Teens get mixed messages on drugs

It's the black thread that's present in every teenager's life. The dark lining woven through the tapestry of our existence.

Drugs. The one word no parent ever wants to hear in connection with their offspring.

The ultimate irony is that though teenagers are encouraged to avoid drugs, everything around us tells us to take them.

Whether in magazines, where rail-thin models live the "glamorous life" achievable only through anorexia and illegal substances, or on the radio, where rock music openly endorses the slogan of "sex, drugs and rock'n'roll", the message is the same.

It's similar on TV, where popular shows like Skins, Misfits and Nurse Jackie regularly communicate propaganda about drug use.

Very rarely are the true side effects of drugs shown.

We do not hear about the children who grow up in poverty-stricken homes because their family's income is spent funding a habit.

We are not shown the pale, malnourished individuals who value substance-abuse more than eating.

And we certainly are never shown the devastating effects substance use has on individuals, families, communities and the nation.

The teenage period of our lives is one of the most important, with the influences surrounding us determining how we act and what we will grow up to be like.

But teenagers are being fed two messages.

Globally we need to decide whether we want to continue to promote drugs in a positive fashion, or whether we as a society want to show the truth about the harmful effects of drugs that reverberate all around the world.

I know what actions I want to be taken to improve the mentality of New Zealand and its future leaders.
Do you?

Eilis Donnelly, Year 11, Palmerston North Girls' High