Drugs

[Rheghead]

What do people think about how we should deal with drugs and alcohol?

[champagnebaby]

Funny you should bring up this topic, i was going to start a thread the other night after looking at this site http://eddie.gn.apc.org/index.php?pID=1 and i fully support what Eddie is saying.

[Dons_Lad]

The man has a point to be honest with you, it was an interesting read.

[Jeid]

there was a documentary about this on the BBC once. i have it on my PC. was quite interesting.

[EDDIE]

I think the best way is to educate people at young age and to endless advertising to make drugs and alcohol into anti social behavior
Because its a bit like smoking once you start its very hard to stop and overcome the addiction and the craving is always there for years after you have stopped.So for me its best not to try drugs or alcohol and smoking to start with thats why education is the best way forward

[Karen M26a]

Notice how noone wants to make alcohol illegal - LOL. Glad to see we all agree on something! :D

[Rheghead]

It seems strange that the most popular choice is to educate the youth but on the otherhand we (myself excluded of course :roll: )buy gossip publications which rely on some drug taking celebs as their print fodder. And all for our young to idolise as well.

[Jeid]

erm, the youth of today are under much more immense peer pressure than when you were that age. even the difference between me and some of the younger people i know is quite drastic. the chance of me being offered drugs when i was 16-17 was pretty remote. i'm not saying it never happened. today, it seems a lot more widespread and readily available to younger people. its easy to go a party, get drunk, lose your inhibitions and take drugs. hell, you don't even have to get drunk really. people smoke joints like i used to drink.

saying that its strange to educate the young is the most popular choice is pretty stupid. ok, how about not educating them.... see what happens then. nothing. being warned of the dangers of drugs is part of the governments job. people will take drugs no matter what they are told. but at least they know the dangers from an early age and can make the choice themselves. most people will try a joint by the time they are a student. some might try harder drugs.... a lot of people won't. some will continue with harder drugs. most won't.

times are changing, drugs are much more common in today's society than they were even 5-10years ago.

our young don't idolise people because they take drugs. they idolise them for the good things they do

[Donnie]

Notice how noone wants to make alcohol illegal - LOL. Glad to see we all agree on something! :D

That's because most of us are addicts. It's like asking smokers what they think about the 2006 ban.

[Rheghead]

erm, the youth of today are under much more immense peer pressure than when you were that age. even the difference between me and some of the younger people i know is quite drastic. the chance of me being offered drugs when i was 16-17 was pretty remote. i'm not saying it never happened. today, it seems a lot more widespread and readily available to younger people. its easy to go a party, get drunk, lose your inhibitions and take drugs. hell, you don't even have to get drunk really. people smoke joints like i used to drink.

saying that its strange to educate the young is the most popular choice is pretty stupid. ok, how about not educating them.... see what happens then. nothing. being warned of the dangers of drugs is part of the governments job. people will take drugs no matter what they are told. but at least they know the dangers from an early age and can make the choice themselves. most people will try a joint by the time they are a student. some might try harder drugs.... a lot of people won't. some will continue with harder drugs. most won't.

times are changing, drugs are much more common in today's society than they were even 5-10years ago.

our young don't idolise people because they take drugs. they idolise them for the good things they do

I think you have answered a major point in the debate.

If the young are not prepared to listen to what the dangers of drug taking are then what is the point in warning then in the first place?

[Naefearjustbeer]

I think you have answered a major point in the debate.

If the young are not prepared to listen to what the dangers of drug taking are then what is the point in warning then in the first place?

Some might say an educated person would be prepared to accept the risks of having a couple of joints socially, but not the risks of heroin crack cocaine or LSD. If all drugs are lumped together then there is no distinction between one and another and the kid doesn't have the info to make that decision. The fact that something is illegal doesn't put very many people off. In fact for the rebellious teen that is probably an attraction

[gleeber]

I think you have answered a major point in the debate.

If the young are not prepared to listen to what the dangers of drug taking are then what is the point in warning then in the first place?

I know its a waste of time pointing this fact out but it is another issue most "normal" people who like a wee drink prefer to give a body swerve to.
Why would a young person listen to what Rheghead says about drugs when he openly glamourises the use of alcohol? Maybe his hypocrisy is contributing to illegal drug use. Certainly it helps to keep drugs in the hands of criminal gangs and international terrorists.
Young people are not stupid and learn as much from nature as they do from nurture. Given the opportunity they will learn more. Unfortunetlly there will always be casualties when people use mind altering substances but I see that as a symptom of the same hypocrisy in our societies and not the danger of the drug itself.
The truth is if I was for legalising all drugs I wouldnt start from here.
I would have another option in Rhegeads poll.
Educate the parents!

[Naefearjustbeer]

Educate the parents!

I agree with that one. When I started High school my dad sat me down and told me if I wanted to try alcohol just ask him about it, not sneak around and learn the hard way, The same for cigaretes he gave me the option to come to him first, The only thing he knew/warned me about drugs was dont smoke any roll ups getting passed round as you dont know whats in them. My mum was oblivious to the drugs problem and was surprised to read about convictions in the paper Her words were "my goodness I didnt realise caithness fowk took drugs". When I was at high school over 16 years ago I never saw drugs or got offered any, There were rumours that some of the weird looking 6th years smoked dope!!!. By the time my younger brother went to school some pupils were smoking joints in between classes. My brother has been out of the school for a few years now so it is not a very recent problem.

[Rheghead]

Why would a young person listen to what Rheghead says about drugs when he openly glamourises the use of alcohol?

I don't think when I don my sandals, cordrouys, cravatt and Fair Isle knitted jumper and prancing around discussing the finer points of brewing with a ridiculously snobby accent has anything to do with glamourising alcohol.

But Gleeber is right on one thing though, if that was my intention, the kids of today are not daft, they will certainly see through that one!! :lol:

[brandy]

in my humble opinnion.. *grins*
i think that we should both educate and work to erradicat the drugs.
there is no easy way..
and it is a very long hard road
all you can do is teach your children
be there for them
always listen to them with an open mind
and unfortunalty if at the end of the day the drugs win
then you need to be there as a parent and help your kids
to support them and try to help them come clean
you can not ignore the problem
you can not let it be a dirty little secret
you can not let it tear your family apart
just remember that you love your children and you will do any thing you can to help them
it they get to that point!

[katarina]

Cannibis causes schitzophrenia, it's true - believe me - don't take the risk! I have seen the down side. Ban the lot!

[Jeid]

alcohol causes liver damage and can lead to heart problems.... is that included in "the lot" ?

[Naefearjustbeer]

over use or abuse of any substance is going to cause problems. Social or occaisional use of something you use to relax will not cause you serious health issues. To my mind someone who knocks back 10 pints every friday and saturday night is causing more damage than the person who puffs a couple of joints every now and then.

[EDDIE]

Well on the subject of alcohol i dont see it as a health risk if its in moderation to me its the binge drinking that causes all the problems and they need to try an educate people into thinking binge drinking is antsocial behavior.
To be honest about it they should tax alcohol more and the money they make of it they should give to the NHS after all its the binge drinkers that makes the accident and emergency busy at the weekends

[Jeid]

people will always find a way to get things cheaper. what about the people who sit in the house and drink 3 bottles of wine on a friday and saturday night? or a bottle of vodka? or any spirit. alcohol is the most addictive drug of them all.