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WHO STARTS AND WHY
Anyone and everyone for any reason under the sun. I don't believe that skin color, sexual preference, or even financial status has anything to do with it. Geographical and peer influence? Absolutely. That is the nail in the coffin. My choice is hands down peer pressure EVERY TIME.

WHY DO WE START
I don't care what anyone says. Heredity has little to do with the "actual" curiosity and the "starting" of drugs. Physiologically I think it is an excuse at best for starting anything. Whether it be drugs, alcohol, or cigarettes, it starts as wanting to be accepted by our peers, period. Sure, there is the curiosity factor but rarely if ever have I met ANYONE who started drugs all alone. I held out for a long time. Slowly but surely, I found "drug people" exciting individuals. People liked party people. I can remember one guy in particular who rode our school bus back around 1972. He was always smiling, always had people around him, and was what appeared to be a "cool" dude. He had it all. Friends, popularity, something others wanted, the good life. I guess it didn't help the fact I lived in a sleepy little farming town with little to do. Boring to say the least.

WHAT DO WE START
I think in general terms, most people start with cigarettes, with NO intent of doing drugs and in some cases, never doing drugs at all. But typically it's smoke first. And the reason for such a decision is easy. It's legal thanks to our parents and grandparents. They paved the way through congress to make sure "their" drugs of choice, namely tobacco and alcohol, were and will be perfectly legal. So again. Anyone who wants to be part of the crowd can easily be accepted by smoking or drinking. There are age restrictions (ha-ha-ha-yeah-right) on the purchases of both, but history clearly shows, they/we will get what we want. Simply make it legal, and you have opened the first door to endless possibilities.

WHY DO WE MOVE ON TO DRUGS
Peer pressure (only in YOUR mind of course), curiosity, bored, excitement. That's it period.

IS IT REALLY ADDICTION
NO. It is habit. Unless of course you start with heroin or possibly crack cocaine. That is rare. We first "do it" mainly out of curiosity and the fact we want to part of the "in" crowd. But it is a habit. I have always thought that. Just as brushing our teeth, wearing that favorite pair of jeans, eating good and bad things, driving. It's ALL habit forming merely because we end up doing it on a regular basis. Try to stop brushing your teeth if you don't think it's a habit.

SO WHAT DO WE GET OUT OF IT
A mental comfort zone, acceptance, security, bonding, satisfaction, popularity, exposure, perks, euphoria, energy, stimulation, excitement, purpose, defiance, revenge, power. You get it ALL and then some.

WHAT NEXT
What next is the boring part. Years of seduction which leads to long term exposure and a grip that "usually" can NOT be broken. We are in a satisfied state of ritual experience. And before you know it, it has become years. Looking around, all of the people who were the obsession for starting this in the first place are gone. You are now a young adult who is constantly looking for new moral support in people that share your predicament. You need the moral support just as much if not more than the "habit(s)" that you currently embrace.

THE EVENTS THAT OPEN THE EXIT DOOR
In my case, it was meeting an older woman who not only had never done drugs, but a person who I enjoyed being with. I knew there was no way I could have or continue a relationship with her if I continued using drugs. Luckily I had given up smoking at 21, and only had the (and I say only) drugs left to conquer. I quit smoking for 3 reasons. At $.55 a pack, it was too expensive for me. Keep in mind I had no problem paying $200.00 bucks an ounce for some primo weed. Second was I really wanted to quit and that is key with ANYTHING. If your heart and emotions are not prepared or willing to stop, don't even waste your time. Do it when you are really ready. And third. I figured if I was going to pay for something that could eventually kill me, I should at least get a buzz off of it.

For others it might be something else that pushes them over the top to independence. Car accident, bad experience with a particular drug, events that happen which change your life forever mainly because you were on drugs at the time, and made a bad decision that will take the rest of your natural life to pay for. Loss of a lover, close friend, or family member as a result or relationship with drugs. Maybe even, and hold onto your hats, you have a "spiritual uprising" or even a cleansing of the soul. It could be anything or nothing at all that gives you the lost power and control to again TAKE CONTROL, of your life and destiny.

WHAT'S AT STAKE IF YOU QUIT YOUR ADDICTION
Your entire world as you know it today. I repeat. YOUR ENTIRE WORLD. No wonder none of us can give it up. I firmly believe to be successful in giving up your addiction, it will require you to give up every one of your so called friends who share this addiction. For those friends not involved in the activity, they could be the very one(s) with a clear head that will lend moral support, bonding, reason, continuity, and friendship you need, that finally allows you to think with a clear head. Remember those you know that did not share your addiction but were there for friendship the entire time. That is true friendship. The courage not to cave into YOUR needs and obsessions, yet the conviction to stand by your side knowing what you are doing is illegal, life threatening, and dangerous. But be realistic. More than likely "straight" friends will be few and far between and more than likely, you are on your own. Assuming the reason for change is a new person in your life, they might be the only clear headed support until you're over the hump.

WHAT WILL IT TAKE
As I said earlier. The WANT to quit and nothing less. The clear understanding that potentially you will give up EVERY so called friend you currently have contact with and associate with, if even briefly. Control. And this is the very heart of the matter that will provide and lead to change. You must gain control of your mind. It will take constant self reminders, self evaluation, an understanding up front of what to and not to expect, and confidence that it can be done. And in the end, you will be a better person for it. What used to be a drug induced high "can" become a life induced high. Life "can" be lived without drugs legal or not. You CAN make new friends, regardless of you current situation and past state of mind and body in life. Life has multiple layers.

WHO CAN HELP
YOU, and only you. I strongly feel the majority of people around you need to back off and let YOU gain control on your terms. I'm not at all saying there should be no interaction but people opening there mouth and mind, better know their approach and possible consequences of their involvement up front. Bad interaction can do more harm then simply staying out of it. By saying I just wanted to help, might mean not helping at all. We are all big people and some might just need to dig a little deeper to find the strength, desire, reason, and motivation to change their life for the better. THIS WILL NOT BE an easy time or phase of life and don't be surprised, or give up entirely if you don't make it the first time. You can't take a lifetime of drugs and personality shaping, flick a switch, and it is all gone. It takes time, understanding, control, and conviction.

SO WHAT CAN OLDER PEOPLE DO
If you have not started drugs, don't even consider it. At your age, there is pretty much no chance that once you start, you could ever quit. A person's entire life is not worth impressing someone else for it.

HOW ABOUT YOUNGER PEOPLE
Now this is a tough one. I guess the most important thing to remember, even if we don't like it, is the fact that drugs of any kind are illegal, period. So remember that if nothing else. Whether I or someone else even supports pot, it is still illegal. So for the record. If I had children, which I do not, I would fully support their choice no matter what. But what about the illegal part. Well, what of it. Young adults as we so affectionately call them, will do as they please in most cases. Parents can't watch them 24 hours a day and they shouldn't. I say let them have the freedom to make choices as we did even if they are wrong. At the same time I support their decisions, I think it is extremely important to be reasonable and understanding of their needs, and fully explain the consequences if they choose to take drugs. Let's face it. Smoking pot is not the end of the world. Then again, it could be the end of YOUR world as you know it today. Some people can smoke a little pot now and then, and do just fine. But it is illegal. Some people can smoke once a week or once a month, and be fine. But it is illegal. Some kids think hey, if I only try it once, it's ok. But it is illegal. I think you get the point.

So for the record, I would prefer my child to smoke pot over any sort of alcohol, but also prefer they do neither. I would love to see them make pot smoking legal for "our" generation. But they have not. I think they should outlaw cigarettes, but they will not. I think drinking should be regulated if not completely prohibited, but it will not. I think the bottom line is clear. Until pot is legal, smoking it is the same as breaking any other law and there are penalties and consequences. And I think the real problem is our forefathers endorse booze, but won't let us have our thing. So it is highly likely kids will embrace what they are allowed to and in this case, it's booze.

SO IF SOMEONE CHOOSES TO MAKE AN ILLEGAL DECISION, WHAT CAN THEY EXPECT

From personal experience, it went as follows. It looked exciting at 11 to smoke cigarettes, so I started. At 15, pot looked equally exciting, so I started and continued to smoke also. At 16, I was turned onto PCP which I can honestly is is the most if not one of the most, hallucinogenic drugs I have EVER done. At about 30 bucks a tin, and around 125 an ounce, it was my drug of choice. From that point on, it all came together. Some downers, a little coke, some speeders, hash, the whole nine yards. At 17 I went into the Navy but while at boot camp, I was forced to dry out for a few months. I craved it that much more, and picked up wherever I left off. After getting out of the service I decided to sell drugs, but not for a living. I never made any money but always had stash, and plenty of so called friends. I sold drugs pretty much the entire time I was using. It seemed like the logical thing to do.

At 21 I finally gave up on tobacco at .55 cents a pack. I continued to party until I met my current wife. After a few weeks, I knew I was done with drugs forever. I have NEVER had an urge or even the slightest craving to get high. If anything, it makes me paranoid just thinking about it. Today, I feel as though I lived another life and that person, was not even me. It's as though it never happened. I am one of the lucky few considering how I was involved in drugs.

SO WHAT DO I SUGGEST
First off, take control of your mind. If you allow your mind to be weak, it will cause problems in other areas of your life and at times, when you least suspect it. Thing of what you might do instead of just doing it. Consider the long term affects. I can assure you it WILL NOT be just a one night stand if you make the decision to try drugs. Assume the same crowd you're trying to fit in, will be long gone in a few years. ALL THAT'S LEFT IS you. Did I say it's illegal? Know as you read this today, as life progresses on, you will find many other forms of GETTING HIGH in life, none of which will have anything to do with drugs. We will all die, why help speed things up. Want to see how silly the older generation is? They wear nice clothes, they drive down the road with the windows down smoking getting a whiff of fresh air in between clouds of smoke. Their entire body and clothes STINK. They go to the gym to work out. I guess to build capacity for their lungs so they can hold more smoke. They tell their kids not to smoke all along holding a cigarette in their hand.

They pay about 3 bucks a pack, which is around 2 grand a year to slowly kill themselves. Wouldn't it be cheaper to just buy a gun and ammo at Wal-Mart and make it quick? They light the end of a paper that has rolled up weeds in it. Once lit, they take as big a drag as possible, hold that cloud of burning weeds in their lungs as long as possible, and blow it out. This continues until the entire thing is gone which is about 5 minutes. After that, they do it all over again. Isn't it ironic in the grand scheme of things, we smoke, drink, and do all sorts of things. All along, we go get regular checkups to stay healthy, we buy nice homes, cars, clothes, we go to college and so do our children to be educated and land that great paying job. We jog, swim, the whole ball of wax. And for what? So in between all of this, we can pollute our body with toxins that will slowly and surely, choke the life out of us.

I say be your own person. Who cares if people want you to smoke or do drugs and you don't. Are they really worth your entire life to impress? And what good has ever come from drinking? Teen pregnancy for one. Have you ever considered that the majority of child birth is un-planned? I wonder why? Well actually I don't. It's really quite simple. We ALL get caught up in the heat of the moment and make a decision. Next thing you know, it's done, No changing your mind, no giving it back. No second chance. Go anywhere in the US of A and take a good look at the people. How many people are real? It's like a bunch of zombies running the earth. And guess what, Today, people do everything they can to be different and stand out but guess what, they are ALL doing it. Want to be different so people look up to you? Lead a good clean life, pay attention to your surroundings, treat people with respect, always lend a hand, try to help others instead of criticizing their weakness. Get high on life, not in life. Enjoy the world, it's waiting for you. Each and every day you refrain form doing drugs, alcohol, or tobacco, is one more day of strength for a long lasting healthy mind. Take pride in the fact that the one healthy body you got at birth, will be well taken care of so that it will last for years.

Naturally I can't think of it all, and I will not try. I am forever grateful for the strength and good fortune to put all the bad behind me. And for each and every person I can talk some sense into, is one more person I have helped instead of one possibly hurt over the years for my self ignorance. Nothing wrong with being strong and having commitment. The world needs more of it. Please do not hesitate to send your questions, I would be more than happy to help. It's the least I can do and wish someone would have been there for me. Questions don't cost a cent.