“He doesn’t even know!”

Posted by Tony Bylsma on May 18, 2010 under Drug Abuse Prevention Education | Be the First to Comment

I’ve been really busy lately and haven’t posted for nearly three weeks. Sorry, I have been in class and working on fund raising. It’s late right now and I have another killer day tomorrow, but a kid said something in a seventh grade class today that I need to talk about.

I was talking about marijuana and the emotional changes that being a pot-head causes when a student raised his hand and I called on him.

“Why is it that my brother who smokes all the time won’t talk to me anymore? He acts stupid but he doesn’t even know it!”

That is not an unusual question in middle schools, they are really concerned about their families when learning about the damages of drugs. I told the guy that his brother is still there, but his thinking is clouded by the presence of a foreign chemical.

What was striking, though, was how obvious it is that while the drug addicted person is trying to fool everyone, the biggest snow job is the one he plays on himself. The user is becoming less and less able to perform the most usual functions and the very fact that he or she is becoming less able is missed. He or she might continue to operate, after a fashion, but the changes made on his heart, lungs, are immense.

The kicker is that they don’t even know.

Tony Bylsma CCDC                                                                Detox Rehab