By Meaghe Kelleher
The other day, my friend casually told me that she wants to try mushrooms, again. Not the kind you put on your pizza, but the kind that makes you see crazy colors and visualize things that aren't really there. She told me that she occasionally smokes pot and that recently she and a friend tried mushrooms in tea. Because she didn't really feel much of an effect, she wants to try them again.
You know, just once.
This kind of rationalization has always seemed ridiculous to me. Another friend of mine wanted to try a bunch of different drugs as a freshman in high school. "Just once," she said. The next five years were probably the worst she will ever experience in her life. She went from a casual drinker and pot smoker to a full-blown cocaine addict. She dropped out of school, got kicked out of her house and made many more poor decisions while under the influence. And this was all before she turned 18.
Luckily, she was able to get clean before it was too late - before she died. She still has scars though, both physically and emotionally. She lost a lot of good friends and gained a lot of dangerous ones. During her addictive days, she acquired many tattoos which she regrets now. She says every time she looks at them, she feels ashamed for the choices she made.
Just once didn't really turn out all that great for her. And it wasn't just once.
There's a saying that you should try things at least once because, hey, you might actually like it. I think this philosophy is good in some circumstances. For example, say you really love chocolate ice cream, but you may like vanilla too-maybe even more. The thing is you have to try it to find out.
This saying should never be applied to situations where you know the ultimate outcome is destruction and/or death. I'm not planning on slicing my finger off because, hey, I might like it. I'm 100 percent sure I won't. There'd be lots of blood and I'd be out a finger.
To me, trying drugs seems similar to slicing off your finger. Sure it's dangerous. It's alluring, but it won't make your life better. In fact, it's guaranteed to make your life worse.
There are so many cases where just once ended in an early death. If you don't personally know someone with a drug problem, you've certainly heard of people - celebrities most likely. The news is plastered with actors struggling with substance abuse. Lindsay Lohan is the most obvious, recent example. She has been in rehab three times within the past six months. Her latest stint lasted three months. I assume she saw no harm in just once.
Parents need to instill in their children the hazards of trying drugs, even just once. This needs to occur at a very young age. Parents should also be aware of the naive thinking that their child would never do drugs. Hopefully, the upcoming generation will shake the just once mentality when it comes to issues that guarantee danger.
Do you want to try death? You know, just once.
Meaghe Kelleher is a senior psychology and communication major
