Although only 3% of children report having personally used drugs, this figure may be underestimated due to the tendency to provide socially acceptable answers. Cannabis is the most frequently mentioned substance used, followed by ecstasy and LSD, and most children have heard of at least one of these, with adolescents over 14 years of age having more extensive knowledge compared to younger children.
The character’s name will be Maria, it is not her real name, the person in question does not want her identity to be disclosed.
Maria is a 20-year-old, former drug user. She is currently a college student, and drugs are no longer part of her life. In her adolescence, Maria hung out in several groups of friends, each group having a characteristic, her main group of friends being a quiet one, without vices, but the groups she stuck to over time had one of the hardest vices, drugs. How she became addicted to drugs, but also how she managed to give them up, you can find out in the following interview.
“One of the guys took a banknote and started blowing his nose.”
How did your first contact with drugs happen?
Maria: “My first contact with drugs was around 15-16 years old when I changed my friend group and started going out in a bigger city with more types of people and a lot more entourage than the entourage I had in my hometown. Usually when I went out with these groups we would go to apartments or houses where parties were being held and everyone was using. My first interaction with someone who was using drugs was in an apartment when I saw a plate on the table and one of the boys took a banknote and started to smoke it.”
“Joint, then pill, then powder”, how and why she chose drugs
What types of drugs have you used?
Maria: “I’ve used all types of drugs, except for injectables. I started with a joint, then a pill, then powder, and so on.”
How frequently did you consume and how did they make you feel?
Maria: “At first I used to drink quite rarely, then it became a habit and I started drinking at least once a week. They made me feel calmer, but it depended on my mood that day, sometimes I was agitated, sometimes I didn’t know who I was anymore.”
Did you start using because of peer pressure or on your own initiative?
Maria: “The first time I consumed out of curiosity, then I started to be pressured by my entourage, I kept being told << Try this one too, try that one too>> and so I started consuming very often, at every party, every time I went out, I had to consume something.”
From confusion to reality and withdrawal
What’s the ugliest episode you remember?
Maria: “I had a bad episode once when I was at the beach on vacation, I used weed and by the end of the evening I was completely unconscious, I got to the bathroom and all I know is that some friends found me lying on the floor and then I woke up in the morning. I couldn’t understand the state I was in, I didn’t understand anything at all about what was happening to me, why this was happening to me, how I ended up in this situation.”
What made you quit drugs?
Maria: “The fact that I was approaching the age of 18 and that I was in the 12th grade, and I had to take the Baccalaureate exam, made me give up drugs and think about them. I had started driving school and I was thinking that it was not good for me to continue with these activities and I started to withdraw from my surroundings, to give up, it all came naturally, I didn’t want to go out with those people anymore, I tried to avoid any contact with them, I tried to focus more on school, on driving school, on studying, on much more important things and so I ended up completely detaching myself from them and these vicious circles.”
How was your withdrawal period?
Maria: “My withdrawal period was quite difficult because my moods varied depending on the people around me, how I woke up in the morning, it depended a lot on absolutely every mood I had, I was always nervous, sometimes I would walk down the street and start crying, I would get sad for no reason, it was quite hard to recover. Although I felt very bad, I lived with the impression that I had to consume and that it was necessary to do this and I would sit there almost daily with the thought that I felt the need for them, but in fact I think there was no need to consume, it was just my subconscious saying that.”
What were the most difficult moments during the withdrawal process?
Maria: “The hardest moments were when I felt like I couldn’t stand the body pains and the high stress anymore. I had insomnia, I was sweating a lot and I felt very nervous and anxious. I couldn’t stand anyone around me, I had the impression that everyone actually wanted to hurt me, not help me get over this need to use drugs.”
About support and lifestyle change
How did you find the support you needed to quit drugs?
Maria: “When I decided to quit, I went back to my old group of friends with whom I talked about all these things and they helped me a lot to get over it and motivate me to quit because what I was doing was not good. Having support from friends helps you a lot, I think it helps you the most to overcome this whole period, addiction, withdrawal, absolutely everything. My friends helped me the most in this whole experience. I remember going out with them and telling them that I couldn’t do it anymore and that I didn’t know what to do, I think I was addicted to drugs and I had a very serious talk with them. They really took care of me in a good way, I never judged them for it and whenever I felt the need to use or I was in a situation like that, I would turn to them to tell me what to do and I would really listen to them.”
How did your parents help you during the recovery process, in addition to the support of your friends?
Maria: “My parents weren’t very involved in my recovery process, because they were always busy with work and didn’t realize what was happening to me. I often avoided them because I didn’t want to worry them or tell them what I was doing. My father works in the army and I didn’t want him to know what I did, I don’t have a good relationship with him, plus he was away most of the time, and my mother works at a store in the city, but every time she came home from work, I would leave the house, just so I wouldn’t meet her.”
What does your life look like now?
Maria: “My life now is much calmer and I no longer have the chaos I experienced then, I was under constant pressure, I didn’t understand much of everyday life, I wasn’t aware of many things. Now I’m fine, I’m at a university, I study, I have fun within the limits of common sense, I have the same friends I’ve always had and I’m grateful that I didn’t lose them. I feel much more fulfilled, I’ve had many more achievements since I quit using, I managed to get my driver’s license, have a car, go out with my friends, do much nicer activities than what I did in the past.”
About temptations and advice
How do you manage the temptations that could make you fall back into this trap?
Maria: “My temptations to consume are no longer present now, at the beginning when I decided to quit there were many temptations, I was surrounded by people who urged me to do it again, but I preferred to leave there or break any connection with those people. Now, at the moment, anyone who would come near me and give me something or consume near me, I don’t have the slightest curiosity or temptation to try again.”
What message do you have for young people who are still caught up in drug use?
Maria: “For people who are still caught up in consumption, I have only one message, to try to quit, to distance themselves from absolutely all groups and all people who urge them to do this, to think about their future, what they want to do and what kind of people they want to become in the near future because this addiction will not help them at all, it will only destroy them worse.”