May 11th, 2005
Dear Straight Talk: I’m a junior in high school and I’ve been smoking pot since I was a freshman. I don’t see why this is an illegal drug. I think alcohol is much more insidious. It turns people into raving, base lunatics, while pot actually stimulates intellectual activity and peaceful behavior.—Can’t use my name
Dear Can’t: I get what you’re saying and I’m glad you’re not going to throw an empty bottle at me after you read this. I’m going to take a guess that somebody close to you has a drinking problem. It’s natural to want to escape the chaos that comes with that. And while smoking marijuana may provide a more sophisticated escape than drinking gin out of the cat dish, it is still an escape. Why else would you habitually inhale a substance that fogs memory and shuts down blood flow to the higher brain? I know, it seems to do the opposite, making you feel keenly intelligent and spiritually awakened, but keep in mind it’s a drug. That’s marijuana’s trick.
The seriousness of alcohol is definitely played down, I couldn’t agree with you more. But, marijuana is no small potato. The way it is currently cultivated, it is extremely potent, nothing like what people were smoking in the 60’s. Long term studies show that teens who use marijuana weekly have double the risk of depression later in life—and they are three times more likely than non-users to have suicidal thoughts. I’m sure you’ve already noticed the paranoia and isolated behavior it brings on.
I don’t know you, but I care about you because I work with teens and I know that who you are, the real you, is somebody amazing. You are—under all the negative things people have said, and that you say to yourself—the world’s best gift. And I don’t know why you’ve made it a habit to smoke pot, but I really want you to stop. I want you to find a way to see the brilliance of who you are—whether that is through counseling or a teen program or self-study. Drugs are an artificial prop. They won’t get you where you want to go.
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May 11th, 2005
Dear Straight Talk: After reading about Geoff’s and Greg’s junk food experiences, I thought I’d write. My family is techno-savvy, so I grew up with a computer in the house and taught myself how to use it at an early age—around kindergarten. While this has been quite useful, back then it kept me from exercising and by 7th grade I weighed 230 lbs at 5’4”.
When I got to 8th grade, I started having to walk to school every day. I didn’t like this in the beginning—it was a mile each way, and the walk home was uphill, but there was no choice and I’ve had to walk to school ever since. I actually enjoy walking now, but more importantly, I weigh 170 lbs at 6’ tall. While making sure kids eat right is important (I haven’t eaten McDonald’s for 4 years), they also have to exercise.—Peter, 18
Dear Peter: You’re right about exercise and walking is the most basic exercise of all. There is a rhythm to walking that the human body is designed around and besides stimulating metabolism, it keeps the hormonal and immune systems balanced. Many experts think the obesity crisis is due mainly to lack of walking. Your story certainly supports that. (Readers, Peter lost all these pounds simply by walking. He did not do sports.)
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May 4th, 2005
Dear Straight Talk: You talk about the media in your column but never how it affects the way kids eat. The average child sees 40,000 commercials a year on television, most of them for candy, soda, sugary cereal, and fast food. How can parents compete with this? And how can teens who have been influenced their whole life to eat these foods get out from under the spell?—Concerned educator
Dear Concerned: For parents, the simplest way is to get rid of the TV. Hey, you asked! I speak from experience. Try storing it for a month and notice the difference. Raising kids is a snap with no TV and is especially effective with young kids 0 to 14. After that, their B.S. detectors are mostly up and running, lifestyle patterns are established, and advertising tends to run off. Children under age 8 are extremely vulnerable. They swallow ads whole, believing them to be accurate information about the world.
If you’re not willing to part with your TV, you can still compete, but it is requires constant vigilance and huge charisma—like you say, it is a competition, and the industry hires the best. Personally, I didn’t feel like I stood a chance.
If you’re a teen who’s spent your whole life eating advertised foods and now you’re looking to trade fat for muscle and prepare your body for the long haul, it will require a lot of will power, but it can be done. It’s a matter of choice and follow-through and in that sense, very simple. Check out what Geoff and Greg did:
From Geoff, 19: I started drinking Cokes when I was in diapers. The rest of my diet was no better: Pop Tarts, candy, junky snacks. I have a high metabolism, so I appeared healthy, not fat, but when I was a sophomore, a blood test for sports showed I had glucose in my urine. This is really bad. It means your body can’t handle the amount of sugar you’re putting in it. It’s an early warning for Type 2 diabetes—which used to be unheard of in teens. I did some research on Type 2 diabetes: impotence, blindness, amputation of limbs. Hmmmm…… not pretty.
The first month, I was crazy with withdrawals. I never felt full, never felt satisfied. Sugar suppresses appetite so once you’re addicted the body doesn’t feel full without it and you wander around after a healthy meal looking for something more. My mom kept bowls of candy all over the house and I started throwing them away. I’m in college now and I’ve been eating healthy foods ever since that glucose test. Over the years, I’ve influenced my family to eat better, but at the time, nobody helped me. I had to do it all by myself. For motivation, I kept thinking about the research.
From Greg, 16: I knew sodas weren’t good for me, but I was addicted. When I was 12, I put the idea to my parents that if I didn’t drink soda for a whole year, they would pay me $100. They agreed and I went the whole year without a single soda. At the end, I had a Hansen’s and almost puked.
That was 4 years ago and I haven’t had more than one or two sodas since. When my friends offer me soda, I just say, “No thanks, I don’t drink soda.” What do I drink? Water, milk, Gator-Aid. No, not Starbucks. I think the soda industry got everyone onto caffeine. By the way, I have no zits and tons of energy.
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