<kids who do drugs in high school tend to be more disturbed and less successful in
general.
Do you think it's entirely honest to assume that the causative chain runs in this direction?
Couldn't we say as easily that disturbed and less successful kids are more likely to take
drugs, and to have serious problems with drug use?>
Yes, Steve, it would be fair to say that disturbed and less successful kids are more likely to take drugs, and to have serious problems with drug use. However, why on earth would I want my child hanging around with these kids, which she would be much more likely to do if she were also using drugs?
While I also observed that healthier people survived the massive drug experimentation of the late sixties and seventies more unscathed, it seems like a fairly illogical argument in favor of drugs. There are also genetic propensities towards addiction, at least in Irish and Native Americans, and my daughter is half-Irish. Clinical depression runs in my family and my husband's, as well, which as I understand it has to do with chemical imbalances. So some children, including mine, may appear perfectly emotionally healthy in adolescence and still be at high risk for serious problems. I basically do not feel comfortable advocating something that has little positive benefit and throws my child into a vast and possibly dangerous unknown.
If you want to encourage your children to experiment with marijuana, that's your choice. It's just not one I would make, and I feel I can do that without exaggerating its danger, being dishonest with her about the risks, or getting into a situation where she won't believe me about more dangerous substances. I totally agree that lying to your children causes you to lose credibility in general. |
