“I thought drugs were an escape.”
“When I was 15, a guy I knew raped me. I turned to my friends for support, but they accused me of lying! I was devastated2. I needed to relieve my pain, and I thought drugs were the answer. I found that smoking weed3 made me feel secure and loved, but when the high4 wore off5, I felt even more empty, lost and alone. I thought the solution was to do more drugs, so I started using harder drugs like cocaine and Ecstasy6.
One night, I was smoking pot7 at my boyfriend's house. We had a fight and I stormed out and drove off. That's the last thing I remember. When I regained consciousness8, there were paramedics9 over me and lights flashing. I'd smashed into a telephone pole. I suffered shock and a concussion10, but my doctors said I was lucky to be alive—the crash could've killed me.
The crash cost me nearly $10000! But I got a second chance at life. I quit drugs, and I look forward to my future—because now I have a future.”
—Stephanie? 18
FACT: “Life's tough enough without a drug addiction,” says Howard Simon, spokesman for Partnership for a Drug-Free America. “Drugs just add more problems to the pile.”
“I didn't think drugs were a big deal.”
“My mom started abusing drugs when I was in fourth grade, so when a friend offered me weed in seventh grade, it didn't seem wrong to try it. Pot made me feel distant from my misery at home, and I started smoking and drinking on a daily basis. Then my mother left. It broke my heart—I felt like she chose drugs over me. But that didn't make me stop using them. I relied on weed to handle my pain and anger.
I moved in with my dad, but he drank a lot and we argued. I'd avoid going home, staying out with friends instead, drinking and getting high. Before, I only smoked for fun, but now I depended on it to help me through each day.
When I turned 18, I hopped a bus to California to try to start my life over. But I felt isolated there. I was smoking weed every day. Getting high was all I had, and it scared me. I realized I was just running from my problems. I called my dad and told him I wanted to come home.
I can happily say I've been off drugs for nearly a year now. My dad has also been sober for several months, and it's a lot easier for us to get along now that drugs aren't in the way. I've made new friends, too—my best friend is a girl from high school who didn't do drugs or drink. I still don't see my mom much, and I don't know if we'll ever be close again. All I know is that I don't want to waste my life getting high like she did. I'll never go back to the person I was—I would rather be the girl I always dreamed I could be!”
—Megan? 18
FACT: “Nobody knows how drug use is going to affect them,” Simon says. “You're playing Russian roulette11. Once you start, you can't be sure you'll walk away.”
“I did drugs so I would fit in.”
“I started hanging with a crowd that was into drugs. I wasn't into that stuff, but I didn't have anyone else to hang out with, so I started smoking pot to fit in. My parents found out, and my mom started crying. I realized I wasn't just hurting myself, I was hurting the people who loved me.”
—Lisa? 15
“I thought some drugs were harmless.”
“I started smoking weed when I was in 6th grade. It seemed like a harmless drug. I was wrong—I've been smoking weed for three years now, and I've ditched all my old friends and probably blown a thousand dollars on pot. The short buzz12 just isn't worth it.”
—Justine?14
FACT: “Sure, marijuana13 is safer—like jumping from the fifth floor is safer than jumping from the eighth floor,” Simon says. “It's still a dangerous drug.”
“I wanted to rebel.”
“I tried marijuana because it gave me a sense of rebellion. I didn't like being told what to do, so smoking weed made me feel defiant14. But I realized people expect teens to try drugs, and by smoking pot, I was just conforming to their expectations. It's dumb to think that doing drugs will somehow make you different or unique.”
—Azura? 15
FACT: “Yes, you're making a statement—you're saying, "I'm willing to risk becoming a drug addict,” Simon says. “Really, how does that sound?”
青少年為何吸毒
“我曾以為毒品是一種解脫。”
“15歲那年,我被一個(gè)熟人強(qiáng)暴了。我向朋友們求助,可是他們卻指責(zé)我撒謊!我徹底垮了,想找點(diǎn)什么東西減輕痛苦,于是我想到了毒品。抽大麻使我有了安全感,有一種被愛的感覺。但是,當(dāng)快感消失之后,我愈發(fā)感到空虛,迷惘和孤獨(dú)。我想多吸點(diǎn)毒或許能解決問題,因此,我開始使用像可卡因和搖頭丸之類毒性更大的毒品。
一天夜里,我在男朋友家里抽大麻。我們打了起來。我一氣之下沖了出去,開著車走了。這是我記得的最后一件事。當(dāng)我恢復(fù)知覺時(shí),我抬頭看到的是醫(yī)護(hù)人員和閃爍的燈光。原來,我撞到了電話亭后,頓時(shí)休克,造成了腦震蕩。不過,醫(yī)生們說我能活下來真是幸運(yùn),那一撞本可以要了我的小命。
那次車禍花了我差不多一萬美元!但我卻獲得了第二次生命。我戒了毒,對未來充滿了期盼——因?yàn)槲医K于擁有了未來。"
——斯特凡妮,18歲
實(shí)話實(shí)說:“沒有毒癮的生活已經(jīng)夠艱難的了,”美國反毒合作協(xié)會發(fā)言人霍華德·西蒙說,“毒品只會令生活雪上加霜。”
“我以為吸毒沒有什么大不了的。”
“還在我上四年級的時(shí)候,母親就開始吸毒,因此在我上七年級時(shí),一個(gè)朋友偶爾給我大麻,讓我嘗嘗,我也不覺得有什么不對。大麻使我在感覺上遠(yuǎn)離了家庭的不幸,我還開始每天抽煙酗酒。后來,母親離開了我。我傷心極了——我覺得她寧愿選擇毒品,也不愿和我在一起。但是,這并沒有使我停止吸毒。我得依賴大麻來消弭內(nèi)心的痛苦和憤懣。
我搬了家和父親住,但是他酗酒成性,我們經(jīng)常爭吵不休。我盡量不回家,與朋友們一起喝酒,吸食大麻,從而得到飄飄欲仙的快感。我原來吸食毒品只是鬧著玩兒,久而久之,我卻不得不靠它挨過每一天。
到了18歲時(shí),我跳上了一輛開往加利福尼亞的長途汽車,想開始我的新生活。可是,在那兒,我感覺自己與世隔絕。我每天抽大麻。我惟一能做的就是把自己抽得暈暈乎乎的,這使我感到很害怕。我意識到我這么做只是在逃避問題。于是,我給父親打了電話,告訴他我想回家。
我可以高興地說我現(xiàn)在快一年沒有沾過毒品了。父親控制飲酒也有幾個(gè)月了,F(xiàn)在,我們相處容易多了,毒品不再從中作梗。我還交了些新朋友——最要好的朋友是一個(gè)高中女生,她既不吸毒,也不飲酒。我還是與母親見面不多,也不知道我們是否還能親密起來。我只知道我可不想浪費(fèi)生命,不想像她那樣整天精神恍惚。我決不會回到從前的我——我當(dāng)然愿意成為夢中的那個(gè)女孩!”
——梅根,18歲
實(shí)話實(shí)說:“誰也不知道吸毒將會如何影響人生,”西蒙說,“這就像玩俄羅斯輪盤賭。一旦開始了,你就不能肯定自己能不能走開。”
“我吸毒,是為了成為其中一員。”
“起初,我雖與一些吸食毒品的人來往,并沒有沾上那玩意兒。但是,我又沒有其他人可以廝混,于是我開始與吸毒者為伍,加入了他們的行列。我父母發(fā)現(xiàn)了這一情況,母親還為此哭了。我意識到我不僅在傷害自己,而且還在傷害所有愛我的人。”
——麗莎,15歲
“我原以為有些毒品是無害的。”
“上六年級的時(shí)候,我開始抽大麻。大麻看上去像是一種無害的毒品?墒牵义e(cuò)了——三年來我一直在吸大麻,離開了所有要好的朋友。吸大麻大概揮霍掉了上千美元。為了那稍縱即逝的快感可真不值得。”
——賈斯汀,14歲
實(shí)話實(shí)說:“沒錯(cuò),大麻是安全一點(diǎn)——就好像從五樓往下跳要比從八樓往下跳安全一點(diǎn)。”西蒙說,“可是,大麻仍然是一種危險(xiǎn)毒品。”
“我想要反抗。”
“我開始吸大麻是因?yàn)樗芙o我一種叛逆感。我不喜歡聽人指揮,吸大麻使我感到自己有叛逆性。但是,我意識到有人希望青少年吸食毒品,而我抽大麻也就正好滿足了他們的期望。實(shí)際上,認(rèn)為吸毒能夠使自己與眾不同簡直太傻了。”
——阿祖拉,15歲
實(shí)話實(shí)說: “你是在做一個(gè)聲明——你在說,‘我愿意冒險(xiǎn)做一個(gè)癮君子,’西蒙說,“真的,這聽上去又怎么樣呢?”