1. This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Learn More.

Love, Drugs, and Booze

Discussion in 'General Support and Advice' started by David21201, Sep 5, 2015.

  1. David21201

    Full Member

    Joined:
    Nov 5, 2014
    Messages:
    501
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    California
    As you all know I have recently began high school. Shit has been pretty good. I ditched some of my old (read: toxic) friends for some of my upper classmen friends. It's been nice y'know?

    Recently I've developed a crush on this sophomore guy (which is rare despite me being pansexual). We've been friends for awhile now and we are constantly flirting. Do you guys think I should ask him out or let him do it?

    Drugs and Booze: The highlight or downfall of everyone's high school career. As of two weeks ago I began smoking a cigarette (or less) once a week again. Now my older friends are the 4.0 gpa "secret stoners". I'd like to try and experiment with drugs and alcohol with this people because I trust them and they'll stop me from doing something stupid. Do you guys think I should wait till after tennis is out? What's your opinion/advice?
     
  2. Simple Thoughts

    Full Member

    Joined:
    Dec 21, 2013
    Messages:
    3,426
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Columbus, Ohio
    If I were you I'd put down the cigarettes for good ( that shizzle will ruin you ) It'll definitely effect your lungs and that will affect your atheletic performance slowing you down.

    I say let things progress naturally with this boy you like.

    For drinking and drugs...don't. It's not worth it. If you wanna try smoking pot wait until you're 18 and go somewhere where it's legal to do so. The last thing you want is to get busted with drugs/alcohol and get into a mess of trouble.

    You're better off just doing what you do and not worrying about that stuff.
     
  3. Chip

    Board Member Admin Team Advisor Full Member

    Joined:
    May 9, 2008
    Messages:
    16,551
    Likes Received:
    4,750
    Location:
    northern CA
    Gender:
    Male
    Gender Pronoun:
    He
    Sexual Orientation:
    Gay
    Out Status:
    Out to everyone
    There was a study published in Nature (very prestigious British medical journal) some years ago on smoking among high school students. A ten-year longitudinal study with a large sample size.

    I don't remember the exact statistics, but one of the most interesting ones went something like this:

    Among students who smoked less than once per month at the beginning of the study, 70% were pack-a-day smokers 4 years later.

    Among the subset who had gone from once-a-month to pack-a-day, about 80% said that they planned to quit within 90 days.

    Of the 80% who said they planned to quit, about 70% were still pack-a-day smokers five years later.

    You are dealing with a drug that has been carefully engineered, at a cost of billions of dollars, to be as addictive and difficult-to-quit as it is humanly possible to make it. The deck is stacked heavily against you. Your chances of winning against the tobacco companies is zero. So unless you're totally OK with wasting hundreds of dollars a month, being stuck with an addiction, and likely eventually dying of effects of that addiction, stop today and don't ever pick up another cigarette.

    On the drinking and drug use: One of the biggest risks here is that there's a pretty large (and growing) portion of the population that is highly susceptible to addiction, due to early childhood factors that affect neurotransmitter development. If you are part of that population... and there's no way to know for certain... then you are at great risk of addiction. For people in that group, sometimes a single use of an opiate (Vicodin, Oxycontin, heroin), amphetamine (crystal meth, Adderal, Ritalin), cocaine, or benzo (Xanax, Valium) can trigger the addictive cycle. Alcohol and marijuana are somewhat less addictive, but the same neurotransmitter pathway issue can affect those people.

    If there is any history of addiction in your family (parents, grandparents, aunts/uncles, siblings), then it is a risk I absolutely would not take. Even if there is no family risk, it is still not a risk I'd take.

    Don't for a moment believe the bullshit of "I trust them because they'd stop me from doing something stupid." For one thing, if you have the addictive tendency, they won't be able to stop you as the biochemical drive will immediately hijack your brain. For another, all it takes is one person in the group to decide that doing something-or-another is OK, and others will often go along because they "trust" the one person, and once you start using one drug, suddenly it seems like it might be OK to try others... the psychology of that is very well established.

    Ultimately, it's up to you. For me, I value my brain, analytical capacity, and having complete autonomy and control over my choices to risk exposing myself to anything that could diminish those things. But some people are willing to risk all of that in order to "experiment." So that's a choice you'll have to make. Just please think seriously about making a wise choice.
     
  4. David21201

    Full Member

    Joined:
    Nov 5, 2014
    Messages:
    501
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    California
    I still don't know whether or not I'm going to do drugs honestly. I've been thinking this over for a year and a half. With the smoking it isn't really recreational but to calm myself (basically when I smoke I don't cut either way I lose).

    With my family's history with addiction there has only been chain smokers. And honestly yeah I'm young but I'm an idiot risk taker...

    The reason why I do trust these people is because we have a system. At least 1 or more person has to be sober or at least still mentally there. It's been me for the past like forever.

    I'm still unsure though...
     
  5. Simple Thoughts

    Full Member

    Joined:
    Dec 21, 2013
    Messages:
    3,426
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Columbus, Ohio
    I would still say no. You never know what could or couldn't happen. Drugs aren't really safe anyways. At your age I've read some studies which even show something like pot can have negative effects because of all the brain chemistry and hormone stuff going on at that age.

    It's best to avoid things that are risky.

    As for smoking, you really should quit. Replacing cutting with killing yourself slowly isn't exactly a good trade. Ya know?

    May I ask what has you so stressed out?
     
  6. David21201

    Full Member

    Joined:
    Nov 5, 2014
    Messages:
    501
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    California
    Coming out stresses me, school, life, being alone, pretty much everything fucks with my anxiety
     
  7. Simple Thoughts

    Full Member

    Joined:
    Dec 21, 2013
    Messages:
    3,426
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Columbus, Ohio
    Is there anyone you can talk to about that?

    School counsellor? Therapist? Close friend? Anyone at all.

    I know things can get really stressful, but relying on a drug, or cutting, or any other thing like that to ease the pain and calm yourself is only going to make the problem worse. When you start doing stuff like that a lot of the time it forms a habit that's really hard to break, and you wind up doing a lot of harm to yourself.
     
  8. David21201

    Full Member

    Joined:
    Nov 5, 2014
    Messages:
    501
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    California
    Nope. I dont trust school faculty since they work with my mother and therapists cant keep their mouths closed and when u do have a problem they dont help you any. All my friends well most have anxiety, depression, anorexia, etc. so we are pretty bad at helping each other
     
  9. Simple Thoughts

    Full Member

    Joined:
    Dec 21, 2013
    Messages:
    3,426
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Columbus, Ohio
    The best thing you can do to help someone is listen to them. If you're friends are struggling listen to them, and talk to them and I think you'll find you can help each other out a lot. ^^

    As for therapists, if a therapist talks aobut what you say in private that's a violation of the whole patient-doctor thing I'm pretty sure. Chip would likely know more about that than I would, but I'm pretty sure they can't legally blab.
     
  10. David21201

    Full Member

    Joined:
    Nov 5, 2014
    Messages:
    501
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    California
    I never signed any forms but my parents did... maybe they can because im a minor
     
  11. Simple Thoughts

    Full Member

    Joined:
    Dec 21, 2013
    Messages:
    3,426
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Columbus, Ohio
    I'm not sure. Like I said Chip would know way more about that than I would.