JaxBeachHippie

Middle schoolers are dealing with a plethora of adult topics we were never subjected to; Drugs, Alcohol, Smoking, and Vaping! I can’t even imagine at age eleven or twelve having to process information about such grown-up choices.

As a mom, dad, sibling or guardian of a middle schooler, it may be hard to believe that your preteen could be using drugs or drinking. However, rates of drug use in middle school and the number of 11- or 12-year-old kids doing drugs in the United States is alarmingly high. 

https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/teen-addiction/drug/middle-school-drug-use/

When I was growing up, especially growing up in a Christian home; I wasn’t faced with these types of issues. I don’t even know if my twelve-year-old mind could process the challenges that our children now have to face daily. My parents were non-drinkers, smokers, or drug users. The peer pressure NOW Vs. THEN are as different as Day vs. Night.
My children started facing these problems in high school. Smoking, drinking, marijuana, and sex are “normal” challenges a child faces at some point, but you never consider “Could I become addicted”?

On average, kids try drugs for the first time when they’re between the ages of 13 and 15. 

https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/teen-addiction/drug/middle-school-drug-use/

Children now are faced with what “looking cool” or popularity means now; you must be in style, up with the trends, and in the know. Vaping, Smoking, drinking, and drugs as early as eleven, twelve, or thirteen years old! We need to educate ourselves to see the warning signs. We have to talk to our children and prepare them for the challenges they face that are real things that they have to deal with daily. If you think for one second that your children are prepared based on how they were raised, where they go to school, religion, prestige, predisposition, ethics, beliefs, or financial status; You are wrong! As you will see in the link below (3) thirteen-year-olds were hospitalized from an overdose. THIRTEEN!
What I want you to take away from this is; Addiction is a real thing, and it is grabbing ahold of ALL ages. NO IMMUNITY! I am stressing this because we do not think about our pre-teens dealing with anything in their lives that would grab ahold of them and not let go.

Three Terronez Middle School students are recovering after being rushed to the hospital Friday afternoon.

https://abc30.com/drugs-students-fresno-police-department/1189220/

I know Addiction and Alcoholism have a genetic predisposition* that we have to consider, but that does not define them. I have never had an Addiction problem, nor are my parent’s addicts. When my children were born it was the furthest thing from my mind. I was not prepared; I did not have the tools or the knowledge to see the warning signs. I was very naive.
I can’t imagine being a child or teenager now. “The addiction affliction” is a real thing, and the thought of having peer pressure to drink, smoke, vape, or do drugs is horrible.

*https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/genetics-epigenetics-addiction

Do not think for one second that you can not be affected by this. Whether you have a genetic predisposition to addiction or are curious, a follower, or just out to have a good time. You can get caught up in something that you can not walk away from. The designer or illegal drug industry makes them so you will want or NEED more. No one plans to become an addict. So, on to the point of this. Are you willing to take the chance?

10.1% had their first alcoholic drink at 11 years old or younger
37.5% had their first alcoholic drink between 12–17 years old
39.7% had their first alcoholic drink between 18–25 years old
https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/teen-addiction/drug/middle-school-drug-use/

Let’s say you are twelve, fifteen, or nineteen and are going to school; deciding what you want to be when you grow up. Living life to its fullest; being the best version of you. You have good friends, a good idea of what you want your life to be like when you grow up. You have a plan to live life to its fullest; as does everyone. You want a nice house, car, clothes, valuables, and career. This is life right, “The American Dream” every day you have to wake up do stuff and make choices. Making good grades may or may not be a choice obviously, you can’t just decide to be a genius, but you can strive to be. Nevertheless, your choices define who you are. My point in all of this is, not in all of that above statement did I mention- oh, I want to be an addict. Because no one would choose that! Ever! It is not a life plan, it’s not on a quiz or a career path questionnaire. Check the box if you want to be an addict. Remember everything you do in life ultimately is YOUR CHOICE! Even a baby after being taught “hot” yet chooses to touch anyways.

Attached below is a link to see if you have an addictive personality.

Sometimes individuals can simply have an addictive personality, making them overall more susceptible to addiction.

https://www.foundationswellness.net/recognize-the-signs-to-overcome-your-addictive-personality

Furthermore, say you are that tween, teenager, or young adult, and you decide to try drugs. You’re too young to even consider you could have a genetic predisposition of becoming an addict or you have an addictive personality you didn’t know about! You might get rehabilitation and it sticks, or you may become an addict that can never get clean. I can’t even imagine making such grown-up decisions at such a young age and having a whole lifetime of dealing with addiction.

…genetic predisposition or as a result of a poor or toxic upbringing. 

foundationswellness.net

Finally, you’re are seventeen or eighteen you are hooked on drugs and you start down the path of addiction. Your grades start slipping, you barely graduate, or you drop out, you go to college and the drug buffet gets even larger. Then is when you start trying even harder drugs, and life is getting harder and harder. Maybe you pick up your first DUI, life is harder, do more drugs, drink more. It is becoming second nature now. YOU HAVE CREATED A HABIT! https://www.sciencealert.com/how-long-it-takes-to-break-a-habit-according-to-science If you can’t fix it drown it for a while in drugs/alcohol. Can’t get a job, because of the DRUG TEST you can not pass; or the arrest you have to disclose. Go ahead get high/drunk life is way hard. “I’m so sick and tired of being sick and tired.” Get sloppy. Can you imagine the race you are running; its fight or flight. It is hard, and believe me most always the addiction wins. You built the walls you can’t climb over; you walled yourself in! The blame game is my favorite because; best believe an addict will always make it someone else’s fault. You can try to get sober and your family/friends want to have a drink; then it’s their fault you relapsed! Can you imagine a lifetime of this? It is so exhausting. Life is hard enough without the added pressure of feeding an addiction.

approximately one-third of U.S. middle and high school students who have ever used an e-cigarette reported using marijuana in the device.

https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/e-cigarettes/Quick-Facts-on-the-Risks-of-E-cigarettes-for-Kids-Teens-and-Young-Adults.html

I have an acquaintance who is thirty years old now and has struggled with addiction since high school. He’s been arrested, gone to prison, and rehab. He stumbled his way through life; had a child and seemed to be doing better. You need to know that if you get a felony charge even with a college degree; this will affect your life forever. It does not matter if you have a doctorate; your life is now tarnished, and you may never have a career only a JOB. The difference between the two is the option to be a Doctor, Lawyer, Judge, Nurse, or President vs. a job that generally does not require a background check. Most likely you will be stuck with a lifetime of dead-end jobs and no career. Exactly where he is. If you go back to the part where I said it “seemed” as if he was doing better; it’s because most things are NOT what they seem in an addict’s life. Seemingly doing better he acquired a new job and even started going back to school for a trade. He also tried very hard to get clean and stay that way; to make life better for him and his child. Addiction controls YOU, you do not control it. You may have the best intentions, but for the rest of your life, you will be letting yourself and others down. It is impossible not to. For this guy, the sobriety didn’t last long and he relapsed even harder than before. You need to know that; drugs are continually being reformulated, changing and adding ingredients, and Your cravings will get stronger. When they tell you your first high will be the best it’s is the most literal statement. You, my friend, will be chasing that very first high for the rest of your life! It will never be enough.

Being an addict is expensive so with that comes hard choices. If you are less than privileged you will not be able to afford the habit you are now so regretfully stuck in. If you are lucky you might be at best a functioning addict where you barely float through life working for the addiction and not the spoils. You solely are making money to have the next drink or high. As a matter of fact, right here in my town, the addiction affliction affects many in the community causing them to lose their jobs. I know people that have lost their jobs due to the addiction. On that note, You have very little care about fancy clothes, cars, houses, or life goals. You are stuck, and you are drowning. This is when the criminal charges begin; DUI, theft, possession charges, assault, etc. I know, you never thought your life would be like this.

The industries with the highest rates of illicit drug use are hotels/restaurants, arts and entertainment, and management. Professions that include long hours are associated with harmful daily levels of alcohol consumption, such as healthcare workers. Shift work has been associated with binge drinking, and other industries at risk are high stress jobs like emergency workers and fire personnel.

https://www.addictioncenter.com/addiction/job-problems/

Addiction affects not only your mental health and wellbeing it also affects your family and friends. The disappointments you create are for the rest of your life. E.g missing important deadlines, events, such as holidays, birthdays, births; Yes you can even miss the birth of your child. I know another human this happened to. This person was arrested causing him to miss the birth and the first three months of his child’s life. Those are treasures you will never, ever get back. You can watch the videos, but it is not the same. I can’t even imagine going through labor and birthing a child and the father isn’t there because he was getting drugs, getting high, and getting arrested. It is so sad what addiction can do to you, and remember it does not matter if you are a child of privilege, or you live in the worst area of town. Addiction does not discriminate.

So now you are in your thirties like my friend; you keep trying, but life is too hard. Your mental health is compromised, you’re difficult to be around, you’re strung out. Half of what you say doesn’t make sense; You continue to make bad choices. You can’t keep a coherent thought. While trying to climb over that wall you built, you instead dug yourself a hole. Now every single thing you do seems impossible and a challenge. You have no focus, you can’t keep a thought or stay on task. You are stuck in the hole you, yourself dug. You are tired. You can not sleep, you stay up for days and the words that come out of your mouth are nonsense. Are we still having fun? Now you are at the point of the addiction where you just need it. You’re messy, short-fused, unreliable, volatile and dangerous. You don’t have friends, not really; the people you do drugs with or sell them to you are not your friends. Your family is at their wit’s end. You are desperate, but nothing changes. You are so tired; so you make terrible choices and you are hiding from the police. Now your life is no longer your choice to live; the addiction is over because a lifetime of jail will make sure of it. You lost your rights to basic human rights, PRIVACY. You no longer get to decide anything. You no longer have the right to CHOOSE.

While the exact rates of inmates with substance use disorders (SUDs) is difficult to measure, some research shows that an estimated 65% percent of the United States prison population has an active SUD. 

https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/criminal-justice

The point I’m trying to make is we have to make good choices. We have to be firm with our children. We have to know as do they the consequences of our choices. You can not baby and coddle your tweens, teenagers, or young adults and ignore the issues they face and hope for the best. Do not enable them! You have to be strong and vigilant in these trying times. Knowledge is power. Living the example is all well and good but you have to be forward and teach the example. When it comes down to it; if they are hungry feed them, if they need gas, clothes, etc. buy it. Make it so difficult for them to have their own money they can not buy the contraband. Being a parent is hard, we have to make very difficult choices to make sure our children have a fighting chance in this world we live in. Ignorance is NOT bliss, believe me, you can not pretend or ignore this away. Seeing your child go through life struggling with addiction is the worst kind of pain, but losing them to it forever or it taking their life is far worse. Be the change!

About 2.3 million adolescents aged 12 to 17 in 2019 drank alcohol in the past month, and 1.2 million of these adolescents binge drank in that period (2019 NSDUH).

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2018 National Youth Tobacco Survey indicate a 78 percent increase in current e-cigarette use among high school students and a 49 percent increase among middle school students from 2017 to 2018.

https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline