I have participated
My friend Casey is thirteen. He just asked me to buy him alcohol for a party he's having. I don't know what's wrong with his logic capacities; his mother is a close friend of mine and would kill me if she ever found out. Some underage drug dealers I know were at my house a while ago, stoned and blasting Immortal Technique at three in the morning, when I had to get up for work. I asked them to be gone by that night, when my 12 year old sister was coming to stay for a day or two. They asked why and I told them I didn't want open drug use around my sister. They agreed to be out of the house, but seemed nonplussed at the idea of a 12 year old being near drugs. "Are you going to introduce her?" they asked. I stared at them for a moment in disbelief. "I got high for the first time when I was 11" one said. The rest of the group went around: the age of innocence apparently extended to the mere ages of 12, 14, 13, 10... "I didn't get stoned till I was 16." I said.
I consider myself open to most drug use, underage drinking, etc. But the idea of my baby sister getting high terrorizes me. She doesn't even have boobs yet. Add to that the fact that the adolescents sitting in my living room were 15 and 16 and, for the most part, not terribly impressive, and I see good reason for my protectiveness. I've gotten high on mushrooms, acid, and marijuana, I drink an average of once a week, and my roommate owns a hookah. The first drug I ever ingested was mushrooms and the first time I got wasted I ended up naked in a hot tub full of (mostly) boys. I lost my virginity when I was 16 and didn't have an orgasm until two years later. I've slept with girls and had two threesomes. I've driven my mother's car into a ditch at one in the morning with my ex boyfriend in the car, when it was still illegal for me to drive with any passengers or after midnight, and she still doesn't know about it. I've gone to work drunk, I've gone to work high, I've gone to work hung over, I've gone to work late. I've been in bars and slept with people overage when I was underage. Despite this behavior, I have a functional, productive life, I have hopes and dreams, I'm working towards ambitions, I'm an inspiration to many children I know, and I have a steady job and an active social life. I want my sister to have the same.
When I was young(er) I drew the line at 16 for any sort of drug experimentation, and I am immensely thankful for that decision. The other key part to my sanity, I believe, is Everything in Moderation, something I still struggle with in more petty battles. I have no doubt that Jojo will be just as wise about her own personal boundaries. The part that makes me sad is to see people who haven't been.
To his credit, Casey was joking about me buying him alcohol, though I wouldn't have done it if he was serious anyway.
I consider myself open to most drug use, underage drinking, etc. But the idea of my baby sister getting high terrorizes me. She doesn't even have boobs yet. Add to that the fact that the adolescents sitting in my living room were 15 and 16 and, for the most part, not terribly impressive, and I see good reason for my protectiveness. I've gotten high on mushrooms, acid, and marijuana, I drink an average of once a week, and my roommate owns a hookah. The first drug I ever ingested was mushrooms and the first time I got wasted I ended up naked in a hot tub full of (mostly) boys. I lost my virginity when I was 16 and didn't have an orgasm until two years later. I've slept with girls and had two threesomes. I've driven my mother's car into a ditch at one in the morning with my ex boyfriend in the car, when it was still illegal for me to drive with any passengers or after midnight, and she still doesn't know about it. I've gone to work drunk, I've gone to work high, I've gone to work hung over, I've gone to work late. I've been in bars and slept with people overage when I was underage. Despite this behavior, I have a functional, productive life, I have hopes and dreams, I'm working towards ambitions, I'm an inspiration to many children I know, and I have a steady job and an active social life. I want my sister to have the same.
When I was young(er) I drew the line at 16 for any sort of drug experimentation, and I am immensely thankful for that decision. The other key part to my sanity, I believe, is Everything in Moderation, something I still struggle with in more petty battles. I have no doubt that Jojo will be just as wise about her own personal boundaries. The part that makes me sad is to see people who haven't been.
To his credit, Casey was joking about me buying him alcohol, though I wouldn't have done it if he was serious anyway.