My Perception of Drugs as a Child

[Asparagus_Prince]

I want to know if anyone relates to this.

When I was a child/teen I thought that if someone tried drugs one time, it is possible they could be addicted straight away. If they come back and use it a second time, they are probably going to be addicted. And if they use a third time, ding-dong it's over. You're almost certainly addicted and spiraling out of control. And the only thing that could be done is to get chained to a bed until the withdrawals are over.

I work with addicts through my line of work, and I know I've shared this with quite a few of them. No one has ever acted like they relate. Surely I'm not the only one? Anyone here know exactly what I'm talking about?

It bugs me not knowing why I visualized it that way. Was I told this by adults in my life? Did I get it from the "Just Say No" generation I was living in? Or was I just a child with a little bit of his own imagination?

 

[ReceptorPlugger]

It bugs me not knowing why I visualized it that way. Was I told this by adults in my life? Did I get it from the "Just Say No" generation I was living in?

I'd say you figured it out right here. The DARE program and the rhetoric beforehand communicated this message quiet clearly. The broad premise is all drugs are bad, and all drug users and addicted and ill. I bought into it too. A man I respect very much, Dr.Carl Hart, dispels this notion better than any other. Of course there are many users with an unhealthy relation to drugs, there are many with a healthy relationship as well. Your not wrong to have conflated the two, or assumed that drug use is inherently dangerous and immoral. Dr.Carl Hart the Neuroscientist, psychologist, Columbia University Professor has tried damn near every drug under the sun. And he claims to better for it. If only you and I were given both sides of the story as children. I'd say it's not black and white at all, but no, it's not unreasonable for you, me, or anyone else to have thought that way.

 

[yubacity]

I want to know if anyone relates to this.

When I was a child/teen I thought that if someone tried drugs one time, it is possible they could be addicted straight away. If they come back and use it a second time, they are probably going to be addicted. And if they use a third time, ding-dong it's over. You're almost certainly addicted and spiraling out of control. And the only thing that could be done is to get chained to a bed until the withdrawals are over.

I work with addicts through my line of work, and I know I've shared this with quite a few of them. No one has ever acted like they relate. Surely I'm not the only one? Anyone here know exactly what I'm talking about?

It bugs me not knowing why I visualized it that way. Was I told this by adults in my life? Did I get it from the "Just Say No" generation I was living in? Or was I just a child with a little bit of his own imagination?

While i was reading this i was thinking just say no it made it look worse . I remember during it in England they had a storyline on a poplar kids show called grange hill in which a character got hooked on heroin and i remember thinking im never doing drugs which i think was the point to scare us

 

[ReceptorPlugger]

While i was reading this i was thinking just say no it made it look worse . I remember during it in England they had a storyline on a poplar kids show called grange hill in which a character got hooked on heroin and i remember thinking im never doing drugs which i think was the point to scare us

Absolutely, they prayed on childhood fear and ignorance. But when that fades away, so does ones trust in the genuine fact based warnings that were buried in the slanderous fearmongering. They underestimate kids and under prepare them.

 

[Electrum1]

It was the "This is your brain on drugs" fried egg commercial that made me think using drugs once, literally fries your brain.

 

[Asparagus_Prince]

A man I respect very much, Dr.Carl Hart, dispels this notion better than any other.

I've never heard of him. Sounds like I'd like him too

 

[Asparagus_Prince]

While i was reading this i was thinking just say no it made it look worse .

You know, I suppose you could say that hearts were in right place.

But something else just occurred to me that I recall from being a kid. I seem to remember a lot of motivational speakers/ex-addicts/minor celebrities coming to schools and talking to kids about the danger of drugs. I'm guessing that was directly linked to the "just-say-no" movement. And remember, like I said earlier I was led to believe that drugs are an almost guaranteed ticket to death or a life of misery. But when I was a little older I clearly remember thinking there seems to be a WHOLE LOT of drug users that survived. Because they're here to talk to us about it. I would look at them and think "How come YOU didn't die from drugs?". The more ex-addicts that talked about how they were "lucky" to be alive, the more I began to think that maybe drugs aren't that bad. If I do ever try drugs, I'll just recover and get over it like just that charismatic, healthy-looking speaker in front of us.

lol... now that's probably one that people don't relate to as much. But I definitely remember thinking that way. It was maybe a little later in the early 90s. It seemed like every rock or pop star I knew had survived drugs just fine.

I do think the "don't get in cars with people drinking alcohol" stuff may have had a positive impact on me.

 

[Asparagus_Prince]

It was the "This is your brain on drugs" fried egg commercial that made me think using drugs once, literally fries your brain.

Ah yes! Of course. That was arguably the one signature image from that era.

And if I'm not mistaken they didn't make any distinction between any types of drugs. It's not like they said this is your brain on meth or whatever. It was just drugs in general.

 

[Asparagus_Prince]

Absolutely, they prayed on childhood fear and ignorance. But when that fades away, so does ones trust in the genuine fact based warnings that were buried in the slanderous fearmongering. They underestimate kids and under prepare them.

I was going to make a very similar follow-up post, but you beat me to it and summed it up better than I was going to.

I may not have said this even a few years ago, but now I agree with you that truth is almost always best. Or maybe always best, period. A couple months ago I was with my 14 year old daughter and my mother, and my mom was telling her about how marijuana is addictive and a bridge-drug. And I butted in and offered a different viewpoint. Later in the day my mother she was a little pissed at me. "Why would you tell her that? Why would you insinuate marijuana is not that bad?" This is the same woman that practiced those fear tactics on me, mind you, so this could have been a touchy subject that led to a throw-down. But it wasn't really all that contentious. I basically told my mom that I'm trying to be truthful with my kids, and that I want my kids grounded in reality.

Besides, suppose that I am wrong and my mom is right. The fear tactics actually do work. You still have a problem. If you practice fear tactics with your kids, they are eventually going to start figuring out that you were wrong. Do they start wondering what else they were taught is bullshit? As a teen I absolutely remember having these revelations about my parents.

 

[Asparagus_Prince]

No one has said anything about being chained to a bed while withdrawaling. Is that one just me? Or was that a thing too?

 

[yubacity]

You know, I suppose you could say that hearts were in right place.

But something else just occurred to me that I recall from being a kid. I seem to remember a lot of motivational speakers/ex-addicts/minor celebrities coming to schools and talking to kids about the danger of drugs. I'm guessing that was directly linked to the "just-say-no" movement. And remember, like I said earlier I was led to believe that drugs are an almost guaranteed ticket to death or a life of misery. But when I was a little older I clearly remember thinking there seems to be a WHOLE LOT of drug users that survived. Because they're here to talk to us about it. I would look at them and think "How come YOU didn't die from drugs?". The more ex-addicts that talked about how they were "lucky" to be alive, the more I began to think that maybe drugs aren't that bad. If I do ever try drugs, I'll just recover and get over it like just that charismatic, healthy-looking speaker in front of us.

lol... now that's probably one that people don't relate to as much. But I definitely remember thinking that way. It was maybe a little later in the early 90s. It seemed like every rock or pop star I knew had survived drugs just fine.

I do think the "don't get in cars with people drinking alcohol" stuff may have had a positive impact on me.

Their hearts were in the right place but scare tactics went over the top the result was that once you tried drugs and found that you was really lied to you lost trust in whatever message they gave you . If they were honest and say look drugs wont kill you or make you straight away but what seems all fun and games at first can for some of you cause addiction problems that can affect those people for life. Also if they spent less time and money sending kids for simple possession to court and instead of helping them and trying to get them on track again that would help more and cost society less in the long run.

 

[thegreenhand]

i have had a very similar experience myself. i was raised with health class lectures about the dangers of drugs. i thought that anyone trying drugs once was an idiot who was throwing their life away. of course, i didn't see alcohol in this light. the health class teachers said that one was ok in moderation...

only until my best friend smoked a blunt with some other kids and told me had "a religious experience" did begin to question this narrative. i quickly tried weed myself and realized i enjoyed it much more than alcohol. i could take a few hits of this thing laugh my heart out for the next 3 hours. then i dropped acid my senior year of high school and hoh boi did i have my own religious experience. then along came mdma, stimulants, etc.

i certainly have had my fair share of bad times with drugs but nothing like what i was taught growing up. i still struggle to not feel ashamed of my drug use. that has been thoroughly ingrained. i wish i had been taught some basic harm reduction principles like knowing your dose and substance, set and setting, etc. ya know all those ideas that can be applied to any kind of drug use. but alas, here we are. they did hammer in the not driving while intoxicated thing very well though, as they should.

also, @F.U.B.A.R. might this thread be better placed in DC ? it might garner more interest there.

 

[Kellsee]

My generation was all about the "Just Say No" rhetoric. I knew to just say no to cocaine, heroin, lsd and etc. But during this time no one ever warned me about the potential of addiction involved with the percocets I took daily from the ages of 12 until 19 because of all of the surgeries I had to have.

 

[Asparagus_Prince]

i certainly have had my fair share of bad times with drugs but nothing like what i was taught growing up. i still struggle to not feel ashamed of my drug use.

Where are you at today? Do you still use at all?

Yeah, I'm sorry if I'm not posting in the right spots. I'm new here and I really like it here, but I don't know the mojo.

 

[thegreenhand]

Where are you at today? Do you still use at all?

Yeah, I'm sorry if I'm not posting in the right spots. I'm new here and I really like it here, but I don't know the mojo.

yeah I still use drugs. mostly weed. not really psychedelics anymore. I had a pretty traumatic experience on 3 tabs of lsd + weed. Running into the street naked, screaming, etc… I’ve done low dose mushies a few times since tho and had pleasant trips. I still use mdma a couple times a year (when I can find quality product) as well as amphetamine once every month or two.

I take an antidepressant now as well, mirtazipine, which I don’t really see as different than i other substance use. But I know some people don’t consider that ‘using’ since it’s from the doctor…

and yeah no worries, we’ll get it moved over. Glad you’re enjoying the site

 

[Las Veghost grower]

 

[ChinaGroove]

I remember as a kid saying I would never smoke or drink or do drugs. It kind of progressed like "I would never smoke a ciggarette. Okay maybe a cigarette but i'll never smoke weed. Wow I like weed but i'll never do hard drugs. Damn these xanax feel nice but their just pills. I'll never do REAL drugs like cocaine. Holy shit cocaine is awesome! At least i'm not doing REALLY REALLY hard drugs. Okay, so crack is even better than coke! I need something to get some sleep tho, i'll try this roxy. Damn roxy's feel fucking good but at least i'm not addicted. Okay I may be addicted but at least I don't shoot up. Wow that was the best thing I ever felt! I got a handle on this shit! It's all good!
What reads like an over the top commercial, actually progressed alot like that. With Lots of alcohol between the crack and xanax part. Oh and shrooms and beans were amazing. But idk if they contributed to my addiction, or at least to the same degree the other drugs did.

 

[SoCalShordie]

I want to know if anyone relates to this.

When I was a child/teen I thought that if someone tried drugs one time, it is possible they could be addicted straight away. If they come back and use it a second time, they are probably going to be addicted. And if they use a third time, ding-dong it's over. You're almost certainly addicted and spiraling out of control. And the only thing that could be done is to get chained to a bed until the withdrawals are over.

I work with addicts through my line of work, and I know I've shared this with quite a few of them. No one has ever acted like they relate. Surely I'm not the only one? Anyone here know exactly what I'm talking about?

It bugs me not knowing why I visualized it that way. Was I told this by adults in my life? Did I get it from the "Just Say No" generation I was living in? Or was I just a child with a little bit of his own imagination?

I just remember being fascinated by my fave rockstars being on heroin & at 13 thought it was so cool. Crazy. Then got on the sauce at 21.

 

[deficiT]

I think this probably fits better in Drug Culture, I'm gonna send it on over there

 

[Jerry Atrick]

I want to know if anyone relates to this.

When I was a child/teen I thought that if someone tried drugs one time, it is possible they could be addicted straight away. If they come back and use it a second time, they are probably going to be addicted. And if they use a third time, ding-dong it's over. You're almost certainly addicted and spiraling out of control. And the only thing that could be done is to get chained to a bed until the withdrawals are over.

I work with addicts through my line of work, and I know I've shared this with quite a few of them. No one has ever acted like they relate. Surely I'm not the only one? Anyone here know exactly what I'm talking about?

It bugs me not knowing why I visualized it that way. Was I told this by adults in my life? Did I get it from the "Just Say No" generation I was living in? Or was I just a child with a little bit of his own imagination?

I can totally relate. I was raised in a conservative Christian/Protestant household and pretty much had complete abstinence of drugs and sex (all the fun stuff) hammered into me from a very young age. My dad was former LE and used to talk about how weed was a gateway drug to all the others and how if I ever tried cocaine or hard drugs once, I would become hooked for life. What a bunch of bullshit.

It worked until I graduated HS and moved out of state for college. I tried weed for the first time my sophomore year at 19 y/o. Much later than any of my friends. Weed is still my DOC but just to prove my dad wrong, I've experimented with coke, IV heroin, shrooms, ecstasy, benzos, oxys.... all without developing lifelong addictions. Hell, alcohol got me into more trouble with the law than any other substance and that shit's legal. When I found out how much I liked weed, I felt betrayed by my parents and even let them hear about it. The fact that they lied to me my entire life also helped me become an atheist. I mean, if the people in power are gonna lie about one thing, what makes someone believe they won't lie about everything.

Now all I do is smoke weed and take psych meds as prescribed.... and watch football on Sundays.