how do people get started on drugs if its pounded inour heads from age 1 that its bad?

Answer 1

Peer pressure and the usual teenage feeling of invulnerability.

Answer 2

Because drugs, ones naturally occuring in particular, are not inherently 'bad'. There is very likely a 'good' purpose for drugs that 'people get started on.' I only say very likely because off the top of my head I'm not aware of any specific research du jour to validate particular examples.

Abuse of drugs will of course detrimentally affect the user. Of course, the reason such a person abuses drugs to begin with is already based on self destructive behavior. The most common cause of drug abuse being failure to deal with reality or personal problems, drugs are used as an escape. The real hypocrisy can be found by comparing the pharamceutical/medical industry and FDA to the "war on drugs" policy. Which is the worse offense?

Alcohol has been determined to have positive effects and certainly to have negative effects, based upon consumption and other factors. Likewise this is apparently the case with Marijuana.

The fact remains that people will do things are not necessarily healthy, ignoring the simple philosophy of “moderation in everything.” Most prescription drugs are more detrimental than any 'illegal' drug, and yet prescriptions are handed out like candy. "Just take this for the side effect symptoms of that one", ad nauseum.

Additionally, I would argue that any drug addiction, including prescription, is more psychological than physical. The alteration of the body's normal function called dependency is relatively minor and is typically greatly exacerbated by the psychological condition.

So then, should we be pounding this idea into childrens heads?
Or should we place more focus on educating them that certain things may have a varying combination of good and bad results depending on certain factors and encouraging our children to make wise choices?

"The prestige of government has undoubtedly been lowered considerably by the Prohibition law. For nothing is more destructive of respect for the government and the law of the land than passing laws which cannot be enforced. It is an open secret that the dangerous increase of crime in this country is closely connected with this."
- Albert Einstein, "My First Impression of the U.S.A.", 1921

Answer 3

Evidently we don't do that great of a job pounding it in. If we did, noone would do it. Between positive messages that children see in movies, tv, music and friends, they believe that there may be more to them. Also, people say that all DARE does is teach people how to use them.

Teenagers love That 70's Show for this reason. Now they are thinking of making a Potfest movie similar to Beerfest that the kids loved.

It's not bad enough for kids to see people dying from drugs because by the time they see someone die, they've already begun to experiment or God forbid, are hooked.

What more can we do? Make deaths from drugs front page news. We can take Angelina off and print news that really affects lives, or has the potential to change one, at least.

Answer 4

I think the message that drugs are bad appears to come from the establishment. Once the establishment begins to appear shady, if the individual decides that the establishment is lying to him, the disgruntled citizen may go ahead and start taking drugs.

It is also a powerful message that drugs are good which comes from the entertainment industry. Drugs are hip, a facet of street life, and I would argue that this is the message sold on MTV.

Old-fashioned moral values have been traded for technology-savvy, information-hungry, party-hardy kids. And they're high as kites!

Answer 5

I think you're all forgetting the very important fact that drug companies are multi-billion dollar corporations that pump us full of advertising at every conceivable moment. Oh sure those ones are 'legal' drugs but it just reinforces the idea that all we need is to take a pill or a whatever and all our problems will just magically dissapear.

The very word 'drugs' is almost meaningless. Our bodies and our conciousness are nothing more than a series of chemical reactions. This 'war' on drugs is ludicrous. 'Legal' drugs are abused as much as 'illegal' drugs and the distinction is arbitrary at best and quite hypocritcal; not at all based on science.

Oh yeah, and those who seem to have the loudest voice in all this hypocrisy and confusion tend to drown themselves in a sea of alcohol - go figure.

Answer 6

People make the conscious decision to use drugs as an escape from whatever is plaguing them at the time. After they begin using they get addicted and it goes from there. Sometimes the euphoria from drugs is more alluring than to stay sober and face the reality that awaits you.

Answer 7

Teen age rebellion and peer pressure. Also, as the pressure to conform to a sick society increases some people find that drugs help them cope (and/or adjust).

Answer 8

You answered your own question, rules are meant to be broken. People do drugs as a way to rebel against the ultimate "teacher" the government.

Answer 9

I've never done them, but I suppose people are just curious to see what it's like and they don't think that they would ever get addicted. I mean there is a high involved so I can definitely see how they are tempting.

Answer 10

Self-destructive tendencies.

Everybody knows that drug abuse is a slow death.

Everyone knows that druggies victimize themselves and those around them (i.e., family members, their jobs, the community, etc.) until they clean themselves up.

Every druggie ends up dead from their habit (i.e., the lifestyle, or the drugs themselves) or reformed.

It's really quite tragic.

Peace.