Substance abuse from a mother's perspective
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When your children are small, you cannot help but have aspirations for them. Dreams couched in success of some sort, often academic, sport or careers based or even a combination. I did: I had visions of my sons following the conventional academic route leaving with a fistful of qualifications and then embarking on a professional careers whether doctor, solicitor or whatever, while being successful at whatever sport they played. However, one day when my eldest son was 14, I watched those dreams go up in smoke literally—cannabis smoke.
He waited until I was driving the car before he told me he had started to smoke cannabis so I could not overreact. The initial question was how to react—do you scream at him, then know he will never tell you anything again or listen to what he has to say and then put your point of view, which you know he will not agree with but at least you keep open a dialogue—I did the latter. Whatever I said did not stop him smoking cannabis and his brother followed suit. (Strangely enough, my daughter tried it but never liked it.) Smoking cannabis appeared to destroy every bit of ambition they had, they became content to live each day as it comes with no thought for the future. For me, selfishly, it took away the dreams and left me confused and alone. I did not understand the need for smoking it and still do not. Plus, as an ambitious woman, I could not comprehend the lack of drive or need for a future and that is still what we clash on the most. My boys became aliens to me, very lovable ones needless to say, but still aliens. It was this lack of understanding and alienation that led me to where I am now as a research student specializing in the representation of drugs in children's literature and writer of young adult fiction. It was my coping mechanism: find out as much as I can and deal with it that way.
Initially, I would like to give some historical context: the taking of drugs for pleasure was acknowledged as an antisocial activity at the beginning of the nineteenth century and it was ‘by the 1890s that medical opinion had refined the concept of drug addiction’ (Blake, 2007). Cannabis, itself, is not a new issue and there were reports on its effects back in 1873 (Blake, 2007). According to David Emmett and Graeme Nice in Understanding Street Drugs, there were estimated to be four million cannabis users in the UK in 2006. Back in 2002 , the cannibis market was believed to be worth around £5 billion annually according to The Independent Drugs Monitory Unit.
So, why should it be such an issue—because it is still ILLEGAL! Despite the confusion created when cannibis was declassified to a C drug, which my sons insisted meant it was not a proper drug at all then, you can still be sent to prison over it. As a parent if I allow my boys to smoke cannabis in the house I could potentially face a prison sentence. Legally, I am bound to do everything I can to stop them doing so and forbidding them does not count. What is expected is that I should call the police. I am sorry, rightly or wrongly, that is not something I will do.
If my sons are in my home I may not be able to stop them smoking it but at least I can ensure they are alright. A few years ago, my youngest son smoked some strong cannabis and had quite a severe reaction to it; luckily because of the research I had done I knew what was going on and was able to get him through it. What would have happened if he had been too afraid to come home? Yes this is not ideal but I will always provide the most supportive environment possible until, in my eyes, they see sense.
My sons know what my opinion is, that I would rather they did not smoke cannabis, but as they point out I drink alcohol, so do I have a right to comment? Some might argue that alcohol is as bad, if not worse than cannabis. For example, Patrick Matthews in Cannabis Culture highlights a conversation he had in 1999 with a Superintendent of Scotland Yard's Drugs Directorate who pointed out that ‘if these substances [alcohol and tobacco] appeared tomorrow they would certainly be banned’ (Matthews, 2003). When alcohol is drunk, people become aggressive. That rarely happens when they smoke cannabis. Following on from that observation, it is interesting to compare the pros and cons of both alcohol and cannabis (Tables 1 & 2).
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Now look at this:
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Tables 1 & 2 drawn up from information on: Managing alcohol. Accessed via www.counselling.cam.ac.uk/alcohol.html and Alcohol and your health: weighing the pros and cons, Accessed via www.mayoclinic.com/health/alcohol/SC00024 [date last accessed 20.04.08].
You can imagine which list the young adults (I have deliberately chosen to use the term young adults rather than teenagers on the basis that this concern does not stop when they reach 20 and in some cases may start before they are teenagers.) (and my sons) would believe in and which the parent/carer would concentrate on (Emmet and Nice, 2006, p. 29).
Yet, over 50 million people in the UK choose to drink alcohol, so you can see which list they go by, including me. Do I (or anyone who drinks alcohol) have a right to be so judgemental of my sons' choice when I am as a guilty as them of ignoring the potential health risks of my chosen drug?
I cannot ignore the fact that both my sons are both erudite and articulate and know all the arguments both for and against cannabis and are perfectly capable of making informed decisions about whether to smoke it or not. As parents or health professionals we need to understand that drugs are available everywhere: pubs, clubs, down the park, outside schools and colleges. Young adults will at some point have to make a decision as to whether to experiment or not as they will know where to get them or if they do not they will know of someone who does.
Of course there is still the Internet with a multitude of sites both for and against substance abuse including sites where cannabis seeds can be bought (It is legal to sell the seeds but illegal to cultivate them!) and the social networking sites offer forums for discussion and dialogue. Consequently, young adults have a variety of opportunities to find out about drugs. Unfortunately, not all the information provided is accurate which does cause confusion. Adults are naive if they believe that young adults can avoid this drug culture; what is important is that they are given accurate information in order to make informed decisions and are surrounded by an environment and ethos which allows them to ask questions without fear or judgement.
As previously mentioned, there is some confusion in how drugs are portrayed; within the media (newspapers) it tends to be sensationalized while in popular culture such as music and TV series (e.g., Lily Allen's song ‘Alfie’, Red Hot Chilli Peppers ‘Charlie’, the TV series Skins, Weeds and Shameless), it is portrayed as part of everyday life. This is further emphasized by the widespread use of the cannabis leaf as a logo on a variety of products (Emmet and Nice, 2006, p. 29). It is worth noting that this confusion can be further highlighted by the ‘about turn’ that the Independent on Sunday made; in 1997 they started a campaign supporting the legalization of cannabis then in 2007, following a media furore about the possible link between cannabis and psychosis, they came out against the substance.
As I have written elsewhere and as a developing result of my research, there appears to be an ‘invisible’ normalization of cannabis use in books for young adults (Melrose and Harbour, 2007). This could be because young adults see cannabis as different from the literary portrayal of drugs; it is seen to be on a par with tobacco and alcohol possibly because a young adult's first experience of cannabis is likely to be with friends and not in a violent situation. As a drug, it is often used to portray stereotypes: boy going ‘off the rails’ after the death of his mother in Alan Gibbon's The Lost Boys Appreciation Society used to portray students in Anne Cassidy's Looking for JJ. Also it is also often depicted as being used by adults and therefore acceptable. (Bali Rai's Whisper is a prime example of this.) In all the cases I have mentioned the use of cannabis is not pivotal to the plot, it could move along quite happily without it.
I have mentioned this in order to highlight how young adults perceive cannabis. They do not see it as dangerous or users as the ‘spawn of the devil’ guaranteed to move on to the hard stuff. A percentage of cannabis users will go on to harder substances but not all. Young adults often have a far more realistic view of the problem than adults who, in my experience, have a tendency to overreact and consequently alienate young adults.
It is important for adults to acknowledge, as part of this, that it is the prerogative of young adults to make errors, even if they are a repetition of previous generation's failings; the young adults will see them as different. They are seeking to create an identity in a society that never stands still and part of this will be experimentation. On this basis, I would suggest that books/TV/films have a responsibility to provide realistic plotlines that allow young adults to vicariously experience and gain information without didacticism through entertainment allowing them to make those informed decisions.
Within this framework, I believe, health professionals should provide an environment that is understanding and not judgemental, regardless of personal opinion, with the realization that not all drug users come from deprived inner cities. They could just as easily come from a village, town or city and living in a flat, semi, detached or manor house, near you. It is not as selective as you may like to think. Any parent, anywhere, from any background, could have to face the fact that their precious child is abusing substances and particularly an illegal one.
It is difficult enough to come to terms with the fact your child is abusing substances; the sense of failure is overwhelming but this is then further reinforced by the establishment. In particular, there is an attitude of disdain and alienation prevalent within the medical profession in my experience. If we needed to become involved with the medical world, there was no hassle when we saw the family GP, who had delivered the boys and, was fully aware of the family circumstances. He never passed judgement on the boys other than pointing out the obvious health issues. He just offered support when it was necessary—a benefit of consistency of care.
But once we left that comfort zone of a rural practice (yes, we do not live in a stereotypical deprived inner city) and entered the hospital environment, the attitude was very different once it was mentioned that they were from a single parent family and smoked cannabis: assumptions were made and stereotypes were automatically applied. You are put in a box from which there is no escape.
The reaction to cannabis did vary, some doctors were very obviously anti the drug and disgusted that I allowed my sons to use it (which I do not, but they were not interested in that). On the other hand, I had one particular experience which totally undermined my position as parent. This occurred when I took my youngest son to visit a neurologist when he was suffering from unexplained fits. She said she wanted to discuss the use of substances, I asked her whether she meant cannabis. Her reply was that she saw no problem with my son smoking cannabis; it was cocaine she had an issue with. My son was delighted and asked her was she saying it was ok for him to smoke cannabis. Her reply was ‘Yes’. At which point I saw the medical argument I had been using for years fly out the window. There was great celebration when we got back home and my youngest told my eldest that a consultant had given him permission to smoke cannabis. What could I say?
There is a fine balance between alienating a young adult patient and alienating the parent/carer of a young adult patient by undermining them. A few moments thought prior to speaking can make all the difference for both patient and carer.
The use of cannabis should no longer be spoken of in hushed tones but acknowledged as the problem it potentially is for some people. Particularly, as more and more evidence is being found of the mental issues that cannabis use can create from short-term memory loss to episodes of psychosis. But it is not just the health issues that can have an impact on the family. There is also an issue of money. Drug dealers are not too happy if users do not pay what is due. This in itself can create huge pressures within a family if a young adult's habit gets out of control.
Even as I write this article, I do not know where I stand. I am torn between hating the fact my boys use an illegal substance and tolerating it in that I do not understand or feel qualified to comment upon. I sometimes justify it is a family thing that is in the genes that cannot be fought as several members of my boys’ extended family also have experimented with cannabis. Though I do not know if this is true, it gives me something to blame. I find it impossible to provide solutions but feel that what we should offer is a less judgemental environment and this is not just referring to the user but their family as well. The chances are they are distraught that their child is a user. Cannabis is still illegal and currently once again there is an argument in the media about reclassifying it to a Class B drug. On this basis maybe the one thing I could suggest is that we find some consistency so that adult and young adult alike are not given mixed messages constantly and any decision taken, whatever it is, is informed.
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Alcohol the facts. Accessed via www.avon.nhs.uk/alcohol [date last accessed 24.08.08]. Blake A. Mental health and moral panic: drug discourse in history. In: Drugs and popular culture drugs, media and identity in contemporary society—Manning P, ed. (2007) Cullompton: Willan Publishing. p. 36 ISBN 978-1-84392-210-0.
Emmet D, Nice G. Understanding street drugs: a handbook of substance misuse for parents, teachers and other professionals (2006 [1996]) 2nd edition. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. p. 11 ISBN 1-84310-351-6.
Matthews P. Cannabis culture (2003 [1999]) London: Bloomsbury. p. 3 ISBN 0-7475-6614-3.
Melrose A, Harbour V. Junk, skunk and northern lights—representing drugs in children's literature. In: Drugs and popular culture drugs, media and identity in contemporary society—Manning P, ed. (2007) Cullompton: Willan Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84392-210-0.
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