MissPurpleheart.com: Knock Yourself Out

Unrealized dreams, young people fatally overdosing, drugs turning addicts derelicts, things are getting worse, and this is just Phase 1. I have never been so spiritless about the future of some cut of my class. You would think we would have learnt by now from stories we hear of famous people who die from drug use/abuse, from Academy award winner Philip Seymour, Whitney Houston, Amy Winehouse, to the invincible pop king Michael Jackson… the pressure of being famous right? Oh please!

These stories seem to strengthen the yearning for self-destruct. Celebrities are idolized to the extent that even their asinine lifestyles want to be copied, because if a celeb is doing it, people think maybe they can risk it. When you talk to a drug addict about breaking the habit, you would clearly see that the urge to partake is stronger than the will to discontinue. Marijuana, crack, meth, skunk, SK, cigars, codeine, heroin, cocaine, prescription drugs (pain relievers, tranquilizers, stimulants, and sedatives), modified everyday drugs… if you still think the following is all there is, you are mistaken. The drug companies, the drug syndicates, they never stop producing, why? There exists an unnatural demand for their products, due to the addiction their buyers suffer, profit is astronomical.

Let’s get Local now. There’s a common adage that addicts here in Nigeria use - “something must kill a man”, Let’s say the adage is true, must you facilitate your own death, must you knock yourself out? Sounds like passive suicide to me. As at today, the drug rave among youths is aggravating, you would think it’s a prerequisite for living. Peer pressure gets the best of us into trouble, but a line should be drawn when consequences become this fatal. The day you decide to start using cocaine or heroin (or any other substance) for the first time, you are pretty much saying f*** the world. It is a death wish so overdosing is more like getting the loaded chamber when playing RUSSIAN ROULETTE. You might survive today when you use that substance, but tomorrow might be your loaded chamber. Dicey!

Let me enlighten you, this generation is the most enterprising yet, minds have become weapons, young people are getting things done, young entrepreneurs are born every day, the hustle for wealth is laudable; so for you who has decided to get stupid and "run with the pack", succumb to peer pressure, get high like Wiz Khalifa, pop pills likes the kids you see on TV; you are simply wasting your talents, shutting out inspiration (contrary to popular belief that “the high” is inspiration) and very importantly, creating a rift between you and the people in your life. Today I beg you to break the habit (even though you just started), reclaim your life, it’s really not easy, but do you have a choice? It’s as simple as Life or Death, Calm or Bedlam, Self-Control or Impulsiveness

Collectively we all need to fight this scourge, its ruining lives around us, its creating an unsafe environment for all of us. For those of you who are still clean, don’t experiment because you want to experience benders, taking drugs is a dark path that gets darker with every step you take. I really hope this piece speaks to you.