The Concordian

Welcome to another edition of “Communication Breakdown.” Let me break it down for you.

I have a lot of friends who don’t attend college. As a result, I usually spend most of my time with them during the summer and winter breaks from school.

I spend time with them during the school year, but not as much. I’ll sometimes go a week or two without hanging out with them. So, I’m often “out of the loop,” in regards to what has been happening.

A lot of times, after asking my friends, “What’s [insert name] up to?” and the response will be something along the lines of “We don’t hang out with him now. He does pills.”

If anybody has noticed, there’s an odd little underbelly of drug use in the greater Princeton area. Every so often, there will be an article in the “Princeton Times” or “Daily Telegraph” about a drug bust, be it for pills or marijuana. It seems as though those are the two most-used drugs in Princeton.

I’m sure most people have experimented with mind-altering substances at some point in his or her life.

I’ve experimented with marijuana enough times to know that it’s not for me. I’ve had friends who smoke pot and they asked me if I wanted to try some. I was curious, so I said yes.

I’m not going to lie, smoking pot wasn’t horrible. I didn’t hate it. But I didn’t like it enough to make it something that I would do regularly.

I discovered that using a can of keyboard duster incorrectly can have interesting effects. You can get an incredible “high,” but it only lasts for about a minute, and it leaves a horrible taste in your mouth for several hours.

That was something I tried and decided that it wasn’t for me.

Alcohol is interesting, in that a lot of people don’t even consider it to be a drug. It is. But, it can be fun when used in a social setting.

Sitting around with your friends, drinking some beer, having some laughs, enjoying yourself. It doesn’t get much better than that. Concord has realized how important that is, as tailgating during this weekend’s Homecoming Game is allowed.

When used correctly, alcohol (and in a very un-PC thing to say, maybe other drugs) can be used correctly and allow you to have an enjoyable time with friends. There is a bad side to drugs, though. If they’re used incorrectly, the consequences can range from mild to life-changing.

Drug use always starts out fun. But it never ends up that way. I don’t want to sound preachy, I just want to share what’s I’ve seen.

It starts out fun. Smoking or snorting something is a fun rush for a while, but the rush goes away after a while. Then you’re just using drugs.

If you’re under the influence of drugs long enough, you become a different person. Usually, your friends don’t like this new person. I have a handful of friends that I don’t like to hang out with anymore. Drugs change people, and usually not for the better. One of the things I don’t like about being under the influence of drugs is that I’m not myself.

It’s important to know your limits. If you’re content with what you’re doing and can function well, then okay. But, if alcohol or drugs seem to be a huge priority in your life and you don’t want them to be, you should reassess where you’re at in life. Help is out there, you just have to look for it.

The point here is to know your limits and be smart.

Article Tools