from unleash16 December 2011-January 2012
by nineteen year old Madison Chodziesner, who takes a firsthand look into the Australian teen drug culture.
I have a confession to make.
I’m nineteen years old and I’ve never taken drugs. I’ve never smoked a joint, popped a pill, nothing. This might not seem so shocking to certain members of the general population, but I can bet it would be fairly surprising to some of my fellow uni students, co-workers and even some (not-so-close) friends.
Why? Because drugs are everywhere, or so it seems, especially in the Australian teenage social scene.
Think of the crowds of teens who make their weekly pilgrimage to the city on a Friday/Saturday night. The music is blaring. The drinks are flowing. And yes, like it or not, drugs are being consumed - sometimes secretly in the bathrooms, sometimes openly on the dance floor.
If you are an Australian teen, it is more than likely that you’ve been around at least one type of recreational drug during your lifetime. While you may not consume them, there is no denying that there is a significantly strong drug culture permeating many teenage social circles. Whether it is at a club, house party or in the seedy garage of that friend-of-a-friend, recreational drugs are being sold, bought and consumed by Australian teens.
As a kid approaching my much-anticipated teen years, I accepted that drugs would probably be around in the near future. On television, I gathered that marijuana (aka ‘weed’ or ‘dope’) was often the drug of choice for those angsty TV teens looking to rebel. From this I drew a theory that marijuana was like a ‘rite of passage’ for most teenagers, with only the hardcore (I’m talking tattooed, pierced, Mohawk-ed and leather jacket clad) teens opting for the ‘harder’ drugs like pills or cocaine
Now that I’m approaching the end of my teenage years, I’ve come to realise that when it comes to drugs, there is a very blurred line between what teens regard as acceptable. The justification that is so often repeated is, “Mushrooms and marijuana grow naturally from the ground, so they’re alright, right?” Well, Poison ivy also grows in the ground, and I don’t see teens chewing on that of a Saturday night!
I’ve seen both the highs and lows that drugs can cause. The problem is that, all too often, people focus on the highs and disregard the lows. The paranoia and mood swings of ‘coming down’ are seemingly irrelevant when young people are seeking that much-anticipated high. The dangers of psychosis, depression and addiction are pushed aside. Drugs are not seen as a problem, rather a lifestyle choice. “I know when to stop. It will never happen to me,” they naively say.
Yes, drugs are a choice and not every teenage drug user will become addicted, nor will every person face significant damage or harm as a result of their drug usage. Statistics reveal, however, that many will encounter some sort of harm, whether it is to their health, relationships or lifestyle.
I hope that this represents a warning to those young Australian teens contemplating entering the drug culture.
You are not invincible, it can happen to you. You may just become that unlucky statistic.