What are the reasons for the spread of drugs in society, and what is the best way to prevent it, especially among teenagers?

Question

236color · Accepted Answer

When I worked in the pharmacy in the Navy, I learned that the human animal is Inherently addictive and it doesn't matter what the substance is. We had a lady that was addicted to Cloraseptic throat spray. People get addicted to ANYTHING, even things that aren't even substances, like gambling. This is essentially an addiction to the neurotransmitters your brain releases when you gamble. Why do people use drugs? Well some people have really shity lives and they want to feel better. Some people are trying to self medicate a mental illness and especially with teenagers they may just be trying to fit in.

Now, as to how to prevent teenagers from using drugs, I'm not a parent so I can't speak with experience from that end. I was a teenager in the 70s though, in the midst of the drug explosion of that Era and the parental efforts of that time. So what I feel I can do is offer some observations on what doesn't work.

#1 Do make up horrific stories. Your child will know that everybody that uses Marijuana doesn't become a heroin addict. If you try that they won't believe anything else you say on the subject.

#2 Don't lie about your own drug history. If you have a serious drug history, "This is how meth messed up my life" is a compelling argument. But also don't rail against Marijuana with a drink and a cigarette in your hand, kids also don't listen to hypocrites. Even the "I'm no good without my coffee" statements are normalization of caffeine addiction.

#3 Don't threaten. A kid that's insecure, feeling awkward and frightened, (and isn't that every teenager), it doesn't help to feel like his parents are not forgiving and don't have his/her back.

So, as for what I think MIGHT work:

#1 Acknowledge the obvious, most people use some form of drugs.

#2 Continuing on the theme of the Obvious, some drugs are much more harmful than others. In my own life, alcohol caused much more damage to my life than Marijuana. Now if I'd smoked as much pot as I drank, it would probably not have gone well either.

#3 Be clear but truthful about the negative effects of various drugs. Tobacco causes COPD 100% of the time. Some people may quit before it kills them, but it greatly diminishes their quality of life even if it doesn't kill them and highly increases risk of ALL cancers. Meth and opiates are basically fatal if contined and not worth the risk that they won't be able to stop. Alcohol can be fine for a lot of people, but if it causes trouble in your life you will have to stop. Caffeine doesn't cause much trouble for people as long as you take it in less processed form, (powdered, purified Caffeine has resulted in death).

#4 As much as possible, try and make sure your kid doesn't have the kind of shitty life they'll want to escape with drugs. Don't molest them, try and keep them away from people that might. Neither ignore nor smother them. Don't try to relive your childhood though them. Understand they're young and have no experience and an as yet unfinished brain. They have limited capacity for understanding and reason

#5 Be honest with yourself. It's possible none of this will help. Sometimes people are just dead set on self destruction and nothing will help.

Dinn3r · Accepted Answer

There are a number of things that contribute to the spread of drugs in communities; law enforcement, ignorance, broken family, mental health, glorification of drug use in movies, music , and games, lack of education, homelessness, ignorance of the youth. Also lack of understanding how painful addiction could be for the person involved and everyone that is connected with that person.

jennifer_bloom · Answer

I think people are depressed because they socialize with negative people and that affects their peer pressured behaviours. I know ambitious professionals who smoke weed to fit in at parties but I’m assuming they hate it, cause it lowers your intelligence and their lives revolve around getting rich. I also know people who replace drugs with food and eat junk food a lot at restaurants. My cousin would do that every day before losing his job due to pandemic related company team reduction efforts. His job was important but not essential and he was over paid so they laid him off.

noemiii · Answer

There’s no way to prevent drugs. They’re everywhere legally and illegally, prescription or drug dealer. I think people who do drugs regularly engage in that at their own discretion, so I don’t feel it’s my or anyone else’s responsibility except their own to spend an extended amount of time trying to change those people. I know if I was a crackhead right now the only thing that could stop me from doing crack is if I wanted to stop doing it, but I also know the only reason I’d be doing it is because I wanted to do it.

Billlewis · Answer

Because they're of little use politically, narcotics and drugs as a whole receive far less attention than the three primary 'go-to' items that leftists like to use as justification for their ongoing assault on the nation -- the climate scam, the race hustle and the gun grab.

FreyaRed · Answer

There are two approaches, the liberal Dutch approach with legalization of soft drugs and Duterte approach with eliminating people who poses smallest amount of drugs. Of course Dutch approach with taxing drugs is more beneficial for taxes but for a dictator who wants kill everyone he doesn't like is Duterte approach more practical. Just put 0,8g weed in someone's pocked and execute them for drug possession.

exitseven · Answer

Liberals in Hollywood and the music industry glamorize the use of drugs. Young people are led to believe that these substances are harmless and actually that they are beneficial. There needs to be real consequences for the sales and distribution of these substances and the use of them need to be depicted as something shameful and not something that should be emulated.

RingOfFire · Answer

Best way to stop the dangerous drugs that are killing our young people? Vote against Democrats and their open borders. They are murdering our youth in record numbers.

Anonymous · Answer

People. Want. To. Get. High.

How do you prevent that? You make laws making it illegal, which they have done.

Maybe we should enact sharia law and just mutilate anyone who steps out of line. For their own good of course. But ultimately that is what is required in order to live in the perfect Utopia we all seem to crave.

How far are you willing to go to force morality?

Staximus · Answer

I think the government should offer large amounts of free drugs for in exchange for a vasectomy or tubal ligation. Sterilize them and let them overdose so we can reduce the surplus population of idiots who are stupid enough to do meth, heroin, fentanyl, crack, etc.

Iron_Man · Answer

Teens that are not educated think It’s cool and fun to get high but they don’t realize it can kill you and become very addictive. It’s a huge problem. It can take you out. Drugs are in no way cool and I’m not a drug user, but I’ve heard stories and read things.

provokeesmokee · Answer

What kind of drugs are you talking about? Prescription? Illegal or recreational? Education, harm reduction, and decriminalization have been proven to reduce harmful drug consumption in many countries.

AlbantheGreat · Answer

I have a solution, but it won't please everyone: kill the drug dealers, like Duterte did. If you deal, a cop (or any assermented guy) could kill you.

If there are no drug dealers, how can teenagers have access to drugs?

Stacey55666 · Answer

1. It feels good and is addicting.  2. A medical cure like antabuse

Exterminatore · Answer

Look around. Everything is so F’d up. Of course people are gonna do drugs when being high is more sane than reality.

Kingofkings1992 · Answer

People like to get high for a multitude of reasons. Some are dealing with mental health issues, some just do it out of boredom. There’s no way to prevent drug use entirely, it’s an inevitable part of our society.

Robertjo16 · Answer

If I knew the answer to that id be a genius and a millionaire

Lokiion · Answer

You can’t be serious if you think you can stop it you way to late at least 70% of all teens have done or do drugs

WhiteBoyChill · Answer

A very valid question. I think it generally tends to be those that are dealing with extreme hardship in life that turn to drugs as a distraction and escape mechanism.

msc545 · Answer

Legalize all drugs and it won't make sense to smugle them.

jimmy2 · Answer

We ell I think with Fentanyl with the media telling stories of family who have to deal with it is quite a way to stop that behavior

Anonymous · Answer

People choose to do things that they like.

whistlingwh0res · Answer

stupid kids want to feel high

Anonymous · Answer

Reducing what doctors can prescribe what..

What are the reasons for the spread of drugs in society, and what is the best way to prevent it, especially among teenagers?

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