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My Friend's Starting to Use Drugs!

I have a huge problem here and I need help fast! My best friend just started doing drugs, and she also has been smoking. I could have never imagined her doing this! And I can't believe I didn't know. I caught her one-day with pot in her backpack. She told me she doesn't do it that often. I know this is very serious, and pot isn't even legal so she could get into trouble. What do I do? - Emma, 15, New York

"Hey, Emma!" Well that question is really tough; I had to do some research to get you the facts. It's hard to think of best friends doing something that is totally wrong and is hurting them. Sometime you don't realize what actually is going on with your best friend until you catch them in the act or someone else does. Doing drugs and smoking is totally illegal. If she gets caught she can get into major trouble. If this is her first offence, since you live in New York she'll get fined one hundred dollars and her drivers lincense be taken away for six months or more; she could possibly do time.

You friend is not only doing something illegal, but is hurting herself and eventually may kill her. Pot can do the following things to you body:

Hallucinations
Paranoia
Anxiety (panic) attacks
Increase your heart rate (if your heart rate goes up too much you can
die from it)
Reduce learning abilities
Cancer in lungs and airways
Can make your immune system go down
Make it harder to cope with things. (People who take drugs often end
up with depression.)
Can inhibit maturity
Diminish short time memory and impair judgment
Risk of AIDS or STD's

You should talk to you friend; tell her you don't like her doing drugs or smoking. By telling her you don't agree with it and tell her reasons why she has to stop. She'll probably respect your wishes if she's a real friend.

You could always say, "If you're going to do drugs and smoke then I don't want any part of it and I don't want to be around you if I know you're killing yourself!" Yeah, I know you don't want to say it, but if that is the only way she'll listen and know you mean business, then that's what you've got to do. You can't just stand around knowing she's doing it; its just saying its alright to be doing drugs when it isn't.

If she gets caught when you're with her, you could possibly get into trouble (they might think you're doing it, too, since you're hanging around her.)

You could always get with a trusted adult to tell them what's going on and ask them if they would talk to her with you. They could possibly tell you other things which you should do. They might know places where she could get help.

You friend needs help. If she just takes too much of any drug she could end up dead or she may go to harder drugs. When she finally sees she has to stop, she'll need a lot of your help since it's very addicting. Your friend may say she doesn't do it often, but eventually she'll end up doing absolutely anything to just get some pot. You can't support her if she still wants to do drugs.

All in all, just confront your friend and tell her if she doesn't stop she'll end up:

1. Loosing a great friend who really cares about her

2. Gettong into major trouble

3. Killing herself



I hope that helps! Good luck with you best friend, I hope things works out!!! If you need more help here's a website I found to be useful:

http://health.org/reality/

Laura, 15, Pennsylvania