You all know that drugs are bad, that they’ll kill you and change your entire life for the worse. But many people underestimate just HOW damage can result. Even from simple addictions to marijuana and tobacco can these seeds of destruction bloom. When you become addicted to drugs, and you WILL through continued use, it changes how high of a regard you hold yourself to. Simple values instilled in us as children, such as honesty and integrity, become untwined as easily as fabric. This delicate fabric is all that holds you and your loved ones close to each other. When you become addicted, whether it be physically or psychologically, you lose sight of all your hopes, all your dreams, and even of your reality. You become blinded by the drug. Consumed by it. You throw away your friends and family, without regard to the consequences. All you’ll ever care about is the next high. I am writing this to prevent such tragedies from occurring to other people, and while there are other, more effective ways to go about doing this, I still think that sharing my life’s experience with drugs will help people to accept and realize how much of a threat it is. Please, even if you think that no such problem exists in your life, continue to read this. If you still think that it was a complete waste of time, then comment me and I will delete this article.

The Cause. There are many, many reasons why people choose to drugs. Mostly, it starts with pot, as harmless as it tends to be. People tend not to notice exactly what it could eventually lead to, and they forget how risky moving onto harder drugs can be. I’ve heard from so many people, myself included, that they would never touch any drug other than pot. And in some cases, they follow through with that philosophy. But, with some, such as myself, they begin to develop a sense of invulnerability to chemical effects. They feel relatively no pain or long tem side effects whatsoever from weed that many education programs claim it can have. That mindset then eventually rolls over to harder drugs when they are introduced to the person, whether it be knowingly or not. They start to really like the drug, and continue to use it a couple more times. Mostly over a period of a couple of months to avoid addiction, but as availability increases, so does the indulgence. Even though they may notice their growing habit, they continue to feed the addiction out of a sense of need instead of want. Eventually, their need will begin surpassing their ability to supply it, which is where distrust comes into play.

Social Effects. Once the actual addiction sets in, people will begin to place all priorities below it. While they will still hold on to some of thier hopes and dreams, they begin to give up on the ones that would require their full, undivided attention. They begin to steal from loved ones, not thinking anything of it. It becomes sort of a game that they feel the need to play, else they chance the inevitable withdrawal. This sows the seeds and waters them. The people that care take notice, and the addict will usually deny it and continue feeding it behind closed doors. Seeking for help is among the last options they take at this point, as addiction can be a very powerful and lingering force in your mind. After growing weary of the antics, friends and families of the victim will begin losing trust in them, which is the backbone of any relationship, be it between parent and child, spouses, or friends. They will continue to unravel the rope of trust until it is withered and decayed to oblivion. And then they willl move on. Only after many people have suffered from this will the addict normally take notice and begin wishing for the effect to become the opposite. But even then, it may be a while before most will begin seeking to be rid of the addiction, as it is a very compelling force.

My Experience. I am a recovered crack addict myself, so I do know what I am talking about. But even before my addiction, I was put through alot by my abusive father and my neglectful mother. Throughout my long childhood, I was beaten, starved, unprovided for, and failed to develop many skills necessary in life to succeed. I am still on the path to building those skills to the level of an average 17-year old boy. Although my behaviors and eccentricities are somewhat severe, my experiences with it all have provided me with much insight, as you may have noticed from reading this article. I am told by many that I am very inteligent and that I should not waste my life. So, when I tell you that I know what I’m talking about, even regarding the fact that I was a drug addict, you can still believe me. My experience was much like the scenario described earlier. I was unmindful of my grandparents, who were the equivalent of my parents at the time, and I consistently stole from them, lied to them, and disrespected them. To this day, I regret every bit of it and always will. But, I very much believe that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. It is my wish to have people spread this knowledge on just how devastating the experience of a 17 year old addicted to drugs for 1 short year was. I have yet to apologize to them, or even look them in the eye when I talk to them. Every night, I lay in my bed, disgusted with myself for letting things happen this way. I am messed up, to say the least. I wish it not to be like this for anyone else. Please. Spread my wisdom. Help encourage those who have fallen victim to rise above and conquer. To regain control of their lives, and to give them a second chance to shape things how they should be.