From Drugstory.org:
Lauren started experimenting with marijuana when she was 13 but didn’t become a regular user until the following year when she switched schools and fell into an older, drug-using crowd. Lauren’s older brother also began abusing drugs, which encouraged Lauren’s drug use. She says, “We would sell drugs to each other or buy drugs with both of our money combined and sell it to people.” She goes on to say, “Everything he explained to me about drugs made me love and need (them) more.”
In addition to her regular alcohol and marijuana use, Lauren started abusing other substances as well. She explains, “Because we were drinking and smoking pot every single day, it didn’t become enough. We needed something more exciting for weekends or special occasions. I used mushrooms, Ecstasy, cocaine, nitrous (oxide), acid and prescription pills.” However, Lauren remained faithful to alcohol and marijuana as her drugs of choice.
Despite Lauren’s habit, she never had problems securing drugs. “My brother and I found a dealer through school and seniors who had graduated were selling drugs, so there was always someone we could call to hook up any drugs that we needed.” Alcohol wasn’t as easily accessible at school, but Lauren was able to steal liquor from stores. She says, “I actually began stealing alcohol from supermarkets and people’s parents. I … eventually started selling it to people so I would make money.”
Lauren also supported her drug use through a generous allowance from her parents. “My parents would give me $20 a day for school lunch and after school. On weekends, I would tell them I was going to a movie or “Golf and Stuff” or bowling and they would give me $20 or $30, but I would save that money to buy drugs.”
Lauren’s mental state eventually suffered as a result of her drug dependency. She says, “When I was smoking pot and drinking (heavily), I noticed that when I was sober, I was a lot more depressed. Marijuana also made me extremely unmotivated.” Consequently, Lauren often ditched school, or arrived late to class and slept through it. Rarely did she come sober. She recalls, “I would smoke every morning before school and by lunchtime, I would either drink from my water bottle filled with vodka or I’d find someone at school who could sell me Vicodin, OxyContin or Ritalin just to get through the day before I went home to smoke again.” Yet despite her lackluster attendance and attitude, Lauren said her teachers hardly noticed anything wrong with her behavior because she continued to earn good grades. “I basically maintained Bs and As by always copying my homework 5 minutes before class and cheating on tests or getting answers online – stuff like that.”
At home, Lauren’s substance abuse escaped detection. She cleverly hid everything. “I would keep things in my purse or pockets or places where I didn’t expect my parents to inspect. I hid most of my drugs or paraphernalia inside part of the wall where the bathtub was mounted. My nightstand served as an alcohol cabinet. I just placed things in front of it so that when you opened it, you couldn’t really tell there were about 20 different types of alcohol (in it).” She goes on to say, “My parents wanted to give us the benefit of the doubt. Either way, they didn’t have any evidence to get us in trouble.”
For more of Lauren’s Interview…
