Sightings of the Loving to Get High Syndrome™

One of my part time jobs is driving Limousine. This is my 10th Prom season, which I thoroughly enjoy. It is fun to see all of the young people decked out in full regalia.

My last prom was two weeks ago, with eight kids from the suburbs. I gave them the usual no smoking and no drinking lecture. They were fine with that. They had no intention of smoking or drinking. At least they didn’t plan on drinking alcohol. An hour later when I dropped them off for dinner, I found 22 empty bottles of “5 Hour Energy, extra strength”. That’s a lot of Caffeine. They were flying high. And it was all legal; they didn’t break any rules, mine or those of their High School.

Unimaginable, But True

It’s hard to imagine that our sons and daughters are getting high. It’s easier for us to keep an image of their innocent childhood, denying the possibility that they are going out and getting wasted. Unimaginable, but true, the experience of getting high, is very real for them; one of the most real things that they will ever experience.

 I still remember the shock and horror that I felt when I watched my 4 year old daughter respond to the effects of Nitrous Oxide. She got this “I’m as high as a kite” smile on her face. Even though I knew that this powerful drug would ease her pain, I still knew that it wasn’t a look that belonged on the face of my little girl.

Why a Loving to Get High Syndrome?

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I can’t imagine a more comprehensive reason for why kids get high or end up addicted. They love the way it makes them feel. It affects their brain, emotions, social life, ability to cope, school, relationship with their parents, everything!

Loving to get high has nothing to do with their moral character or how well you parented them. It is simply a discovery of monumental proportions. It changes their life. It gives them something to believe in, live for, excel at, enjoy, and call their own.