Education Autobiography on Drugs

Life gives people choices. These choices can lead to circumstances where people may feel lost. Tobacco, alcohol, legal and illegal drugs are part of life. Their influence is everywhere from social media to movies and even at home. What they may teach us is that sometimes when we choose to escape or to feel good, that is when we are our most vulnerable, that is when we may make mistakes. Because life isn't about being perfect, but rather what the imperfections teach us.

I have a sister who likes to drink. She's not your typical lush. She drinks only when she has the time to. This is usually at night and her drink of choice is a bottle of dry, red wine. She, like most people, has experimented with marijuana. The more marijuana lost its stigma, the more she felt it was okay to partake in it. She would get some marijuana from her dealer, get her wine glass ready, and turn on the TV, making sure her favorite show was on.

Then she would take out some chips and sit on her bed getting as high as she felt comfortable getting. After about thirty minutes her eyes would appear glazed over and bloodshot. She had a relaxed smile on her face and she swore she could see Elvis in the corner of her room. I don't think marijuana could produce hallucinations but, everyone is different. She would drink about 2 to 3 full glasses of wine and eat maybe half a large back of potato chips, baked potato chips.

Then she'd turn off the TV after about an hour and go to bed. That was it. That was the extent of her usage. It seems strange recounting my sisters experience with marijuana, a decidedly illegal and legal substance and alcohol. Her experience is one that many shares. However, I had to include it because that was my first time witnessing someone smoke marijuana and made it seem normal. The thing about drugs is, there is so much stigma attached to them. There is even stigma attached to alcohol.

But this was the only time where using both seemed normal. It wasn't normal. For a time, she moved on to liquor. Still, this was one of my first times seeing such usage and therefore, it was an important part of my own experience. My own experience of drugs and alcohol passes personal and dives into formal. I learned from years in school about the dangerous effects of alcohol, tobacco, and illegal and legal drugs. I learned alcohol abuse affects the liver, potentially leading to cirrhosis.

(Lee and Moreau) One teacher stated an alcohol must keep drinking or risk dying. That was a wakeup call for me in understanding how dangerous it is to become addicted to substances like alcohol and the need to exercise restraint and moderation early on in life. I had a similar experience with tobacco. Many people still smoke. Even with the use of anti-tobacco campaigns, people smoke outside and in their own homes. I learned in school about the dangerous of smoking, but in particular, second-hand smoking.

Second-hand smoking could lead to the development of lung cancer and more frequently, ear infections. I also learned that nicotine, a key ingredient in my cigarettes, can be extremely addicting and can lead to people smoking upwards of two packs a day or more of cigarettes. My education on legal and illegal drugs is not as extensive as alcohol and tobacco. For example, I know people can become addicted to legal drugs like prescription pain pills.

I know illegal drugs like crack can kill someone with only one instance of exposure. I'm aware of the various illegal substances like heroin and cocaine that are highly addictive and potentially lethal to the human body. However, because I have never used them nor know people that became addicted to these substances, it is something that has eluded me in regards to truly understanding the dangers of such drugs. Most of my friends rarely experimented with drugs, alcohol, or tobacco, except one.

He was tall, dark haired, with light brown eyes and pale skin. He was the 'hook up' in school. He was the guy everyone knew had some kind of drug on him for sale. He would sell prescription valiums he got from his mother's doctor. He would sell marijuana he would get from a friend. He would even sell some ADD medication and cocaine. I never thought anything of it until he began to use extensively the things he sold.

At first, he experimented with the marijuana and then he moved up to the cocaine. I never saw him snort the cocaine outright. But his nose eventually started having a faint sprinkling of powder on it whenever he left to the bathroom. He developed a runny nose and always seemed wired. Within a few months, he began skipping school and there were weeks I would never see him. I grew worried for him and decided one day to visit him in his home.

His mom was there but he wasn't. His mom told me he was sent to this intense 'boot camp' style place so he could 'straighten himself out'. She said he'll be there for a year and that I didn't have to worry. A part of me was glad his mom did this because the media never presents a 'nice' picture of an addict.

The media through film, TV, and music depicted the addict as a desperate person willing to kill, steal, and prostitute themselves for any kind of 'hit'. (Blackman) I didn't want that for my friend so when I heard he was sent there, I felt relief. The media hardly shows stories of parents intervening in such a way. They show kids getting out of control and losing their lives to their addictions.

It has gotten to a point where I assume someone addicted is probably off somewhere stealing a TV for an ounce of something. This leads to the notion of dealing with drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. Dealing with drugs, alcohol, and tobacco seems like a complex effort. However, from my experiences, it seems removing the addictive substance altogether is the best way.