| Saying NO to pot these days is like vowing to be a Virgin until marriage. Pot is everywhere and teenagers are curious about the effects as they hear peers talk about how 'groovy' it is. I am not campaigning for teenage drug use, just saying as they watch their parents indulge in semi-legal drugs like tranquilizers, or alcohol, it is hard to not be curious. By the way, the research shows that those who make Virginal Vows, have a higher pre-marital pregnancy rate than the non-Vowers. Also, current research in Cocaine addiction suggests that rather than Just Say No, as Nancy said, Saying YES to the continuing desire and then saying NO to actual use, increases the ability to abstain. It makes a lot of sense, psychologically, as when we humans try to deny that we have certain wishes and fantasies, pressure builds and more and more mental resources have to be used to fight off the 'devil'. Acknowledging wishes and then not doing anything about them is much more mentally economical. For example, try not to think about the color ORANGE for the next 30 seconds. It's hard to think about anything else. But, if you give in to the suggestion as a thought, you can go on to other things to think about. So think about whatever you want to or desire, and then decide if it is good for you or safe. That is what I have taught my children. They have and are turning out very well and are law-abiding citizens and two of them are very good parents while the 3rd is still in school. |
