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Friday, February 3, 2017

New ‘Getting stoned is no biggie’

Many teens take a laid back approach to drugs and alcohol and not knowing their limits, get addicted all too easily.
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addicted-1
Azman is 17. Having just completed his SPM examinations, he has a few free months to do as he pleases. Unlike the parents of his peers, Azman’s do not mind that he has not found a temporary job. Instead, they have encouraged him to travel, hoping it will broaden his horizons.
Reluctant to take up his parents offer if he has no company, Azman invites his good friend to tag along. Shafiq who is also his neighbour, gets his own pool of friends to join in and soon, after a few trips around the country, they begin spending most of their time together.
Not only is Azman born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he is given the freedom to make his own decisions and follow his own mind. His parents while keeping an eye on him, trust him completely – they have no reason not to as Azman is a good student and an obedient son. He possesses all the traits of someone who will succeed in his future – he is smart, tough, a go-getter with an adventurous spirit and is a risk-taker.
During one of their trips together, Azman lights up his first cigarette, joining Shafiq and his friends who are seasoned smokers. Having smoked shisha before with his parent’s blessings, Azman sees nothing wrong in trying out cigarettes now. He also makes a mental note that Shafiq, a smoker since 15, lost all his baby fat and gained a better physique thanks to his addiction to nicotine. Azman believes he can look forward to much the same.
Soon Azman becomes a full-fledged smoker and decides to rope in a few of his childhood friends. They in turn are thrilled at this new activity, and before long Azman has a group of new cigarette buddies to hang out with.
Shafiq meanwhile has graduated to weed. Once when hanging out together, Shafiq introduces Azman and his friends to it. Shafiq explains that weed is legal in a few countries and is not that much different from tobacco which they have taken a liking to anyway. The boys see this as added excitement, and soon get hooked on getting high every time they smoke weed together.
Azman considers himself lucky because he can get his hands on his stash anytime he wants. All he has to do is call Shafiq and within half an hour, his good friend is at his door with the goods in hand. Azman also has no trouble paying for his stash thanks to the generous allowance his parents give him.
Getting stoned at home isn’t a biggie for him either. With a bedroom all to himself, Azman locks himself in the attached bathroom so he can get high in peace and remembers to run the hot shower afterwards to rid the place of any lingering smell. No one suspects anything – not his parents, his sisters nor his maid.
During a student reunion later, Azman shares his story with his friends. As he puffs, he tells amazing stories of getting stoned, as if it were some sort of achievement. My son is in utter disbelief listening to Azman’s story – he struggles to understand how the boy whom he often looked up to, is now a drug addict. But what shocks my son the most are the confessions of his other friends, boys and girls, about which alcoholic drinks they prefer, the joys of getting drunk and their excitement about experimenting with drugs.
They are chatting so animatedly that it almost seems as if smoking, getting drunk and getting stoned is no big deal to them. They are accomplishments.
I am stumped at how in just a couple of months after sitting for their SPM, these bright kids, who are about to embark on adulthood are already beginning their journey down the wrong path. Some may argue that smoking, drinking and trying out new things are natural to teenagers. However, these are also the same things that can possibly destroy their futures.
One of the worst nightmares of any parent is finding out their teenager has started smoking, is an alcoholic or is hooked on drugs.
Azman and Shafiq in this true story were my son’s classmates. They could very well have been your kid’s too.
Fa Abdul is an FMT columnist.

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