Poll: What was your exposure to drugs as a teen/young adult?

[DawnM]

Poll coming.

 

I know this won't cover every scenario or situation, but I have been discussing drugs with other moms of teens on a moms' board and the general consensus is that ALL teens will not only be exposed to drugs (particularly pot) but will also try it at some time and this is perfectly normal. It is also normal to have several friends who do weed on a regular basis.

 

They also implied it didn't matter if you are public schooled, private schooled or home schooled.

 

One mom even said, "Well, they are bored." :001_huh:

 

Just curious about YOUR exposure as a teen.

[tntgoodwin]

No one ever even offered me drugs. I went to a private Christian high school through 10th grade, and was homeschooled for a year after that.

[Chris in VA]

Mostly drinking. Once, in 10th grade, two kids took pills in the back of the room during drama, right beside me. Only pot once as a high school teen, when I visited my cousins and they smoked in front of me. In college, however, my roommate had home-grown in her dresser in our dorm room.

 

I don't think my experience is typical now in this area by any means. Pot, LSD, Ecstasy, Adderall abuse--it's all over the flippin' place. I know this to be a fact.

[KirstenH]

I went to public school in CA in the mid-1990s. Although I never tried it (I was asthmatic and hated the way it smelled), I saw a lot of pot. It was bought and sold in the hallways at school and was smoked at nearly every party I ever attended (often by the parents, too). I also saw a lot of kids high on other things ('shrooms, Ecstasy, LSD and meth, mostly), but that was a lot more secretive -- I would have had to really go looking for it if I'd wanted to actually try it.

[J-rap]

It was very prevalent in my big California school and many of my friends used drugs regularly. I never did, and it never even occurred to me to do so. I don't believe my kids will ever have that interest, either.

[elegantlion]

I went to a large suburban high school, affluent suburbs mostly. There was access to drugs very easily. I went to several parties where it was available. I graduated in 1985. Pot was easily available, I don't think people were into heavier drugs generally.

[Desert Rat]

I marked both that it was prevelent, but you had to go looking for it. I was punk rock in the late 80s. My group did lots of drugs. I didn't until college. I don't regret anything I did, but I kinda grew out of it and now I enjoy my wine instead.

The average, every day students in my high school (800 in my graduating class) didn't have much exposure to drugs. I never heard of anyone getting busted and I was never offered drugs by someone I didn't know.

My family has a wonderful addicitive streak. We started talking about drugs early on with my boys.

[Miss Marple]

Public School- very prevalent/the norm for many kids

 

I would alter this to reflect my experience: Public School - very prevalent/the norm for a small but highly visible group.

[lailasmum]

I went to a very large rural state secondary school from 1990-1997. I didn't really have any exposure to drugs until university. I think we were quite innocent really. You heard of people taking drugs but it wasn't people I knew or had contact with. A few people drank alcohol at 17 or 18 and a few people smoked but it wasn't too obvious. I do know that one girl I knew well went rather off the rails in the few years immediately after school and ended up a heavy drug user and with prison time for drug dealing. It never crossed my mind that she was taking drugs while we were in school but I do wonder if she had already got involved as she was quite a volatile person and it might explain a few things.

 

When I went to university there were drugs everywhere. Several people I lived with were heavy drugs users and then when I was working in theatre and other arts areas there were drugs absolutely everywhere.

Edited May 11, 2012 by lailasmum

[Tasia]

I went to public school and never knew of or saw any drug use until high school.

 

In 9th & 10th grade, I knew people in school who smoked pot and drank, but I never went to the parties where it happened or hung out with any kids who used drugs regularly. In 11th and 12th, I went to some parties and had a beer or two, but never saw anything besides alcohol and pot.

[ThisIsTheDay]

California public school late 70s/early 80s with reputation as the "drug school" in the district. Pot openly smoked in the fields at lunch time. I guess the teachers were too interested in taking their own lunches because this was was a usual occurrence. When it rained, occasionally it was smoked in the (open) corridors of the school. Easy to get crank, speed, cocaine, mushrooms, acid. We were bored, upper middle class kids with uninvolved parents.

 

A number did not graduate and most others did not attend college; one or two are dead from eventual overdoses; one or two served actual prison time. For the most part, though, the large majority came through unscathed and would definitely be considered successful. It still amazes me.

[Lady Florida.]

I was a teen in the late 1960's and early 70's. Nuff said.

[DawnM]

How is that classified as "other?"

 

Obviously not enough said for me, I am a little slow on the take. If drugs were prevalent, wouldn't you vote that way?

 

I was a teen in the late 1960's and early 70's. Nuff said.

[Heather in Neverland]

I graduated in 1988 from a public school. Almost EVERYONE drank and smoked pot. I was captain of the cheerleaders, NHS, student council, you name it... A "good" kid... Yeah, right. The stories I could tell you...

 

I praise God for His salvation!

[mytwomonkeys]

public school, it was definitely there but you had to go looking for it.

 

alcohol was prevalent in all circles, but drugs were a little less than the accepted norm. my friends and i used them, but our group was more of the outcast 80's bauhaus listening teenage angst group.

 

 

ETA - my nephew is a junior at a very good school in GA. he is definitely a clean cut kid, straight A student, affluent area, etc. he was busted for smoking pot. from what my sister has uncovered, it is very much the norm and not even considered a "drug" at his school. sadly, this story is really pale in comparison to the other issues running rampant at his school.

Edited May 11, 2012 by mytwomonkeys

[mktkcb]

I say other, because I did every form of schooling, not just one. I was in public till 3rd, homeschooled through 8th, then went to a boarding school overseas for 3 years of highschool except for my sophmore year when I was at the local public hs in the states. I'm sure there were drugs around at the ps. Maybe there were drugs at my boarding school (small, 180 kids k-12), but I never knew about them if there were. I was basically underexposed to the drug scene growing up ;o). Hope my kids are too.

[TranquilMind]

Mostly drinking. Once, in 10th grade, two kids took pills in the back of the room during drama, right beside me. Only pot once as a high school teen, when I visited my cousins and they smoked in front of me. In college, however, my roommate had home-grown in her dresser in our dorm room.

 

I don't think my experience is typical now in this area by any means. Pot, LSD, Ecstasy, Adderall abuse--it's all over the flippin' place. I know this to be a fact.

Mine? Back in the dark ages, I never had or was exposed to alcohol in high school. I knew of a couple of people who smoked weed, but I think I tried it the year I graduated (because I had a job and was driving to it - trying to remember).

 

Today, you are TOTALLY right. It's all over the place and any kid can get you something in 1 hour. Sad, sad, sad.

[Joker]

I was in high school in the early 90s, both public and private, and drugs were easily available in both. A teacher was even fired for smoking pot with students.

[Aelwydd]

Poll coming.

 

I know this won't cover every scenario or situation, but I have been discussing drugs with other moms of teens on a moms' board and the general consensus is that ALL teens will not only be exposed to drugs (particularly pot) but will also try it at some time and this is perfectly normal. It is also normal to have several friends who do weed on a regular basis.

 

They also implied it didn't matter if you are public schooled, private schooled or home schooled.

 

One mom even said, "Well, they are bored." :001_huh:

 

Just curious about YOUR exposure as a teen.

 

Did you know that most drug-related deaths in the US result from prescription drugs?

 

I say this to point out that your friends are correct that all children--regardless of mode of education--will be exposed to drugs, some very powerful and dangerous, right at home. Mom and Dad's medicine cabinet, or a friend's house where Grandma keeps her pills bedside. There is a big trend right now with teens abusing such prescription drugs.

 

I don't agree with your friends that everyone will try drugs. My sisters and I were all public schooled. I never tried any illegal drugs, and was never even tempted. My best friend never tried them. One of my sisters also never tried them. M(y other sister smoked weed a few times.) I know several people who have never abused illegal drugs.

[Tess in the Burbs]

I think it depends on where you live. My first hs it was prevalent. I went to college in the same town later on and professors did it too. It was common in that city/area.

 

My other two hs experiences were different. I am sure it was there but not in the crowd I was friends with. I head about weed but not the drugs I had seen at previous school. The last school was half an hour away and same experience. Never heard about it but knew some kids that did weed. So that area as a whole didn't have it out in the open as much as first hs.

 

I will say that the circle of friends you choose dictates the drug use. Even in college either groups of friends did or did not use drugs. There wasn't just one person in a group of friends....

[stripe]

I think parents should be addressing the boredom, if that is the reason they feel teens try drugs.

[mytwomonkeys]

I don't agree with your friends that everyone will try drugs. My sisters and I were all public schooled. I never tried any illegal drugs, and was never even tempted. My best friend never tried them. One of my sisters also never tried them. M(y other sister smoked weed a few times.) I know several people who have never abused illegal drugs.

 

:iagree: my sweet husband has never been drunk in his life (really has only ever tasted alcohol), let alone tried a cigarette or any kind of drug. i was the complete opposite of him in high school (i was the kid you pray your children don't befriend). my husband and i are both 40ish but our experiences are completely different.

[Veritaserum]

I knew who used. I knew where to get some, but I never had any interest to try it. I hate feeling "out of it."

[PinkInTheBlue]

I voted "Public School- it was there, but you had to go looking for it". I graduated in 1990 so most of my high school time was the 80's. I believe if you wanted it then it wasn't hard to find but since I didn't want it I nearly never saw it. It was definitely there.

[Mommyfaithe]

Poll coming.

 

I know this won't cover every scenario or situation, but I have been discussing drugs with other moms of teens on a moms' board and the general consensus is that ALL teens will not only be exposed to drugs (particularly pot) but will also try it at some time and this is perfectly normal. It is also normal to have several friends who do weed on a regular basis.

 

They also implied it didn't matter if you are public schooled, private schooled or home schooled.

 

One mom even said, "Well, they are bored." :001_huh:

 

Just curious about YOUR exposure as a teen.

 

I went to a Public School. Drugs were not only prevalent, but were very present IN school, around school, outside school. By drugs I mean everything from marijuana - LSD and heroin. Crack was not around then....but I am sure had it been, it would have been very easy to get. Kids were snorting cocaine in the classroom. Lots of us went to classes high....It was more the norm than the exception.

 

This school was in NY in the late 1970's.

[DianeW88]

I went to a private, affluent, all girls, prep school in the early 1980s. Some of the girls drank like fish, and some of them smoked, but I did neither. I'm sure drugs were available as well, although I was never exposed to them.

[littlebug42]

I graduated in 1989 from a public high school. I knew of a couple of people that smoked pot but it was never done around me and it was never offered to me. I did not know of any other drug use. I will say however that alcohol was extremely prevalent. In my later high school years, we were pretty much getting drunk/drinking almost every weekend that wasn't marching band season. Lots of alcohol consumption some of which was provided for us by other parents.

[ocelotmom]

Affluent public school with a very good reputation in the mid-90s in California. Drugs were very prevalent - one year our student government was all suspended for prescription drug abuse while on a student government retreat :glare:. Personally, I would have had to go looking for them. But I doubt I'd have had to look very hard, though it would probably have involved getting drunk a few times first to gain trust :p.

 

My school was semi-famous for an international drug smuggling ring involving a teacher and a bunch of students back in the 70s.

 

I knew who used. I knew where to get some, but I never had any interest to try it. I hate feeling "out of it."

Me too.

Edited May 11, 2012 by ocelotmom

[joannqn]

My friends were using in middle school. I moved at the beginning of 9th grade. On my first day of school, PE teacher asked someone to show me the cafeteria. The person who volunteered pointed to the cafeteria on the way to the parking lot where the kids were smoking (and some where using). After a semester I switched schools. My new school had no lockers due to problems with dealing from the lockers.

Edited May 11, 2012 by joannqn

[TN Mama]

I went to a small public high school in an affluent area. Drugs were rampant. It wasn't reserved for the stereotypical "druggie" kids, but the "popular" soccer champs with straight As (and their girlfriends) were big time into it as well. And it wasn't just pot.

 

I'm thankful I had a good head on my shoulders and didn't venture down that path.

[Geo]

I was a teen in the late 1960's and early 70's. Nuff said.

 

Ditto

[Plucky]

.

Edited May 11, 2012 by True Blue

[Wheres Toto]

I put I didn't know it was there in my public school but I'm sure it was around. I was just a very quiet, shy, sheltered kid and completely oblivious. I didn't see it a lot until I went to college - a small, private, Methodist college.

 

My oldest has friends who regularly smoke pot and drink.

[CatholicMom]

I said public school and it was there but you had to go looking for it.

 

But really, it just depends on what crowd you are in. I think that some of the popular kids did drugs at parties but I was.. uh.. not popular. :lol: But if I was, I probably would have thought it was the "norm" or very easily accessible.

 

Put it this way, I probably could have asked around and figured out who to ask if I wanted any. And if I was already friends with that person or in with the popular kids, it might have been offered to me.

 

So I think people can have a different view about how accessible drugs were even if they went to the same school... depending on the crowd they hung out with. It's not always obvious druggie losers who are on drugs. A lot of times it's the popular athletic / preppy crowd, too.

[Dandelion]

I voted "other", as I attended a wide variety of schools from K-12. Attended both public and private schools in the U.S. from K-2, and then attended both public and private schools in Germany from grades 2-12.

 

There was some alcohol consumption among my German high school friends, and several of them smoked, but it was minimal and I was never pressured to participate and never did. The cultural norms pertaining to alcohol are very different in Germany (and the drinking age is much lower - at least it was in the '80s), so that lessens the attraction IMO. Aside from alcohol and cigarettes, I was never exposed to drugs while in school.

 

When I moved back to the U.S. at age 18, I was instantly surrounded by it all - drinking, pot, and harder drugs (mainly through the people I worked with - I decided to work a year before starting college). I briefly rented a room in a co-worker's house - and promptly moved out when I found out her boyfriend had a large pot-growing operation in her basement (I have no issue with people who smoke pot - I just didn't want to be implicated as the police were starting to come around). It was a very different environment. :001_huh:

Edited May 11, 2012 by Dandelion

[Mergath]

I went to high school in northern Minnesota in the late nineties, and pot was everywhere. I don't remember much of my junior year, honestly. :D The chemistry teacher- same one I'd had- was actually fired a few years ago for selling it to the students.

 

None of us did anything more than pot, but there was definitely a lot of other stuff around. We lived right on the border of the US and Canada, and there was a lot of drugs moving back and forth. The parents of a guy I dated used to use/sell meth and coke, among other things.

[BinahYeteirah]

Drugs and alcohol were very normal when I was in (public) high school in the mid-90s. I don't see a huge difference in the dangers and social acceptability of alcohol verses certain illegal drugs, like pot, for teens. So, yes, I do think virtually all teens will be exposed to substances as they grow up. I know not all actually try them, but I would assume exposure, at minimum, will occur. I think this is true regardless of the religious community to which one belongs, or the type of school a teen attends. Unless you never let your kids go anywhere without you, they will most likely see it or at least know of it, if not try it.

[Spock]

Poll coming.

 

I know this won't cover every scenario or situation, but I have been discussing drugs with other moms of teens on a moms' board and the general consensus is that ALL teens will not only be exposed to drugs (particularly pot) but will also try it at some time and this is perfectly normal. It is also normal to have several friends who do weed on a regular basis.

 

They also implied it didn't matter if you are public schooled, private schooled or home schooled.

 

One mom even said, "Well, they are bored." :001_huh:

 

Just curious about YOUR exposure as a teen.

 

I was in public high school. I knew people who used drugs (because they talked about it). I never knew or cared where they got them. I was never offered drugs, and never saw anyone using them. However, I think I had a sort of "good girl/religious" reputation, and they knew I wouldn't be interested. I did hear rumors that a certain bathroom at school was "like a bar at B-lunch period". I don't know if that was true, since I never tried to find out.

 

The first time I was offered alcohol was at a restaurant in college--just the typical "Do you want to see the wine menu?" or something like that. No one has ever offered me drugs to this day.

 

However, my sons were offered drugs more than once in the first semester of college, mostly by people they barely knew/didn't know at all. My oldest says the Navy heavily emphasizes the rules on responsible alcohol use, so I guess that has been a problem at times for them, too. Neither of them is interested in drugs or alcohol. My daughter is the one I would worry about, because she is the most easily influenced by peers.

Edited May 11, 2012 by Spock

[Abigail4476]

I was homeschooled from 3rd-8th grade and then went to a small private religious school during high school. My exposure to drugs and alcohol was a definite 0%. I can't think of a single friend who ever used drugs or alcohol or even had access to it. I never received any offers to drink or use drugs.

[6packofun]

Some drugs were very available and common...alcohol being the main one, but as a shy kid who didn't go to many parties, I didn't see a lot of any other kinds. BUT, I feel confident that it was fairly prevalent. I went to a few parties where there was pot, but I never saw anything more than that. Living in an affluent suburb, though, I think I can safely vote that they were prevalent. lol

[Pretty in Pink]

I went to public school in a poor, rural community. Marijuana was prevalent, as in everyone knew who smoked it (which was the majority of the popular students and a good portion of the less popular ones) and how to acquire it. Going down to the river to get drunk and/or high on the weekend was the thing to do.

 

My dh attended the same high school and actually ran with the popular crowd. He has told me that a lot of the athletic kids were using things like cocaine, oxycontin, and ecstasy. I wasn't never aware of that, but I was never part of that group.

 

I had more direct drug exposure through my own family members than I did at school though. I hardly ever saw the stuff at school, though occasionally a student would get caught with it in their bag.

[Mimm]

When I was homeschooled, I would have had a very hard time coming up with drugs. I went to public school for one semester in high school and drugs were everywhere. They were brought to school and I was offered various things on more than on occasion. This was a tiny town (around 2700 people living in the city limits) and there was one campus for all the schools from K-12. Teens were bored with the lack of interesting things to do in this town and they drank heavily and did drugs. When I was homeschooled, I didn't have access to drugs because I had so few friends.

[momofkhm]

Like you said, you couldn't cover everything. :)

 

I went to public school. The year before my older brother started at the school, my mom asked a teen who went to the same school how easy it was to get drugs. "Tammy" replied something along the lines of "what do you want, I can have it by Monday." And one year every balance in the science department was stolen. The police figured it was for measuring drugs. So it was there. It was at least prevalent.

 

Once or twice I actually saw someone with pot. Or at least they claimed it was pot. But in my experience, you had to go looking for it. It wasn't something I was interested in. It wasn't something I looked for so it wasn't something I saw. So I certainly never tried it.

 

The high school we are zoned to - the real name is Green Hope. It is nicknamed Green Dope because of the prevalence of drugs. I don't know anyone who goes there well enough to ask and get a true answer if they are that out in the open.

[ThisIsTheDay]

I will say that the circle of friends you choose dictates the drug use. Even in college either groups of friends did or did not use drugs. There wasn't just one person in a group of friends....

 

This is so very true. Dd's bff was caught drinking earlier this year. She's 15. I tried explaining to my dd that it will be very, very difficult for her friend to stop. It's her group of friends. It's unlikely she will completely dump her friends and then find another group that doesn't drink. Can it be done? Sure, but it's not very realistic, unless the friend is particularly motivated, and she's not. She'll likely work harder at not being caught.

 

My dd and this girl grew up together, although we now live 1500 miles away. Dd was completely shocked. It's sad. I'm sure her parents have no clue how to handle this effectively. (Short of grounding her for eternity, is there really anything they can do?)

[Mommyof4ks]

I went to a public high school in a bad area of town known for drugs and violence (during the 'bus kids from other areas to this school to raise the grades by incorporating a rigorous program into failing schools' era), and I was never offered drugs nor did I ever even see drugs until I was an adult (police officer friend showed us pictures of some stuff). Of course I never had time to get bored as the mom you were talking to mentioned lol. I got on the bus before 6am, got home around 5pm and did homework until 9pm. It has occurred to me that I need to keep my kids busier as they get older to keep them out of trouble.

[Lady Florida.]

How is that classified as "other?"

 

Obviously not enough said for me, I am a little slow on the take. If drugs were prevalent, wouldn't you vote that way?

 

Because I went to private school for a while, then public school. My cousin went to Catholic school all the way through. And it didn't matter what type of school you went to. It was a different era.

[Brooketopia]

Public high school, easy to get. Popular crowd wasn't really into drugs or alcohol.

 

I clicked "other" as well--if I wanted to smoke pot I could have just taken some from my house, as my stepfather was (and still is) a total pothead. It's not just the kids that are smokin' it...and most pot smoking adults see no harm in letting teenagers have a try; some sort of "How can they make an informed decision if they haven't tried it?" I honestly don't see any malice in his way of thinking because he truly believed he was doing kids a favor by having a "safe" place to smoke pot at his house. My children will never spend time along with him, and I highly doubt we'll ever go to his house either.

 

Heart of gold, very few brain cells left.

[Miss Marple]

I don't agree with your friends that everyone will try drugs. My sisters and I were all public schooled. I never tried any illegal drugs, and was never even tempted.

 

Agree! I was never tempted and know many who were never tempted. I knew that the end of those who did drugs was not good - their future educational plans were impacted as were many other areas of their lives. I had NO desire. Perhaps that's why I went into pharmacy :)

[The Girls' Mom]

You could easily find them if you looked for them. If I had wanted anything, I knew and/or dated people that could get them. Thankfully I never had the desire.

 

The area I lived in was pretty drug heavy anyway, especially among my extended family.

[curlylocks]

I was a teen in the mid- to late-80s...Maine public school.

 

I did not have a clue that drugs existed in my school...although I now know they were there. (my younger brother and sister told me years later)

 

I smelled something "burning" the first week of college -- I had NO clue what it was. My roommate informed me it was someone smoking pot.