Culture - What is the drug culture doing to this generation?

[madmatt3d]

Swim is 19, been doing drugs since he was about 15. Why? Mainly because it was there and at that young age, with no thought of consequence, i consumed them.... and still do.

But what is this culture doing to the current youth? Swim was fucked from drugs, but now he's aged and matured and can handle the hold of drugs, to a point.

But the problem is, most people will come out of this drug phase, and continue a normal life. But for some... well many, don't get over this phase. They fall into a dark abyss. A dark horrible abyss... which some of us, like SWIM, have been lucky enough to climb back up and escape, or at least are holding on to the edge with the tips of their fingers.

The point I'm really trying to make, is that the drug culture today is fucked. When you first start drinking, you say "shit man, I'm never going to do drugs" then you take your first hit of weed and you say "this is as far as I'll go man" and for unlucky people it escalates, and it escalates fast. Escalates to fatalities.

We as a community have to share the message, and keep drugs away from KIDS. CHILDREN. Whom don't think of consequence, who don't think of the future, who don't think what a certain substance will do to them. Children are innocently ignorant, which creates a very serious problem when drugs are involved.

Drugs should be left to the adults. And these adults should respect drugs, because these drugs will show no respect back, no remorse.

I just hope someday this problem in our culture will be solved. I doubt it, but i hope.

I don't want to be flamed, I'm just sharing something i believe in from personal experience.

Matt xo

[Burnt]

I think one of the major problems is that people don't talk about drugs intelligently. What I mean is all people hear about in the mainstream about drugs is the propoganda. So often people start doing drugs and they think they are invincible and can do anything because its all lies and BS coming from above. Most western societies doesn't even consider alcohol a drug.

While I think you are right that less mature minds should stay away from drugs kids will always get into whats naughty. The important thing is that communities and families are open and trusting about this issue. That way if a kid fucks up and gets into heroin or something there will be people out there to talk to and not throw them in jail. We can't make the world safe for everybody but we can reduce the harms by just talking intelligently about what drugs are what are the potential benefits and consequences of their use.

Reputation Comments on this post:

excellent points

[Nature Boy]

Honesty is key. At age 15, SWIM knew nothing about drugs other than urban myths and the fact that drug seizures were always on the news. Never once was he given an insightful education into the basic risks and dangers of drug use. Everything was basically labeled "bad" and no more was said. Kids are likely to experiment. In those few years before reaching adulthood, you feel tempted to do stupid things that haven't been properly thought through. I think it's up to the parents to inform their children as the school system seems incapable of doing this. Just sit your kids down and explain to them the real truth behind things.

You can start with booze and cigarettes. If I had a teenage kid wanted to drink, I would encourage them to enjoy a drink in your presence. This is not entirely unusual in Europe at least. You can explain how cigarettes are effectively pointless - they're expensive, terrible for your health and don't actually provide any true psychoactive pleasure. Pot should be addressed. Frequent use is not advisable to a kid that still goes to school but there's no need to resort to propaganda. Inhalants should be warned about. These are what goofy kids are likely to get their hands upon and they can kill.

[Burnt]

^agree

SWIM remembers in younger days when we found out that smoking pot wasn't going to turn you into a zombie for the rest of your life things like heroin and cocaine didn't seem so dangerous either. Well to some they did but others it didn't until they became addicts many years later. Its really a pity.

But on a lighter note SWIM remembers kids he would smoke weed with in highschool who believed all the stupidest myths about drugs yet they still did them. Like if one hit of weed really made you go on a violent raping rampage I probably wouldn't have tried it. But yea this one kid specifically used to say that red rock opium was his favorite drug. And we all now know and I knew them that its just insence. It was funny though. He also thought the best weed in the world grew in the sewers of manhatten (from when people threw their seeds down the drain) and was called manhatten white. SWIM could go on but my memory is failing me. Side effect of the weed? hehe

[madmatt3d]

Everything you guys have said is true. But the propaganda, lies and misconceptions are always going to be there.

[Burnt]

the lies and propoganda will only be there if we allow it to continue. people can make a difference.

[madmatt3d]

I'd like to be that hopeful. But with the history of drugs and government, I'm don't think so

[Burnt]

Its not about hope its about working towards a goal. People both activists politicians (very few but some) and scientists are working towards this goal. We can make a difference.

Furthermore things like cannabis and psychedelics are being recognized as potential medicines. Despite what the government sais cannabis and drugs derived from it are under intense investigation both at university and pharmaceutical company level. Clinical trials on the use of psychedelics for the first time in like 40 years are also underway. Change is happening.

[madmatt3d]

And when a goal involves working against a such a driven and publicized government campaign, it kind of limits things. Unless we can pull off some kind of civil coup d’état, I don't think the goal is achievable

I'm not trying to sound negative or argumentative but it's how i feel about the situation.

[Burnt]

Yes and I am not trying to sound unrealistically optimistic either .

The government campaign is failing almost everyone sees that.

[madmatt3d]

It's possibly one of the biggest fails in history lol.

And surprisingly man, there is a large population that don't see it. Which seems to be the retrospective problem.

[Burnt]

^^ True. The general publics apathy, stupidity and ignorance is the main problem. As it is with so many issues...

[madmatt3d]

So basically we are left with word of mouth. Which is why I'm doubtful. The people listen to the government leaders, not drug users

I feel we have been falsely labeled. We should sue the federal government for hate crimes. That's my only lead so far...

[Burnt]

^^
Word of mouth is a start but the most important things going on now is the solid science. Many of the chemicals in cannabis have legitamite medical value. Thats not a debate for anyone heavily involved in the field.

Same thing is happeneing with LSD, psilocin, and MDMA.

The government tried to hard to find negative effects of these drugs and basically it didn't work. They found out quite the opposite that most of these chemicals and drugs are actaully remarkably safe even when compared to drugs already on the market.

If people were a bit more scientifically inclined to ask questions and do a bit of reading the knowledge would spread quickly. The internet is a good first step. Thats how I learnt the truth about drugs and then I started to study them myself and found out even more. Both about real dangers and myths and the bullshit.

What is important for people who are not as scientifically inclined is to understand the social implications of the war on drugs and how its a failure and how to make it better. People will listen to people who have good solid ideas. Unfortunately mass media controls many peoples world view but free information like on the internet is helping to change that.

It also doesn't help as sad as it is when people in the activism movenments get arrested for drugs or do other anti social behaviors. It makes them look less serious in the eyes of the mainstream. We need solid activists who might volunteer to cut their hair just to make the nice impressions that are needed. It's also a bit of a problem when people who are opposing the war on drugs say stupid things like "weed is the best it will cure every ill!!". While it will help with many ills for many people, no one is going to take anyone serious who sais that. There needs to be a middle ground and I think it will come slowly through solid science coupled with the slow transition of these drugs being seen as evil demons to useful medicines. Recreational freedoms will slowly come after that as people became less afraid of "drugs".

Also I must add that the motion of personal liberty is critically important here. As societies recognize what this really means and how valuable it is in solving many of societies issues it too will be a great tool.

[nate81]

Regarding psychedelic substances I think our best bet would be to bring back the idea of these things being healing rites of passage. Something to mark adulthood or heal the body/mind.

Of course that doesn't really work with regards to drugs whose primary use is pleasure. Nature Boy pointed out a good point that in some households it is common for the parents to give the children wine with dinner on holidays or other special occasions. I read an article on this concept from a writer who experienced that kind of thing as a kid and as an adult he still has the occasional glass of wine with dinner. He claims he has never had any type of substance abuse problem.

It's clear that anti-drug propaganda like the DARE program fails in it's goal of reducing substance abuse. But with this alternate model there is experiential evidence that it is effective. AND no one goes to jail!

[cra$h]

parents can talk about how all their friends who started experimenting all ended up jailed, miserable, or even dead and the kids just don't care. It's not relevant to their lives unless it happens to them first hand. You need to get right in their head. Tell them that that hit of acid can contain no lsd at all, or how heroin can be cut to shit, then you get a pure batch and you overdose. Teach them street smarts and what to look for, so they can save money and their lives.

[nikky36]

communication is the key..........SWIM is a mother and have always been honest and open about everything including drugs and sex,cant stop them doing it but SWIM will be honest and that includes the reality of drugs,that smoking a few joints is not a hanging offence,after all it is a herb,in SWIMs opinion alcohol is far more distructive.SWIM smoked joints and took the occasional acid tab when younger so it would be a tad hypocritical for SWIM to then be totally anti-drugs...........

[Swimster]

Agreed, maddmatt.

I believe the biggest problem with young people(teens/kids, etc) is: They try something once, they dont "feel" unhealthy, and that it must be safe. This was swims position when he was a kid. It may not apear or feel dangerous, but most can be. They go by so-called "expereince" that it is safe, just because it didn't kill them. They must understand that health is on the line. Not to repeat rapidly.

Alchohol will destroy the liver...and so on...but of coarse it dosn't "feel" dangerous, i didn't die...

[fiveleggedrat]

Drug culture largely stays out of the media, and I don't really see much other than simple pothead movies reaching a big audience.

Perhaps drug dealing culture, as in, thug culture, has a negative effect on this generation. EG Young Jeezy type stuff, glorifying the coke trade. Truth is, the coke trade ain't that fun.

[Herbal Healer 019]

SWIM agrees ppl not of age eighteen should not use drugs as they are not mature enough to take an intelligent approach to drug use as many are approaching with the intention of getting totally fucked up without considering consequences. Alot of the reason people have this mindset towards drugs and inevidably overdose and get addicted is lack of factual based education. Instead of programs like D.A.R.E exaggerating the dangers of drug use and spreading fallacies they should educate on how each drug effects, addiction potential, and accurate level of toxicity. Rather than glamorizing drugs by making them illegal, drugs should be legalized and regulated for purpose of purity, overdose prevention and overall harm reduction. All drugs should be legalized and regulated in such a way that provides information on safe use based on dose while taking into account weight, tolerance, age and all that; guides to safely combine various drugs at safe dosages as this seems to b a common practice among drug users, many of which are inexperienced, uneducated, or just plain stupid. Thats SWIMs take

[elpatto]

SWIM started playing with substances when he was 12. First drinking, in increased ammounts each session, started smoking pot just before he was 13. Started taking exctacy when he was 14, started smoking cigarettes when he was about 15. From 15-16 he tried everything he could get his hands on, from coke to heroin, acid to salvia. Basically a good percentage of drugs on the market SWIM had tried more then just a few times before he was 16. SWIM still uses drugs and quite heavily, I guess the type of drugs he is into, alongside with his natural tollerance, mean that he has not ever had a call that was too close.

SWIM is 18 now and still treats substances the exact same way, with caution. My self and SWIM are fucking sick of hearing everyone say "Respect drugs". Why am I going to respect something that destroys people mentaly, physically, emotionally and socially? Complete self destruction. At the same time SWIM never expects the same experiences, feelings and safety everytime he takes anything. It is not about respecting drugs it is about respecting your body and accepting these substances you voluntarily put into your body are harmful and alien.

SWIM does feel quite sepparate from users around his age, it sometimes seems that most users of the age of 18 are realy fucking stupid with their use, taking too much and making a fool outa themselves, constantly pushing thier own boundaries with no concept of consequences. SWIM finds probably 80 percent of his mates are around 4-5 years older then him, some even up to 25 years older than him. SWIM thinks that this level of immaturity and stupidity comes from cultural values rather then anything media related. The whole world is obsessed with a fucking cure. Taking insane ammounts of medications hoping for something to miraculously happen one day when it has not happened for years. SWIM only on few occasions has played with anything prescription or OTC, it normally is just illegal substance on the menu, ocasionaly tripping on something legal such as salvia.

[fiveleggedrat]

The younger the user, the more ignorant and foolhardy, in Swim's experience. Swim's a youngin' himself, so whatever. Swim just chooses to be educated on the matter. You don't get into a car and try to drive it, having never done so before. If you do, you don't expect to be a stunt driver instantly.

[Panthers007]

Want to be an activist? Here's a few tips:

Don't use any illegal substances anywhere you could be found. You will be a walking, driving bulls-eye. Don't wait for an invitation to share your views with the so-called establishment. It's their way - or the highway. Barge in and make sense. Rehearse your material that shows the establishment is causing far more harm than good. They say "But we can stop ONE child from..." CUT 'EM OFF! They destroy thousands of lives in their psychotic quest to rule consciousness. Lay it out on the table loud and clear! Take no prisoners. Accept no compromise.

Know your material. It's not a debate - it's an education. Give as many as will listen an education. That's your job - to begin with. People will approach - bring 'em in. Show 'em how it works. And keep going! We have to leave these drug-warriors in the dust. They won't negotiate - so bypass them altogether.

Reputation Comments on this post:

motivating

[Swimster]

Wright-on man, you said it Nag

[tatt]

Originally Posted by elpatto

My self and SWIM are fucking sick of hearing everyone say "Respect drugs". Why am I going to respect something that destroys people mentaly, physically, emotionally and socially? Complete self destruction.

I think you missed the point.

When people say "respect drugs" they don't mean respect them like you may or may not respect a loved one. But more like you respect a scary chav, you don't have any true respect for them, but you know how dangerous they are...