By Elvyra Gel Olazo
I don’t remember saying or hearing anything funny, but I am laughing. I’m staring at random things without actually seeing it. I share my thoughts to anyone who will listen but the words come out unbidden. Am I dreaming? It’s like I’m watching something in 3D but I forgot to put on my glasses. It’s weird because I think I’m part of the movie I’m watching and the me in it is doing exactly what I’m doing right now. Whoa, wait, when did I get here? Music’s good though. I feel so in the zone. I hear everything without really listening to it. Did I just eat everything in this bag of Lay’s? How did that happen? What’s going on? Who’s this dude sitting next to me? He’s creeping me out. I feel like my legs are made of marshmallows so I went to get some. Thinking is hard. I should stop thinking.
I’m so happy I could cry. Everything’s so beautiful and bright! How come I never saw this before? Rainbows. Unicorns. Robots. Moon. River. Fear. Love. Hate. Lust. Lights. Euphoria. . .
What the hell happened last night?
I’ve never been high before but I’m guessing that’s what it feels like. Probably lots of confusion and giddiness and elation. Drug’s most common effect is euphoria. It is generally considered to be an exaggerated physical and psychological state, sometimes induced by the use of psychoactive drugs and not typically achieved during the normal course of human experience. But is drug addiction worth these?
(Heroin effect because of infection from unsanitary injection)
(Before and after picture of addiction to Crystal Meth)
Everything has beauty, but not all can be seen with the eyes but that doesn’t mean that neglecting what’s outside would make it magically beautiful.
Turn skin and bones or go the mall ASAP because they might wanna buy new jeans they could actually fit in. Red and blotchy skin. Throwback from everyone’s good ol’ friend, pimples. Basically, just turn into a zombie with bloodshot eyes, with changes in appetite and sleep pattern (most likely with no sleep at all), lose sense of personal grooming habits and appearance, body odor (who needs to shower every day? Ain’t nobody got time for that), and slurred speech and/or impaired coordination. Drug addiction = Zombie mode.
Their face would sag, slowly sink and waste like crumbling pastries. Their addiction will overwhelm their every thought and they’ll live for their substance. All the beauty will go out in their life, not only physically but also on the inside.
The beauty of the unseen is far greater than that of the skin.
No more school or work, no more money which will lead to borrowing some, stealing another, or succumb to selling drugs in order to pay for it. Friends will try to help out but will ignore them and say they won’t understand. No more friends then. Find other users and cling to their emptiness to feel lonely but not alone ‘cause misery loves company. Get into fights/accidents/illegal activities. Blame God. Blame drugs. Blame life for sucking so bad. Blame everything but themselves .
In the end, they lose everything. So they turn to their parents that love them still. That’s the thing about parents though; they will love even the crappiest parts of us. What do they do? They talk them into going to rehab or just give help in any way they can. They hold on to their children to keep them from falling apart, say everything’s going to be okay and then give a good tongue lashing to give some sense back to their kids.
The next step will be the hardest. Choosing always is. The path of redemption or the path of poison. But that’s good guy life I guess. Gives us many options but leaves us to choose for ourselves. Good or bad, for better or worse.
Our value doesn’t decrease based on someone’s inability to see our worth but what will our worth be if we fail to see it ourselves?
I think most people who do drugs are going through tough times in their life. The others probably do it for pleasure. The thing is, drugs are not the only answer! It destroys inside and out. I may be young and haven’t gone through hard times like some people, but I can confidently say that there are other ways to deal with problems and other things worth doing that wouldn’t cut my life short.
Maybe these people have lost sight of who they are or what their purpose is. No need to rub salt to the wound by hating or misjudging them. If I would ever encounter someone who has a drug problem, I’ll help him/her by being the best friend I can be. At the same time I won’t cover up or shield them from the consequences they inflicted amongst themselves.
The first step in almost every possible situation is acceptance. An intervention may help the drug user to face their problem and admit to it. The people around them could only do so much and it’s still up to them to change their lives for the better or remain an addict to their substance.
Sources: (Photos taken from Google)
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=high&defid=678170
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphoria
http://www.ehow.com/about_4812673_physical-effects-drug-abuse.html
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/drug_substance_abuse_addiction_signs_effects_treatment.htm
Pen, ink, and paper. 