TEEN'S EYE VIEW: Getting Straight and Sober Podcast
Sharon left college at 18, when she realized her marijuana use was out of control. This is her story, as told to Heather E. Schwartz.
Last year, when I was a freshman in college, my friend called crying and wanting to talk. Another friend and I agreed to meet her, and as soon as we were together, she sobbed, "I'm pregnant." She was probably looking for sympathy and advice. But she didn't get that from me. Instead, I laughed. I looked away. I changed the subject.
As usual, I was high.
That was the day I lost the two best friends I had at college. Sure, they smoked weed, too. But for me, getting high came before everything-even friends. They could see that.
When I lost them, for the first time, I began to realize that I had a problem.
It started with mood swings in high school. My parents found me a doctor who put me on prescription medications. But pretty soon, I quit taking them andconvinced everyone I didn't need them.
That same year, I tried weed and loved it. I started smoking once a week, then once a day, then a bunch of times a day. By the time I was a junior, I was smoking an ounce a week - and life was good. I had a job and a boyfriend. I even made honor roll both before and after I started using marijuana. My parents didn't suspect I was using drugs. They did ask sometimes why I was wearing so much perfume (to hide the smell of weed) or why I was acting strangely. I just used Visine to keep my eyes clear and kept up a front of denial.
My parents were in denial too. They wanted to believe me.