CW // Recreational Drug Use & Substance Abuse
The following article contains material that discusses drugs and experiences with substance abuse that may be harmful to some audiences.
It's obvious that Berkeley High students engage in substance use. The drug culture in the Bay Area and the added teenage curiosity are big contributors to the scene. And, like at any high school, people want to fit in and are often encouraged into activities that they don't want to be a part of- a common phenomenon that people like to call "peer pressure". Although we're all aware of this phenomenon and we've been hearing those words peer pressure follow us increasingly through our years of schooling, it's difficult to apply the term to ourselves. We all know what it means, but nobody wants to admit that their actions weren't prompted by their own will. And nobody wants to consider themselves a follower of the herd mentality- we'll find excuses that refine our reasons and pull at means to justify our own behaviors.
That being said, I don't want this to turn into an indoctrinating speech about drugs and teenagers. I also don't want this to sound like it's coming from a place of inexperience, from someone outside the bubble of the drug culture surrounding Berkeley High, who is preaching about a topic they are fortunate enough not to understand personally. It's easy to tell people how bad drugs are and not to fall victim to peer pressure when you haven't fallen yourself. It's even easier to disregard what that person is saying because they are trying to speak on something they don't know a thing about.
That's why I want to make this personal. This is as much a commentary on our environment at school, as it is a commentary on my own experience. It's exhausting navigating Berkeley High with a sobriety streak. There are people who will actively dangle the carrot in front of your face, and there are people that want to bring you back down to your lowest points with the guise of it all being in good fun. The problem is, substance-using individuals at Berkeley High often don't recognize the reality that there are teenage addicts that will literally use themselves to death if nobody stops them, and because of that ignorance they love to "other" those who don't share their lifestyle. It's almost never on purpose- I understand that because it used to be me. It's common to separate yourself, as someone who engages in substance use, from others who don't use as often or in the same way as you do. But that's the type of climate that makes it so hard for our struggling peers to recover.
My intended purpose of writing this was not to offend or criticize, but to shift perspectives and bring awareness to the people at Berkeley High struggling with moderating their substance use. We should all recognize that there is a huge diversity in the reasons people use to back their decisions, and we can't apply the same judgment to everyone we encounter. Respect others' decisions on what they choose to occupy their free time with- and just as some of you wouldn't like being sermonized about sobriety, don't push your substance-using lifestyle onto others.