In the news it seems like Crystal Meth busts and abuse are mentioned quite often. The drug is really bad for you and destroys your life. All I hear however is how some group is on a campaign to educate the youth on the dangers of the drug. However, despite these efforts, the use of this drug continues to rise and has become an epidemic all over the world.
I think the stategy needs to be changed. We need to start looking at why these kids are resorting to hard drugs. If you ask the average teen, they'll tell you the drug is bad for you, and then they'll tell you that they have either used it themselves or know atleast one friend or classmate who is addicted. From that observation, the problem isn't education about the drug itself is the problem. The real problem is that kids are becoming self-destructive, and many have problems with depression. Many people who have this condition are drawn towards drugs because they have little self worth, so they don't really see how they are destroying anything important because their self image is that they are unimportant.
For 5 years, I lived this lifestyle of low self worth, and was drawn to pot as my drug of choice. It was my escape. I'm actually a very intelligent person, and my IQ is high enough that the tests aren't accurate enough to test it. I developed my low self worth because as a child I really got the shitty end of the stick when it came to treatment, and my life lacked positive support almost completely. My intelligence turned me into a social outcast as I started to make others feel inferior around me, and quickly became a target for harassment and bullying. When I was in elemenatary, I fought off the attacks physically, but I ended up putting a couple kids in hospital, so I developed a more pacifist type of thinking. After this, I started directing my anger inwards at myself, and started on the road to self-destruction. In school, I quit trying almost completely, purposely failing myself so that I would no longer be singled out. I would actually force myself to never answer a question, or I would purposely give the wrong answer so that I could blend. I dreaded school, and would skip as much as possible without being left behind or face social service problems.
My usual encouragement for acing a test would be," how come you can't do that everytime?" Any of my accomplishments were always belittled by everyone. I was even called stupid in front of my entire class on numerous occassions by teachers, or used as an example. Nobody gave a damn whether I succeeded or not, and eventually I didn't. I actually got the highest marks in the province on my English 30 and Social 30, scoring 100% on a part of each exame, and high 90's on both written parts. I was told that I didn't get 100% on the written parts because nobody ever gets that. My mom said that I was "lieing" to her when I told her what my marks were on the finals.
After graduating from high school my life got even worse, and the thought of ending it was always in the back of my mind. I couldn't hold down a job for more than a month. My drug use went from casual to cronic, and I sunk myself into debt over my head. The only good job that I did like, I had to quit for a while after a back injury from a car accident. I went back eventually, but was harassed and bullied by co-workers to the point where I quit again. I would have had charges laid, but it was my dad's company and it would have damaged his business to do so. It wasn't fair for me, but it was even more unfair for my dad, so I left. I wondered around the country for a while, lived in another city, and eventually moved back home to live with some friends. Something had changed though, and my friends eventually turned against me, influenced by one individual in particular.
I eventually went to see a psychologist, and we discovered together something I needed to learn. It isn't my fault. People hate me because I have everything that is needed to be a " I can" person, and that I was being targeted by those who would never be capable of the same possibilities. I have this tendency to make people feel inferior, as I drift through problems, when others struggle. Now I'm focused on creating a new atmosphere by sorrounding myself with other people like myself. I plan to go back to school and work towards a degree in theoretical math or physics. I now get all the support I need, and express my distaste when people make negative comments.
See, this was my major life struggle, and I was on the near brink of becoming someone who lived on the streets, and most likely would have moved to harsher drugs and ended up wasted potential. Now I don't see other users as addicts, but as people with an underlying problem driving them to self-destructive acts such a drug abuse, and sometimes suicide.
The good news is that there is a way to slow and end this cycle. My cues came from my mom, an she got hers from my grandma, and so on. It's a negative thinking cycle that I'm ending. The thing is that you can end it too.
We need to replace negative criticism with positive reinforcement. You don't even need to tell your kids that drugs are bad, you only have to encourage them to make positive choices. If they make positive choices, they won't even consider drugs as a choice. They may still smoke a joint, or have a couple beers, but this is a big difference from being high or drunk all day, every day. All you have to do is tell your kids that they can, and don't put expected levels of performance on them. It will be negative if they don't meet them. When they do well, and aren't working towards something, but get something unexpected, they feel that they're efforts are appreciated. I'm actually working with my dad to impliment a bonus program at work. If he has a good month at work, no tools are wrecked, guys are doing well, give them an out of the blue bonus. Not added into their cheques, but handed to them at an arbitrary time with no reason given, just for doing a good job.
My goal in life now is to live positively, and spread my message without preaching it, but by living by it.
Here's some examples of things you can do to make a positive impact in your community.
Some kids are selling lemonade for 25 cents a glass. Give them $5, and tell them to keep the change. You'll feel good, and they'll feel really rewarded for their efforts. They won't forget this kindness.
Get a bad server at a restaurant, don't tip 15%, tip 25%. This may seem like the opposite thing to do, but the very least is that it brightens up your servers day. Usually the next customer who walks in the door gets way better service, and the server feels valued. The first things they think about afterwards is what they didn't do to make your experience at the restaurant great, whereas they usually just think your an ass for leaving no tip, and will focus on that rather than what they could have done better to deserve a tip. When I walk into places now where I'm a regular customer, I get service like most never get.
I think if more people started to develope this kind of positive thinking that I live by now, we'd find ourselves in a much more desireable life, and the youth would be more likely to succeed, than become drug attics. Now my life is full of happiness, the negative thinkers are repelled, and the positive thinkers are drawn to me.
I think the stategy needs to be changed. We need to start looking at why these kids are resorting to hard drugs. If you ask the average teen, they'll tell you the drug is bad for you, and then they'll tell you that they have either used it themselves or know atleast one friend or classmate who is addicted. From that observation, the problem isn't education about the drug itself is the problem. The real problem is that kids are becoming self-destructive, and many have problems with depression. Many people who have this condition are drawn towards drugs because they have little self worth, so they don't really see how they are destroying anything important because their self image is that they are unimportant.
For 5 years, I lived this lifestyle of low self worth, and was drawn to pot as my drug of choice. It was my escape. I'm actually a very intelligent person, and my IQ is high enough that the tests aren't accurate enough to test it. I developed my low self worth because as a child I really got the shitty end of the stick when it came to treatment, and my life lacked positive support almost completely. My intelligence turned me into a social outcast as I started to make others feel inferior around me, and quickly became a target for harassment and bullying. When I was in elemenatary, I fought off the attacks physically, but I ended up putting a couple kids in hospital, so I developed a more pacifist type of thinking. After this, I started directing my anger inwards at myself, and started on the road to self-destruction. In school, I quit trying almost completely, purposely failing myself so that I would no longer be singled out. I would actually force myself to never answer a question, or I would purposely give the wrong answer so that I could blend. I dreaded school, and would skip as much as possible without being left behind or face social service problems.
My usual encouragement for acing a test would be," how come you can't do that everytime?" Any of my accomplishments were always belittled by everyone. I was even called stupid in front of my entire class on numerous occassions by teachers, or used as an example. Nobody gave a damn whether I succeeded or not, and eventually I didn't. I actually got the highest marks in the province on my English 30 and Social 30, scoring 100% on a part of each exame, and high 90's on both written parts. I was told that I didn't get 100% on the written parts because nobody ever gets that. My mom said that I was "lieing" to her when I told her what my marks were on the finals.
After graduating from high school my life got even worse, and the thought of ending it was always in the back of my mind. I couldn't hold down a job for more than a month. My drug use went from casual to cronic, and I sunk myself into debt over my head. The only good job that I did like, I had to quit for a while after a back injury from a car accident. I went back eventually, but was harassed and bullied by co-workers to the point where I quit again. I would have had charges laid, but it was my dad's company and it would have damaged his business to do so. It wasn't fair for me, but it was even more unfair for my dad, so I left. I wondered around the country for a while, lived in another city, and eventually moved back home to live with some friends. Something had changed though, and my friends eventually turned against me, influenced by one individual in particular.
I eventually went to see a psychologist, and we discovered together something I needed to learn. It isn't my fault. People hate me because I have everything that is needed to be a " I can" person, and that I was being targeted by those who would never be capable of the same possibilities. I have this tendency to make people feel inferior, as I drift through problems, when others struggle. Now I'm focused on creating a new atmosphere by sorrounding myself with other people like myself. I plan to go back to school and work towards a degree in theoretical math or physics. I now get all the support I need, and express my distaste when people make negative comments.
See, this was my major life struggle, and I was on the near brink of becoming someone who lived on the streets, and most likely would have moved to harsher drugs and ended up wasted potential. Now I don't see other users as addicts, but as people with an underlying problem driving them to self-destructive acts such a drug abuse, and sometimes suicide.
The good news is that there is a way to slow and end this cycle. My cues came from my mom, an she got hers from my grandma, and so on. It's a negative thinking cycle that I'm ending. The thing is that you can end it too.
We need to replace negative criticism with positive reinforcement. You don't even need to tell your kids that drugs are bad, you only have to encourage them to make positive choices. If they make positive choices, they won't even consider drugs as a choice. They may still smoke a joint, or have a couple beers, but this is a big difference from being high or drunk all day, every day. All you have to do is tell your kids that they can, and don't put expected levels of performance on them. It will be negative if they don't meet them. When they do well, and aren't working towards something, but get something unexpected, they feel that they're efforts are appreciated. I'm actually working with my dad to impliment a bonus program at work. If he has a good month at work, no tools are wrecked, guys are doing well, give them an out of the blue bonus. Not added into their cheques, but handed to them at an arbitrary time with no reason given, just for doing a good job.
My goal in life now is to live positively, and spread my message without preaching it, but by living by it.
Here's some examples of things you can do to make a positive impact in your community.
Some kids are selling lemonade for 25 cents a glass. Give them $5, and tell them to keep the change. You'll feel good, and they'll feel really rewarded for their efforts. They won't forget this kindness.
Get a bad server at a restaurant, don't tip 15%, tip 25%. This may seem like the opposite thing to do, but the very least is that it brightens up your servers day. Usually the next customer who walks in the door gets way better service, and the server feels valued. The first things they think about afterwards is what they didn't do to make your experience at the restaurant great, whereas they usually just think your an ass for leaving no tip, and will focus on that rather than what they could have done better to deserve a tip. When I walk into places now where I'm a regular customer, I get service like most never get.
I think if more people started to develope this kind of positive thinking that I live by now, we'd find ourselves in a much more desireable life, and the youth would be more likely to succeed, than become drug attics. Now my life is full of happiness, the negative thinkers are repelled, and the positive thinkers are drawn to me.
