their kids. I have been a parent to my own parents far more than they were to me. LOL

[melrich]

Melrich, I was talking to an adult who seemingly knew what he was talking about, not a kid who had never done drugs before.

Im not going to patronise anyone...

 

I have no idea how old the OP is. Unfortunately though anyone can read these posts, they also would have no idea how old the Op was. The advice needed balance and context and that was what we have tried to provide, there are too many young people reading these forums who may not have the maturity of the OP.

[EvaGina]

I have no idea how old the OP is. Unfortunately though anyone can read these posts, they also would have no idea how old the Op was. The advice needed balance and context and that was what we have tried to provide, there are too many young people reading these forums who may not have the maturity of the OP.

 

Im not about to patronise an underage person either.

As I said to JadedStar... people dont give kids enough credit.

its about education, not preaching. launching into a huge lecture would have bored any kids who MAY be reading.

Its not my style... you drive people away with that kind of thing, and then they learn nothing.

Drugs will always be "cool" in some circles, the trick is to make being as responsible as possible seem "cool" as well, instead of heading off on a saturday night with an aim to get as plastered as possible.

 

NO ONE in my social circle was safe when I was 15... I took anything that anyone offered me... becuase I had NO idea what I was doing to myself and it just wasnt done to refuse drugs... if I had a role model who abstained and WASNT a parental figure, wasnt someone to laugh at, then things may have been totally different, no?

[melrich]

Let me ask you this Eva.

 

Project yourself ahead 15 years and you have a 15 year old son.

 

This thread is titled "I'm a try anything type of guy" pretty cool to a teenager. I want to be a "try anything guy too."

 

The thread starts with a guy telling us how he just used coke. He didn't much like it but he's cool with it.

 

members flood the thread with responses that pretty well all go along the line of, "Well it's Ok to use a few times a year, just don't do it weekly". There is no counter to this.

 

Are you happy for your son to read that thread?

[EvaGina]

Let me ask you this Eva.

 

Project yourself ahead 15 years and you have a 15 year old son.

 

This thread is titled "I'm a try anything type of guy" pretty cool to a teenager. I want to be a "try anything guy too."

 

The thread starts with a guy telling us how he just used coke. He didn't much like it but he's cool with it.

 

members flood the thread with responses that pretty well all go along the line of, "Well it's Ok to use a few times a year, just don't do it weekly". There is no counter to this.

 

Are you happy for your son to read that thread?

 

Yes.

Because if he was 15 and curious about drugs he would have already talked to me about it.

My kids can do what they want to do, they will be as well informed as possible and they will know that, although there may be adverse consequences at times, I will help them if they need it.

its respect, I wouldnt treat them as though they were stupid.

 

I find this hilarious, seeing as I am going to be a drug and alcohol youth counsellor.

[melrich]

Yes.

Because if he was 15 and curious about drugs he would have already talked to me about it.

My kids can do what they want to do, they will be as well informed as possible and they will know that, although there may be adverse consequences at times, I will help them if they need it.

 

Well let's just keep our fingers crossed that all the parents of the kids reading these forums are as dutiful.

 

My personal view. If you are going to give advice that drugs are Ok in moderation, you have to assume that whoever is reading the advice may not be well educated on drugs, may not know the difference between E and Coke, coke and Ice etc etc.

 

It's not the sort of advice which to me you throw away in a one paragraph post.

 

I wanted to add some balance.

 

I believe in education, I understand kids won't be just told "no", I get that they will experiment, I went through it myself.

 

But you don't give such potentially dangerous advice without some context and expansion.

[EvaGina]

Well let's just keep our fingers crossed that all thye parents of the kids reading these forums are as dutiful.

 

My personal view. If you are going to give advice that drugs are Ok in moderation, you have to assume that whoever is reading the advice may not be well educated on drugs, may not know the difference between E and Coke, coke and Ice etc etc.

 

It's not the sort of advice which to me you throw away in a one paragraph post.

 

I wanted to add some balance.

 

I believe in education, I understand kids won't be just told "no", I get that they will experiment, I went through it myself.

 

But you don't give such potentially dangerous advice without some context and expansion.

 

No matter what a kids parents are like, they always appreciate respect

[Cassie]

Anywho so I tried Cocaine tonight... and away I went. That stuff is nuts... and addictive. I can imagine why people get addicted to it. While on it, it seems harmless.

 

I won't get addicted and I hope to never do it again.

 

I will try to promise all, never again. But I know me... things happen...

 

All drug debating aside - Boughs, I hope you will use the wisdom gained from this experience to be well, especially if you do decide to continue dabbling.

[Paradigm1607307567]

Let me give you another bit of perspective. I work in law enforcement. Forget what it's made from. Forget the problem with becoming addicted. The money, the loss of friends, the stealing, the health effects.... I will tell you something far worse. If you get caught with a narcotic even one single time (I'm speaking for the US) you will never be the same. You WILL go to jail, possibly even prison, depending on your criminal history. Anywhere from a week to a few years. It will never come off your record. You will be hit hard when looking for a good job. Be careful

[Dako]

the reasons I stay away from H are Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and "Requiem for a Dream"

 

Hendrix died of asphyxiation after vomiting caused by a mix of secobarbital and wine.