Why Why Not?

About a year ago, my sister-in-law told me a story.  She was watching one of her favorite cooking and traveling shows.  The words that ended the Colombia episode made her pause the show and frantically look for a piece of paper and pen to jot them down.

“Drugs and drug addiction are survivable events. Death is not. Death is final.”

You see, she came to the United States seven years ago from a small country called Moldova, where drug abuse(s) are not in such high quantities as in the USA.  After the travel show ended, and for the next couple of days, these words kept popping in her head at random times. That day sparked a curiosity that pushed her to understand the reasons why people use drugs.  Here are five things she uncovered…

5 common TRAPS:

1. *Feeling of emptiness, low self-esteem or depression
2. *Social or “Peer” pressure (4 ways to get out of awkward situations)
3. *Experimenting – it may be very easy to get
4. *Stress or Self-medicating
5. *Rebelliousness

5 REAL reasons not to get TRAPPED:

1. Problems at school.  It’s hard enough dealing with studying and tests.  We don’t need anything making it more difficult.
2. Trouble with parents and teachers.  Teens often become withdrawn, depressed and angry.  This is NOT going to make you feel better in the long run!
3. Trouble with the law. Usually one poor choice leads to another.  Drugs cause you not to think straight leading to things like drunk driving, fights and unsafe sex.
4. Possible Physical & mental health problems. There are so many!  Liver, kidney, heart rate, seizures, coma and memory loss. Teens risk overdose and death every time they do drugs.
5. Don’t think this could happen to you?  Consider…

90 percent of addicts in the U.S. began taking drugs, smoking or drinking alcohol in high school.  Do you think THEY thought it would happen to them?

Content Credit:  http://www.mfirecovery.com/blog/5-reasons-why-teens-should-not-drink-and-do-drugs/

Photo Credit: https://www.climaterealityproject.org/initiative/why-why-not

(to previous post – what’s In the NO?)