Kids and party drugs

[davent]

Went out for our Christmas party a couple of weeks ago.
We got there early, so had to pay for our drinks until the tab started.
About 15-20 km in town by taxi, -$30 @.
Had a beer a few beers, and then a 2 rum and cokes, very close to $100 spent before I really started.
So, kids can buy ecckys for what? $30-$60 per pill?
They want to go out and party with their friends, but the price of going out for a night is outrageous these days. I don't blame them for taking these drugs. I only wish there were pill testing at venues.
I'm not condoning drug taking, far from it, I have a 12 year old, so expect in a few years the party's will start. I will drop her in town, and pick her up if I have to, but I can remember going out 2 nights a week in my youth....

 

[RM Outback]

It's rife and from what I've learnt through conversation recently not just the youth. Your spot on about the cost of going out these days, I rarely go out or buy take away. We dropped our kids off and picked them up for the simple reason we live out of town, much to their disgust at times :lol: but it allowed us to keep an eye on them and their friends :Y: We even became the local taxi service for their friends driving in excess of 150km some (most) nights to make sure they were safe.

We even took in some kids who had troubled lives. Unfortunately for one of them they took their own life just recently 8.( age 29

There's more than just the cost of socialising with regard to why some of the younger ones use these drugs. Unfortunately for some it's the only way they know due to their experiences of the environment they are born to We found the best way to receive information was to discuss drug use and listen to our kids tell their stories which were jaw dropping at times Unfortunately illicit drugs are and will remain a major problem in society.

 

[aussiefarmer]

Tax the drugs ! so the cheapskate youth can contribute to the economy,
you say they can't afford to drink :lol: :lol: they are too lazy to work any harder to make any more $$$$,
imagine how drunk they could all get if they didn't have the latest model phones on unlimited plans and all the other wizz bang crap they have.

By governments agreeing to pill testing, sends a msg to the youth that drugs are safe long as it isnt a bad batch......
so many mental issues later on from pill popping , bipolar, psychosis, depression etc etc.

You need the risk of dying to stop them just popping pills like tic tacs. Remember the bad batches of Heroine and coke ? That probably stopped more people taking it than anything.

In my hay day I had the theory if it was good naturally grown bush weed it wouldn't hurt you, I was wrong !!
The amount of unknown crap in the pills these kids pop is mind blowing and half the idiots taking them won't get vaxed cause they don't know what's in it :lol: :lol:

Something does need to be done , where are the TV and social media ad campaigns??

There should be a on the spot jail sentence for anyone found with ice in their possession, seeing the results of ice is what has feuled my hate for drugs...

If I have to pay alcohol and tobacco taxes then the youth should too.

 

[Solid Luck]

You can pick up a 4 litre goon bag for about 12-15 bucks.

Alcohol is a substance that is abused more than drugs I reckon. I've seen more nutters on the piss that on any drug.

 

[Manpa]

This subject will as divisive as C19, there will be those who advocate pill testing and those against. Sadly both alcohol and drugs lead to poor outcomes for many. The best you can do as a parent is try to educate your children and hope that they do not fall foul of peer pressure and become binge drinkers or party drug users who fall foul of the toxic concoctions out there.

 

[Smoky bandit]

Just about every teen is going to try some sort of drug at some stage .
You just have to hope they don't like it or get addicted.

 

[fwdoz]

The best you can do as a parent is try to educate your children and hope that they do not fall foul of peer pressure and become binge drinkers or party drug users who fall foul of the toxic concoctions out there.

We did this for both our children. One listened & the other did not.

What we have endured over a long period of time is more common in so many families than you think. Personally if I knew which one of my sons friends got him started, I would wring the bastards neck, such is the amount of grief it has caused.

 

[grubstake]

Why are young people drinking less than their parents generation did?:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-24/young-people-drinking-alcohol-less-than-parents-why/100713704

 

[Heatho]

Went out for our Christmas party a couple of weeks ago.
We got there early, so had to pay for our drinks until the tab started.
About 15-20 km in town by taxi, -$30 @.
Had a beer a few beers, and then a 2 rum and cokes, very close to $100 spent before I really started.
So, kids can buy ecckys for what? $30-$60 per pill?
They want to go out and party with their friends, but the price of going out for a night is outrageous these days. I don't blame them for taking these drugs. I only wish there were pill testing at venues.
I'm not condoning drug taking, far from it, I have a 12 year old, so expect in a few years the party's will start. I will drop her in town, and pick her up if I have to, but I can remember going out 2 nights a week in my youth....

That's why venues started charging for water, people would pop an E, go out and drink water all night, once everyone was doing this poor pub owner had to start charging for water or they wouldn't make any money.

Problem these days is there are so many counterfeit drugs out there that are sold as something that they are not, some of these concoctions are extremely dangerous.

Legalise it, regulate it and tax it is the best way to go about it. People are not going to stop taking drugs no matter what they are told.

Alcohol really does cause way more damage, pretty rare that you're going to see a bunch of people who have taken E's out punching on in the streets. It does happen but it's very rare compared with booze.

Ice is the worst drug, severely destructive stuff. I know a few people who have ruined their lives or part of their lives and relationships with family and friends taking it regularly.

One of my good mates just got a prescription for weed too, sent me a photo last week of a jar of legal government sanctioned buds that he bought from his medicinal supplier.

Everything in moderation is the key.

 

[Teemore]

Sadly, pill testing or not, drug taking if far from victimless.
Might be OK for dipshits like the Bartel girl to flaunt her cocaine sniffing on social media but she and a few others CAN AFFORD THEM.

Main problem is the ice/meth addicted youth, no job, no income only way to buy drugs is to beg (doesn't work), borrow (like hell not from me) or ... STEAL .... yeh the perfect solution .... oh forgot there's always Centerlink for a handout.

So many aggravated burgs, home invasions, bashings all to get a few dollars for another hit.
Criminal element (usually) just shoot themselves in an effort to be top dog in the drug distribution chain.
Addicts overdosing tie up valuable ambulance resources attending to overdoses rather than being free to attend stoke/heart attack victims.
Social services costs are through the roof trying supporting these addicts.
That's just a minor summary the list just goes on ...

Not saying alcohol addiction is much better, but really only have first hand experience with alcoholics abusing themselves in the main, ie abusing others to a lesser extent than drug addicts.

But do any of the governments get REALLY serious about tackling these problems, not to my knowledge when it's easier to target legitimate drugs like nicotine ..... Tax goes up each and every month, I can still afford them (just) but pretty sure the expense must lead to hardship/arguments/family violence in households where there are smokers who really are on the breadline, maybe it's time to sort the automatic month after month/year after year increases to reduce the burden on those individuals.

Sadly no easy fix to any of the issues.
Sit back, relax, chill out with your preferred "poison" and have a Merry Christmas.

 

[Manpa]

The best you can do as a parent is try to educate your children and hope that they do not fall foul of peer pressure and become binge drinkers or party drug users who fall foul of the toxic concoctions out there.

We did this for both our children. One listened & the other did not.

What we have endured over a long period of time is more common in so many families than you think. Personally if I knew which one of my sons friends got him started, I would wring the bastards neck, such is the amount of grief it has caused.

I know exactly what you are feeling, we have experienced the same situation, thankfully no more, but it takes its toll on relationships and makes trusting someone difficult over many years.

 

[Goldtarget]

The production and consuption are unregulated, Im sure this is where the most individual harm is created.

The war on drugs has been waged sinced the 70s and it shows.

Alcohol and tobacco would easily be more harmful on the population than any recreational use of the others combined, and both of these are legal and freely available.

I accept what Teemore has said above but theres additional costs involved in enforcement of the illegal status thats overlooked too.

Marijuana, opiates, ketamine, mdma, all these things continue to be used in legal ways, its only recreational use that gets the tough on crime stance.

Wasnt so long ago cocaine and lsd were used in medical endorsed methods, until the west switched to tough on drugs stance. Psilocybin is in trials as we speak.

If we accept adults can regulate their consumption of legal substances such as alcohol and tobacco it seems illogical to me to not treat the rest with the same approach. We dont police the right to access them (to legal age adults) , only the behaviour around the consumption and effects. Since forever Ive always witnessed far more unacceptable behaviour from environments full of alcohol than any where drugs were present. Id be willing to bet everyone can easily name many more instances and people theyve seen negative behaviour from intoxicated than they could on illicit substances. Yet we live with it, tolerate it, and deem it not only acceptable but "normal".

The only grey area for me is with ice. I can get on board with those who are vehemently against supply in the community for the harm it does. Can be a very fast track to addition and ruin as Ive have witnessed.

 

[Topenda]

Went out for our Christmas party a couple of weeks ago.
We got there early, so had to pay for our drinks until the tab started.
About 15-20 km in town by taxi, -$30 @.
Had a beer a few beers, and then a 2 rum and cokes, very close to $100 spent before I really started.
So, kids can buy ecckys for what? $30-$60 per pill?
They want to go out and party with their friends, but the price of going out for a night is outrageous these days. I don't blame them for taking these drugs. I only wish there were pill testing at venues.
I'm not condoning drug taking, far from it, I have a 12 year old, so expect in a few years the party's will start. I will drop her in town, and pick her up if I have to, but I can remember going out 2 nights a week in my youth....

You have surely crossed the line with your comments Dave. :cloudy:
I reckon that you are officially 'OLD' layful: :Y: :goldnugget:

 

[fwdoz]

I know exactly what you are feeling, we have experienced the same situation, thankfully no more, but it takes its toll on relationships and makes trusting someone difficult over many years.

Thanks Manpa. Sorry to hear that happened to you both as well. With our son it is moments of what a great kid he used to be, then goes to the appalling extremes with no middle ground. And no matter how hard we try, we just cannot turn him around. We used to feel responsible, but not any more. Trust is long gone & I doubt he can ever reclaim it.