THE CASE ON DRUGS

"He was my best friend. We both watched each other go from just mischievous kids to drug dealing and guns. It got really heavy, and we saw each other go through the rise and fall. And then he died, and that kind of saved my life,” senior Reed* said, recalling his best friend who died from a drug overdose.

Drug usage runs rampant in the South Bay and nationwide. By eleventh grade, more than 25 percent of Beach Cities students report using alcohol or drugs in the past 30 days. Further, 50 percent of teenagers across America have misused a drug at least once, as reported by the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics.

According to the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), an addiction is a “treatable, chronic medical disease involving complex interactions among brain circuits, genetics, the environment and an individual’s life experiences. People with addiction use substances or engage in behaviors that become compulsive and often continue despite harmful consequences.”

Reed was 12 years old when he started using drugs.

“From seventh grade to junior year is when I was getting [messed up] every single day on pills, hard drugs, anything. Percocet, [cocaine, Xanax] just anything, everyday.”

Reed, currently sober from all “hard” drugs such as cocaine, methamphetamine, pills and more, now refects on the mindset of drug addicts and what led him down such a path.

“I saw a lot of things that young kids shouldn't see. So that compelled me to do a lot of stupid [stuf]. One of the main things I see [in hard drug addicts] or even a drug addict in general [is] it's almost someone who's trying to kill themselves without [actually] killing themselves,” Reed said.

Clear Recovery Center serves as a rehabilitation resource for those in Beach Cities seeking help. Consisting of professionals, clinicians, case managers and facilitators, Clear provides vital opportunities for adolescents and adults. According to Basel Shadfan, Director of Operations at the center, “trauma” can lead to drug use, but there’s always much more going on beneath the surface.

“I feel like I won't ever be truly sober throughout my life un-

by Katarina (Haven) Beches

*All student names have been changed to preserve anonymity til I've learned to just be happy with myself. It's not just about being sober because what makes somebody not sober? It's usually mental health [problems],” Reed said.

Maturing brains of adolescents are “particularly susceptible to substance use disorder because the adolescent brain is learning patterns that persist into adulthood,” per the American Medical Association (AMA). Adults who began misusing substances when they were young can fnd it “difcult, if not impossible” to maintain appropriate social, cognitive and emotional cues.

Drug misuse and drug abuse, although similar, difer based on intent. Misuse refers to those who take inappropriate doses or combinations, whereas abuse is using drugs recreationally or to feel the “high.” Recalling her aunt, senior Maeve* has felt the detrimental consequences of drug misuse, abuse and addiction on addicts themselves and family members.

Exposed to drugs at the “peak” opportunity of addiction, which the AMA cites as between the ages of 15 years old and 21 years old, Maeve’s aunt took nitrous, acid, mushrooms, weed, pills and “everything under the sun.” The turning point for Maeve’s aunt was a prescription of Vicodin for pain medication, which subsequently led her to using opiates and benzodiazepines. For Maeve, seeing her aunt in such a state was “jarring” and “impactful.”

“I remember I tried connecting with her. I tried to talk to her and understand what was going on. But it was just so hard to be around someone when they're in that state. She was just completely doped up on so many things all the time,” Maeve said. “Addiction doesn't care if your body is breaking down. Addiction doesn't care if you're overdosing. You keep going back to it because your brain is chemically attached to it.”

As a child, Maeve was “oblivious” to the severity of her aunt’s addiction, but later, had a change of heart.

“Now looking back, I blamed her for everything. I was like, ‘Oh, it's just her fault. She's an addict.’ But it's very complex and [there’s always] other stuf at play,” Maeve said. Senior Ally* has dealt frst-hand with drug abuse in her family, stemming from her two older brothers, both of whom attended institutions for their mental issues that were exacer-

PRINCIPAL BRIDI

A: Q: Q: bated by drug use.

One brother be- gan smoking marijuana nicotine in ninth grade to deal with his anxiety, but himself dependent upon it. Ally recognized her brother drugs as a “coping mechanism” for his depression.

“He would have mood swings. If he didn’t have he would be outrageous and would get into fghts no reason. Honestly, as a sister, I preferred him then I didn’t have to experience him being verbally tally abusive,” Ally said.

Reed considers drugs as a coping mechanism, as Maeve.

“You can say ‘Oh, you just like to smoke every fve seconds because you like to smoke,’ but it's like, are you really happy with yourself? If you’re getting [high] every second of the day every chance you get, you’re trying to escape,” Reed said.

The underlying issue with drug usage is accessibility, according to Reed and Maeve.

“It’s insane. I had access to guns, crack, meth, anything I wanted at my fngertips,” Reed said. “The big thing with this area is that you’ve got so many parents who only care about money and forget about their kids. That’s what happened to me. The combination of rich parents who don’t care about their kids and easy access to drugs and money is not a good spell for anybody.”

Addiction if your breaking Addiction if you're You keep to it because brain attached MAEVE ANONYMOUS

According to Cumberland Heights, an addiction treatment and recovery institution, “[50] years ago, chemical dependency was widely believed to be a moral weakness,” lief that fed the social stigma, preventing “millions ing out for help.”

“It can happen to anyone. It doesn't matter your nomic status, it doesn't matter where you live, what ing,” Maeve said. “People look at addicts and they junkies. They think they have no chance at life, beings. That's not true.”

Senior Kit*, who has witnessed frst-hand drugs on themself and their friend still classifes an addict, but notes that they have gotten “much

PHOTO COURTESY OF ANTHONY BRIDI

How do you approach student drug use and enforce specifc regulations at RUHS?