Medicine for loneliness

Since I have been working at a high school I am reminded of the pressures and challenges that are presented to young people. One of subjects that have been on mind for a while is the subject of drug use. Before I was been able to put myself in these students' shoes I first had to evaluate my background and my experience. Like the title of my blog explains, I was raised in a Christian home, in a middle class neighborhood, and have Mexican/Mexican-American parents. This in some ways sets me a part from some the students I work with. In one aspect church attendance and religious instruction was very important. Even though, I was the kid who got kicked out of Sunday school several times. On one occasion I was asked to go sit with my dad in his Sunday school class. When I sat down the Sunday school teacher looked at me and then continued talking using the word "sex"and several other words I don't remember. At that point the Sunday school teacher stopped and told my Dad, "I think you better have Danny sit somewhere else." I guess their conversation was to "adult" for my little virgin ears. I always thought that my Dad's class was talking about something fun because they used the word "sex." I realize that I have made mistakes but some may not consider them that bad. Is that to say that my point of view or opinion is not valid? I think because I am cognizant of the differences between myself and others, how economic class, familial support/or lack there of, and culture effects people, I feel like I have a good grasp.

That said, I believe that when people think of drug and drug abuse I feel that sometimes people's reasoning can be reduced to a simplistic, "when I was their age, I didn't ..." I feel that I have gotten past that and have identified reasons as to why people would abuse illicit drugs. My main reasons are: to have a good time, rebellion, and escapism. First is an obvious and common reason. People seem to "loosen up" after the drink or get high, everything seems funnier, some people gain a confidence that is not a part of their sober state, and an inexpensive way to chemically alter your mood (depending on the drug.) These are things that movies, music, and t-shirts highlight. Like sex, gunbattles, and political propaganda, the TV doesn't always show the repercussions. It to be said that not all drug users end up running over a kid on a bicycle or dead, which is why I feel that teenagers don't always pay attention to the public service announcements on TV. Although, who wants to be the unlucky one who does run over a girl while stoned?

Rebellion is another reason why I feel people like to use drugs. On the t-shirt I have seen recently, many people believe a great way to "sock it to the man" is to "blaze it up." In a way they are right-sorta. Since weed is illegal, and the morality that has been responsible for United States law is Puritan in origin, nothing makes "whitey" more angry than "brownie" to relax and smoke a joint. In one activity you can break the law, stink up a space, and be non-productive. Specifically, marijuana has it's place in many cultures, specifically my own:

La cucaracha, la cucaracha,
Ya no puedes caminar,
Porque no tienes,Porque le falta,
Marijuana pa fumar

Lastly, escapism seems to be a big reason why people look to drugs as a temporary solution. If you look the plight of the early European immigrants into this country, it is evident why alcoholism was prevalent. If you were here away from your family, saving all your money to bring them over, staying in a room with a dozen other people in the room, enduring hard labor, having to endure the odors of feet and pedo (Spanish for fart), and a great place where you could get a cheap meal, see your homies in the same position would be at a bar. Suddenly it all makes sense. Then if you look at Native Americans, this is also easily understood - genocide and broken promises again, repercussions galore. For Mexicans, when you were born of rape, occupied by a foreign power, your terority almost cut in half, have many years of civil war, skilled workers leaving the homeland, and being hassled for your language and skin color, alcohol becomes part of the landscape of poverty and oppression.

In a broader perspective, we all use different things to cope with life. The problem is the things that some of you use to get by in life aren't illegal. I mean if the time I spent on fishing I used to smoking crack, instead of typing on a computer, I'd be stealing yours.

*If you enjoy film and can get past some very graphic scenes I recommend the movie Requiem for Dream http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0180093/
**Those of you who use drugs for just recreational reasons then that is another conversion for another time.