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Francene--Blog. Year 2014

Why do illegal drugs appeal to the young?

2/3/2014

11 Comments

 
Picturewww.funnyjunk.com
UK police have issued a drugs warning after a 17-year-old girl collapsed at a Glasgow nightclub on Saturday night and died in the early hours of Sunday.

A police spokesman said: "Illicit drugs are unstable, unpredictable and extremely dangerous as this outcome shows, often the content of the drugs is unknown but they could contain dangerous chemicals and people need to understand the devastating effect they can have. I would strongly advise people to avoid illicit drugs and report any information to the police."


Picturewww.digitaltrends.com
"People who choose to take drugs," a spokesperson at the hospital said, "are playing Russian roulette with their life. They have no way of knowing what they are taking, and as a result, some of them will die. I would appeal to young people, don't believe what you're being told by someone giving you drugs. There's no such thing as a safe, illicit drug. You could be swallowing anything."

On the Drug Dictionary, I found 173 drug slang terms starting with 'M'.
When I reached mortal combat, I learned it was a high potency heroin.

Why do young people take these risks with their lives? I don't understand what they hope to gain. Peer group pressure plays a big role. We can't turn a blind eye to this influence. My own experience with teenage children has shown how hard it is to sway them.


Picturewww.theguardian.com
But someone has to start the trend, so authorities need to influence the group. I can't help thinking that teenagers lack purpose in their lives. They study at university with no hope of a job later in life. I'm in favor of sending young people who take drugs to a training boot camp. Some programs have given youngsters a new view about life.

Okay, I've never taken an illegal drug. The closest thing I got to was drinking Coke a Cola in the 50s. I've since learned that, cocaine was an ingredient in the popular fizzy drink. Not that I felt any effect.
I've never smoked either. I guess I'm too sensible.

I do remember the buzz of life as a teenager—the certainty that life should be lived to the full, that I held the balance between life and death—recklessness. Perhaps this is what drives decent young people to indulge in questionable drugs.


11 Comments
Sophie Bowns link
2/2/2014 10:23:38 pm

I haven't taken drugs or smoked either. I don't see the appeal of it all to be honest. It's an addiction and a waste of money!

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Alana link
2/3/2014 06:19:18 am

I agree with Misty in that I feel that peer pressure has a lot to do with it. I also think there is an element of invincibility, some curiosity, and,in some cases, the need to drown pain or make an intolerable situation more tolerable.

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Nicole link
2/3/2014 02:49:55 am

This is definitely an important topic. I think your point is quite insightful that many young people lack purpose in their lives, and thus they are trying to seek fulfillment through drugs. It's quite sad really.

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Francene Stanley
2/3/2014 06:54:17 pm

You're right. They need to find something else to give them a sense of purpose.

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m link
2/3/2014 03:27:42 am

I remember feeling invincible when I was young. Like I could do anything.

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Francene Stanley
2/3/2014 06:54:48 pm

Yes. That's the same for me.

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Misty Spears link
2/3/2014 03:35:42 am

I think a lot of it is simply peer pressure. I'm almost 40 years old and since becoming an adult I've never touched a drug, and rarely even drink alcohol. A lot of is because I'm an adult now. I make decisions based on my own morals and values and don't rely on the impressions of friends to sway my judgement.

However, when I was a teenager, I did smoke pot. I was brought up in a good home, had plenty of money, studied hard and made excellent grades in school. Yet somehow, because my friends smoked it, I felt I had to do it too. I may have been smart but I sure was weak minded when it came to my friends. I wanted so much to be liked, to be like them.

It's easy for me now to look back and think how stupid it was. It is an addiciton and a waste of money and does nothing but rot your brain. That's how us adults see it. But when you're a kid, you don't think rationally. The only thing young teenagers think is how can they look cooler? How can they make more friends or be more popular? While a bootcamp or class might help a few, I think the biggest change will have to come from within the teenage community. It won't stop until the pressures of fitting in aren't as strong as they are now. Unfortunately, there isn't an easy way to make that happen.

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Francene Stanley
2/3/2014 06:56:46 pm

You've made a good point, Misty. Peer group pressure is a force to contend with. And young minds are easily distracted.

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Dean Martin link
2/3/2014 04:49:14 pm

Hello Francene Stanley my name is Dean Martin but I go under the name LA GREEN. I came across your post in the facebook group called Blogger's Corner just to clarify where I found you. In response to your post, I think drugs appeal to the youth because one's brain does not completely develop until one is 25. The part that has not completely developed is the common sense part, which probably explains why there's so many kids and young adults drawn to drugs.

The other thing is curiosity. If you look at everything around us created or invented, it was done by someone thinking, "What happens if I do this? If I rub these two sticks together, what happens? oh! I created fire!" lol I know it sounds cave man like but that basic instinct, curiosity, combined with an underdeveloped brain, is always going to equal trouble or not. I wonder to this day what someone was thinking when they discovered that if they pull on the cows nipples, they'll get milk or what happens if they stick this metal fork into an electrical outlet what will happen? Some people are more curious then others.

Something I learned from my marketing classes, the one thing that people are attracted to is fear, sex, and food. Drugs would be listed under the fear category. I'm sorry for such a long winded response but I thought I would share that bit of information...this a great post by the way! =)

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Francene Stanley
2/3/2014 06:58:33 pm

I love the length and the depth of your response, Dean. You've made some great points about young people and what motivates them.

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Michelle DeBerge link
2/4/2014 12:53:46 am

I don't think that when you are young you really understand the dangers as much as you do as an adult. They can't see the whole picture and how much destruction one moment can have on a lifetime!

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    Francene Stanley:
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    I use news items in my fantasy novels.

    Born in Australia, I moved to Britain half way through my long life. If you like my writing, why not consider purchasing one of my books on the sidebar below?
    I blogged 260 days last year. Link.

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