Bath salts and recreational creativity As long as the party continues, the drug industry is likely to prosper. But that’s little comfort to patients and healthcare providers alike. In an e-mail, Biesecker said it is the job of the government to keep drugs safe and controlled: “No one elected them to do the dirty work of the industry.” “My daughter is 19. She would like to be able to have an evening out with her friends without being raped,” she said. When it comes to drugs, our minds really are malleable, no matter how old we are. The same is true of our bodies. As the brain ages and its capacity weakens, it is harder to regain control once it has been lost. But the ability to be creative, to be in the moment, to feel relaxed and connected, are part of the human condition. Kick the habit All of us can benefit from exercise. And, according to Puhl, mindfulness meditation helps promote mental control and emotional balance. As she wrote in a Scientific American blog: “If you keep on with your exercise regimen, you’re less likely to experience the mental effects of ecstasy. If you take up meditation or yoga, you may be able to reduce some of the physiological effects of MDMA.” We can’t prevent recreational drugs from being available or, as Biesecker notes, our healthcare system from “catching a virus from the criminal justice system,” but we can change our culture by making it harder for people to abuse drugs – both legal and illegal – and for healthy people to develop habits that ultimately end in disease. On a personal level, I’m still in the early stages of sobriety. To me, the drug question is no longer an intellectual matter, but rather something physical and emotional that goes deep into the very core of what it means to be human. It was a long, hard road, but I know I am still sober now because I am determined to be sober. I’m also still a parent, and I know it’s hard to change the way a child thinks about drugs. We are all creatures of habit, but some habits are more damaging than others. Some habits bring harm to others. Others bring harm only to the doer. And it’s our responsibility to change harmful habits that get in the way of healthy relationships with our children, our community, and ourselves. If the world keeps going in the direction it’s going now, drug use will continue to increase. I want to be part of a different world, one that isn’t about drug addiction. One where parents are free to raise their children free from the fear of drugs. And, perhaps, one where children don’t grow up to hate themselves because they didn’t just try some bad drugs once. [Image credits: Image 1, by Daniloff – Flickr, Creative Commons; Image 2, by Flickr user aksarben – Flickr, Creative Commons; Image 3, by Flickr user ollin – Flickr, Creative Commons] [View source] Share this: Share Facebook Twitter Reddit Google Pinterest LinkedIn Related