"High" School

[YYZ30]

Worth=Not the typical goofy shit I normally post.

What he said.

[YYZ30]

When he was 17 years old, Obama was "doing blow, getting high, and getting drunk," and he has written about it! When we hear about Obama's life journey, these are considered growing experiences and obstacles he overcame, part of a greater story.
"I spent the last two years of high school in a daze, locking away the questions that life seemed insistent on posing. I kept playing basketball, attended classes sparingly, drank beer heavily, tried drugs enthusiastically. I discovered that it didn't make any difference whether you smoked reefer in the white classmate's sparkling new van or in the dorm room with some brother you met down at the gym."

This is probably one of the reasons that I identify with Barack. That is exactly how I spent my last two years of high school (except for the basketball, I was a musician,) and got an A in every subject, was the lead actor in the drama club, leading contributor to the literary magazine, runner-up for homecoming king, a librarian from ages 16 thru 18, and guitarist for the highest paid local band in the tri-state area until I moved back to the upper midwest. And never got any of my girlfriends pregnant, because, even in those days, I was taught by my divorced, mentally unstable mother that abstinence is a bad bet and birth control was 99% fail-safe.
This is all said, not to toot my own horn, but to illustrate that, for some people, doing drugs and living a relaxed, fun lifestyle during high school, etc. is not the doorway to damnation and ruin. And if we can be adult enough to realize that teenagers will not be prevented from having sex solely(we are all basically animals, after all) by being an evangelical Christian, by scaring them, by not talking about it, nor by telling them to abstain, but tell them - for goodness sake, helping them to understand birth control methods, there would be little need for abortions, much fewer unwed teenage parents, diseases, and less of our children's childhoods and dreams cut short by having to give up their lives to raise another.

I'm interested to know everyone else's thoughts on this subject.

In high school I was a goody two shoes- I didn't do much of anything. In fact, I turned down an invite to what was supposed to be the biggest event of the summer because frankly I didn't want to be involved with drinking at the time. After high school, I started drinking, and it was fun, and for a while I stopped. I then picked it back up after a bad breakup and spent an entire summer ruining my liver's function on Sundays. I had a very bad night one night and the next morning I woke up, and sat down and started to take stock of things. If you can drink responsibly, you can have a good time. Granted, I can still tie one on if necessary, but 99% of the time its one or two beers and I am done. To quote Neil Young "I have seen the needle and the damage done". You can party and have a good time and not get rip roaring loaded.

Drugs- I tried once, I took a hit off of a joint, and I threw up everywhere. It was bad and that completely turned me off of them. It's a personal decision and if you want to do them, go ahead. I'm not stopping them or turning them in.

My father and I had a lot of frank talks when we were alone about sex, and the advice he gave me worked well. Granted, my first and I were stupid (we were both virgins) and we tried a lot of different things, inculded playing in the rain without galoshes on, and it did lead to a scare. Teaching teenagers that hey its ok to have sex, just do it responsibly is a goal we should all strive for. (To quote one of my favorite shows- "I'm seventeen, looking at linoleum makes me horny" - it is the truth). If you can be responsible about it then by all means go ahead. Don't make the same mistakes lots of people have, including myself.

[Xanadu]

I loved shattering their stereotypes of metalheads!

Hell yeah!

... remembered the pain I had felt then and determined H would never feel that pain (I have made other mistakes with her, though! LOL) and so I didn't go back to using and drinking.

Adding to that...if you are doing a drug and that comes before the rest of your life...you have a problem and need to quit! If you occasionally have some fun and it doesn't hinder the rest of your life, you're in the clear if you ask me.

Whatever an addiction is, alcohol, food, tobacco, soda, TV, drugs...its not good. I know I'm preaching to the choir here but funny how mainstream culture attacks drug addiction like its somehow worse than being addicted to TV, sugar and trans fat and being obese to the point of being limited in what you can do in life...that's just as sad.

I've seen too many people die from lung disease and cannot believe that inhalation of marijuana is not at least a contributing factor in such disease for those who use it.

That's why you eat it and no harm done.

[ElfDude]

Got any more of those brownies? They're all I can think about!

[Xanadu]

Uh oh...I gave you the ones with opium in them...shit

[ElfDude]

I think I finally found them in the store...

[Xanadu]

^^^
LOL

I'm feelin' cosmic right now

[awip2062]

Whatever an addiction is, alcohol, food, tobacco, soda, TV, drugs...its not good. I know I'm preaching to the choir here but funny how mainstream culture attacks drug addiction like its somehow worse than being addicted to TV, sugar and trans fat and being obese to the point of being limited in what you can do in life...that's just as sad.

I thought about this a bit, Xan, and I think I have an idea why drugs and smoking are so "horrid" and the TV, sugar, etc are not.

The deaths caused by drugs and alcohol are often quite dramatic and sudden and are easily seen as a tragedy. Also, people who did not take drugs or alcohol get killed due to the actions of those who do, and that seems all the more a tragedy.

The deaths caused by overeating, sugar, the limits to what one can do, all these are not as in-your-face. It takes a long time, and fewer people seem to be suffering when compared to those who die of overdoses or accidents caused by drug or alcohol use.

Tobacco has only recently been demonized by the public. I remember doctors and nurses smoking around patients. I think you will see more and more demonization of obesity but I am not so sure about the TV habit or many of our other addictions. I think some may even be encouraged, as they do help "control" the masses.

Just my thoughts.

[ElfDude]

Also, people who did not take drugs or alcohol get killed due to the actions of those who do, and that seems all the more a tragedy.

Dawn, that line immediately reminded me of a police officer I know who told an amusing story about a fellow officer. After the story, about his friend he said, "Last year he was in a 7-11 buying coffee. A drug addict intent or robbing the place burst in and shot him in the head."

You just don't hear stories about hunger-crazed sugar addicts doing stuff like that.

I also understand that the word "drugs" encompasses a whole lot of substances... most of which do not lead people to that kind of behavior.

[Xanadu]

Drugs are illegal and therefore hard to ged and very expensive...therefore some desperate people will steal to ged the money. Robbery and violence and stupid irresponsible behavior like impaired driving are dramatic and all that. Some people are such morons. The violence and robbery is only an issue because drugs are illegal making them expensive (and impure) and controlled by gangs, criminals etc.

I forget what percentage of the US population is obese...but its huge (sorry pun). I study nutrition in both people and animals (as well as other health related subjects like drugs). To the families and friends of those who have nutrition related illness, it IS traumatic when they die, they slowly kill themselves, very very sad and preventable. No, not by the government but with EDUCATION about nutrition. And still some will choose not to do what's right for their body but that's ok with me. They have the right to live their life the way they want to.

I have the same view on drugs...legalize them, educate people about safety...and of course make it illegal to do drive impaired. Yes some dumb people will do it anyway but THEY ARE NOW anyhow.

It would be interesting to know what percentage of people are addicted to drugs (not casual users, but junkies) vs people addicted to sugar/food/TV vs tobacco and alcohol addicts.

[awip2062]

Remembering back to when I used and people I knew then as well as people I knew before who used, if drugs were legal, there would still be a great many who would be out of money because they would spend the money on the drugs and then they would want more drugs and more drugs and more drugs. Now, I dont' mean all, but, I don't see legalizing them as a fix to money woes for those who are addicted any more than I see our having legalized alcohol as a fix for the money woes of oh so many alcoholics. I know people who smoke tobacco (a legal drug which is very expensive) who can't feed their family or pay their light bills, too.

[Big Blue Owl]

After 30 years of mild, but steady weed use, I have quit cold turkey. Just last week, as a matter of fact. I find that my head is clearer, I don't snore anymore, I can breathe better, I argue my point more (I seem to give a crap), am seemingly physically tireless and...well, we won't discuss the "other" things that have resurfaced
So it's kinda like a whole new buzz, really. The receptors in my brain aren't getting hammered back in and they want stimulation and activity. No more false sense of "everything is cool." Because everything is NOT cool. I have opted to work for my local polling organization. I'm actually getting involved to attempt to do and not just talk until I'm blue in the face...and I'm always blue in the face.
Anyway, as I said before, it worked for me for a long time, but now it's fun to try a new way. I'm awake, so look the F out.

[awip2062]

hehe This new charged up BBO could be a real blast!

[ElfDude]

I'm awake, so look the F out.

*runs for the hills*

[Walkinghairball]

I'm awake, so look the F out.

*runs for the hills*

Uh.....it goes......"run TO the hills, run FOR your life."