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If
someone is really trying to force you to take a particular drug,
tell them that you had a close friend who died from drugs and
you took an oath at his funeral never to use them.
THE SEXUAL SIDE OF DRUGS AND ALCOHOL
Some people resort to drugs to "enhance"
their sex life in some way. This is particularly true of the so-called
party drugs like Ecstacy and GHB. I'm not an expert on drugs, so I won't
comment on what the effects of these drugs may or may not be. What I do
know is that a great many people end up doing things they later regret
because they were high on drugs or alcohol. Any woman who has sex when
she's not in full control is open to an unintended pregnancy, and people
of both sexes who have sex with strangers stand a much increased risk of
getting a potentially deadly sexually transmitted disease.
I realize that scare tactics don't work and that no
matter what I say, or your parents or teachers or school administrators,
I know there are some of you who are going to use illegal drugs,
particularly marijuana, while you are in college. Will most of you who
do suffer dire consequences? No. But after you graduate, when you get
together with some of your college friends, you'll reminisce about
people you knew. And you can be sure that when it comes to one or two
names, the news will be that their life is in tatters because of drugs
or alcohol. Statistically speaking, the number of people who die from
substance abuse is quite high. The U.S. Department of Health reports
that alcohol-related deaths total 100,000 annually from all causes,
including traffic accidents, liver disease, related violence, and falls.
Fatalities from marijuana and other illegal drugs amount to about 10,000
a year. Tobacco-related deaths are the highest of all, at about 450,000
a year, though this number results from long-term use.
Despite everything you've heard or read about
college life, do not assume that the administration of your college
shuts one eye when it comes to the use of drugs or even alcohol. Some
colleges treat their students more like adults and don't watch
carefully, while others will take action if they find so much as one
beer can in a room. Ask some upperclass students how your school handles
these situations and act accordingly.
Case: Steve
Steve grew up in New York City. He chose to attend
a small Midwestern college that was located miles from any city. The
nearest grocery store and movie house were more than ten miles away, and
even that town didn't have much else to offer. Steve felt stifled at
this school and so turned to alcohol and drugs to "get away."
Soon he was spending more time getting high than studying and his grades
started to plummet. Before the end of his second year, he dropped out.
There are many reasons why people turn to drugs and
alcohol, and the ones at college mimic those of people everywhere. Would
Steve not have used these substances so heavily were he at another
school, or was this just the excuse he gave himself? Steve turned out to
be a responsible adult, so perhaps it really was his situation, but
oftentimes young people don't know why they're heavily into substance
abuse, only that they are and they don't know how to get out of the hole
they've dug for themselves.
Every college campus has advisers who can help you
on the road to recovery. I know that many students don't necessarily
trust an adviser to keep the information given to them confidential. My
assumption would be that what you say to a counselor is confidential
because someone in such a position has been trained to honor that type
of commitment. But if you would like more information on such issues,
and don't want to speak with someone on campus, here are some phone
numbers of organizations that may be of help to you.
-National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug
Information (800) 729-6686 or (301) 468-2600 24-hour
-National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependency
Hope Line (800) NCA-CALL or (800) 622-2255
-Drug Help: A service of the American Council for
Drug Education, an affiliate of Phoenix House Foundation (800) DRUGHELP
or (800) 378-4435
-American Council for Drug Education (800) 488-DRUG
or (800) 488-3784
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