If I had a nickel every time I heard an adult tell their kids "I don't mind if you want to have a few drinks but don't EVER let me catch you smoking pot", I would be looking forward to early retirement.
A few days ago, I went to pick up my best friend from her grandfather's house. She recently moved in with him and as we were about to leave the house he gave us the "you will not be allowed to live under this roof if I catch you smoking weed" lecture.
I couldn't bite my tongue; so I gave it to him straight. "Gramps, I don't think that's such a great rule. If anything, I think it should be reversed". Like any parent, he is not a fan of having his rules put into question. "I'm not going to let you girls go hang with a bunch of druggies who get high all day, what's the matter with you?" I chuckled. "Gramps, I'm an avid pot smoker. I have been for quite some time now. Are you calling me a druggie?" He was SHOCKED.
My best friend has always been a wild child so her parents were grateful that I was her best friend; always referring to me as a 'good influence'. Now when I say my best friend is a wild child, I mean her face should appear next to the word 'trouble' in the dictionary. She is stunning, acts entirely on impulses and is manic bipolar. I call her my 'sour patch kid'. There was no need for me to tell her grandfather about her fiery, unpredictable personality (where do you think she got it from?)
"As her best friend I know sides of her personality that you may never know. I know what she is like after a few drinks and I know what she is like after a few hits. I'm not about to go into detail but if you saw those sides of her, you would NOT be advising her to drink".
A drunk night with my best friend consists of me chasing after her, holding her hair back while she vomits Kettle One vodka, pulling her away from some slimy guy trying to get her alone, and-- my personal favorite-- fighting for the car keys. The next morning, my friend will have slim to no recollection of the events that took place the night before because she was blacked out.
As an insider to college party life, trust me when I say, there are over 100 girls each night exhibiting the same behavior, if not worse.
A night of smoking weed with my best friend is an entirely different experience. The night begins with just her and I hanging out until an intimate few come join us, usually about ten of our good friends and my roommates. After rolling up a few joints, we get high together, have random conversation, a room full of laughs, and-- my personal favorite-- cook a mess of food to satisfy our munchies.
I've seen alcohol make classy women act like complete idiots.
I've seen weed make classy women act silly and sleepy.
So the next time your little girl or boy goes to a party, would you still advise them to adhere only to drinking?
This is an excellent post, and besides thinking that you should be a creative writer and put these stories into a book or something, I also think that you make some great points in here. I know many people who have totaled their cars, nearly killing themselves and the others in the car, because they were drunk. While I don't think they would have chosen pot over the alcohol, they most likely would not have gotten in that situation if they had. Maybe finding out that your child is smoking pot is not as a bad as finding out that their drinking left them and friends injured in the hospital?
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, your writing has an excellent voice! I enjoyed the blog and agree with you. Alcohol is highly dangerous and people really don't appreciate that enough. "A few drinks" for some people puts them well above a safe BAC. I had to help a friend get to bed after drinking the other night, and listening to her puke her brains out in the bathroom was not a fun experience. It is scary to think that your body is so unable to handle alcohol, that it actually forces it out of you like that. I wouldn't wave a smoke pot flag, but alcohol is certainly not a "safe" or "preferable" alternative.
ReplyDeleteI do also want to point out that you only speak of female idiotic behavior when drunk. Perhaps that is all you have firsthand experience in, but to avoid sounding sexist I would recommend throwing in a male perspective as well. Everyone acts dumb when they are drunk, male or female.
What I took from this post is that all things should come in moderation. Drinking to excess is undeniably dangerous, with the consequences well documented by researchers and college students. However, this can also go for marijuana and other drugs. While smoking marijuana may have less drastic reactions from users, being caught with marijuana or allowing the substance to control one's life can greatly alter one's life in a negative manner. All good things must come in moderation!
ReplyDeleteCJ, I agree with you in that everything should be in moderation. Whether it be alcohol or weed, both can be essentially nor harmful if used wisely. I'm not advocating drinking or using any forms of drugs. But young folks will experiment as the please and I believe they should always consider how much their body can actually take in at a time. If you're the type of person who is a lightweight when it comes to a margarita then you know not to have two during dinner at Acapulcos. Likewise, if using drugs have a major impact on your system then that little angel on one side of your shoulder is telling you to think twice before you consume more than you can handle.
DeleteI personally don't like pot but you make some good points. In class we talked about the scale and how people start on one side; I was on the very negative side of pot but now I'm definitely closer to the middle. I can understand why it is perceived as better than alcohol and in some ways it is. Very vivid descriptions and detail - good story!
ReplyDeleteI hope your best friend is getting the psychological counseling they appear to need.
ReplyDeleteClever title! It ultimately boils down to laws. It does not matter to our society whether pot or alcohol is more dangerous, only that we have accepted alcohol throughout history but never pot, as far as I know. Because of that, being over twenty-one, I have only drank but not smoked. Alcohol removes inhibitions, and from what I can gather pot is similar. I think that either both would be allowed or both would be prohibited if history were different. Personally, I think that both should be legal though prohibited in cases of driving and other circumstances in which lives depend on our focus.
ReplyDelete"we have accepted alcohol throughout history but never pot, as far as I know."
DeleteHere you go...
http://bit.ly/1AOI3Wq
this is such an accurate post. I think my dad has said that exact same thing to me at some point. I've been to parties where kids are puking like crazy from beer and I've even seen some kid passed out in a bath tub. Alcohol when abused can be a scary thing but while everyone is drunk and can't walk and is throwing up, I'll be high just sitting there drinking a little just chilling and laughing like I'm watching some show. Also, when it comes to driving, obviously drunk driving is stupid and dangerous but I feel like while driving high you're more focused and going too slow if anything.
ReplyDelete