THE DRUGS KIDS ARE USING

Alcohol, marijuana, inhalants, psychedelics (LSD, mushrooms), methamphetamine, cocaine, prescription drugs (Vicodin, OxyContin, Xanax, Valium, and so on), heroin, DXM (psychoactive ingredient in over-the-counter cough medicines such as Coricidin and Robitussin), and others.

INTRODUCTION TO PART 2
THE DRUGS

If we sit down with kids who use drugs and ask them questions -- and if they trust us and know that their answers will be safe with us -- we learn amazing things about the world they live in.

This world of drugs -- surreal, bizarre, horrifying -- is so far removed from what we imagine childhood should be. Our own adolescence was filled, at times, with indescribable joys and inexpressible torments, but the highs and the lows that adolescent drug users experience are so far off the charts that most of us just can’t relate. We listen with our mouths dropped open, our minds numb, our hearts racing, and the question -- can this really be happening? -- circling round and round our uncomprehending brains.

And when we hear how many kids are using drugs -- rich and poor kids, males and females, athletes and musicians, valedictorians and dropouts, “good” and “bad” kids, loving and hostile kids, kids with bright futures and kids who have lost hope -- we have to confront our own prejudices and stereotypes. We have to realize “we don’t know nothing” and start back at square one.

We can’t begin to comprehend the enormity of what it is we are facing until we understand the complexity, variety, and sheer abundance of the drugs our kids can choose from.

• What, exactly, are these drugs?
• What do they do to the adolescent’s developing brain and body?
• How many kids use them, and when do they start using them?
• What is the high like?
• What are the bad effects, both short-term and long-term, including the risk of overdose and death?
• What happens when kids combine certain drugs?
• Are all these drugs physically addicting?
• How can you know for sure if your child is using a particular drug?
• What are the telltale signs and symptoms associated with using these drugs?

These are the questions we will answer in the next ten chapters.