Well where to start my post from ....
I was going to post this anominously Its not the sort of thing i discuss freely with strangers or people im never likely to meet.
Ok so lets go right to the start.
I'm an eight year old lad, who hates his mum for smoking.
I decide there must be a reason why my mum smokes.
So i steal one or two to try, i sneak to my den and try one.
Its horrible , i am confused for another 5 years.
Ok I'm 13 now, its the end of the school year. Some of my mates manage to aquire some alcohol.
We get drunk, we start talking and i am curious again, why do my mates smoke ? I fall into a little peer pressure mainly to understand why people do it.
So i light one and "wow" no horrid coughing, mm tastes nice with strongbow.
Ok so right there and then i decide this is somthing i can do and feel the effects of the nicotene really strongly with the light buzz from the cider.
A week later or so i buy my first pack.
I smoke about 10 a week for a few months. (its £1.30 for 20 regal King size)
I joke to my friends that i quit when they get to £3 a pack.
A few years later its £3 a pack. and im leaving work to score firday nights entertainment. On the way to meet my main man, I get a call from my non drug using circle of friends from college, they invite me to a house party.
"ok" "I'll be there" I'd been smoking pot now for a few months and the friends i share this scene with since 3rd year at high school. (the amount of times i tried to tell them to stop I even reported my best mate for smoking before an exam)
Anyway i turn up at this party i know just one or two people here, and guys that i know are totally straight, no drugs ever. So were sat listening some techno and one of the lads i dont know proudly anounces that hes got a surprise , and pulls out a bag of green.
So i am thinking to myself "Yeah lets get stoned ... but ..aww crap but my mates here dont know im a "drug" user ahhhh hhhhh shit"
So i just go with the flow and joints fly around then my straight buddy grabs one of the joints and takes a huge toke ...... well i am speechless.
He passes me the joint and says come on al try some....
I smoke it and finish it .. everyones like 0.0 waiting for me to keel over or smth.
So i just smile to myslef and pull out my own supply and everyones speechless
, turns out to be a great night
I become cheif roller !
By now i had alreeady decided to come clean to my parents about everything they had already guessed.
They were worried id be led into more dangerous areas of drug use.
Time goes on and its another Friday night Im now 19 and its time for another night with a GTE. (One gramm of speed, one trip and one E)
Its getting boring the scene at the clubs had changed for ever, coke getting more popular, raving was becoming fashionable.
An encounter with mushrooms changed things forever in a totally positive way. Although at the time it was both heaven and hell, but that ticket was worth the ride and that inital birth of what i felt was a true awakening of my mind.
By now Id seen both sides of the coin, I had met enough people here and there to know my own limits and what drugs i wanted to try and whcih not to risk. Now i had friends digging speed and much more, i took a step back and looked at what i was doing and where i was. Where i wanted to be.
Things started to change. I stopped with the amphetamine, pills and hallicugens and alcohol. But smokings was too hard to quit.
This was a important part of my youth and i think it is for anybody for any situation is to be true to yourself and others when you feel your losing grip control of your drug use.
Since then, sure ive done some of things i used to do in the past, but ive also dealt with death from drugs friends and family. Ive seen the darkest sides of people and the most loving side. One friend in particualr thoughout this has been tormented by alcohol and himself. I can proudly say he is dry again, but without trust and friendship and people to talk to about any of the issues raised in this thread its much harder to cope in my own humble opinion.
I have friends that smoked pot daily almost for decades that have "retired" and appart from their nagging they seem to be fine.
I could continue this brief collection of events/memories that i have experienced. I wanted to go a little deeper with the direction of my post, i might do that still, but for now, my only advice and thoughts are to be safe and have fun.