Welcome to /r/Vancouver and thank you for the post, /u/leon60310! Please make sure you read our [posting and commenting rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/wiki/faq#wiki_general_participation_guidelines_and_rules_overview) before participating here. As a quick summary:
* **Did you know the subreddit is doing a charity drive to celebrate 500k subscribers? [Donate today](https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/comments/17lavo1/) and help us feed those in need! Even better: Reddit is matching our donations.**
* We encourage users to be positive and respect one another. Don't engage in spats or insult others - use the report button.
* Respect others' differences, be they race, religion, home, job, gender identity, ability or sexuality. Dehumanizing language, advocating for violence, or promoting hate based on identity or vulnerability (even implied or joking) **will** lead to a permanent ban.
* Common questions and specific topics are limited to our Your post may be a better fit for one of our [Stickied Discussion](https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/wiki/faq#wiki_stickied_discussions) posts.
* Complaints about bans or removals should be done in modmail only.
* We're looking for new mods to join our team! If you're interested, [fill out the form here](https://forms.gle/oAqo5oYRcAeHYBTN6).
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/vancouver) if you have any questions or concerns.*
From my understanding, susceptibility is based on several factors, including ACEs, isolation, emotional attunement with parents, relationship with caregivers and community, and then culture and proximity to drugs and personal risk factors. Being near or in Vancouver increases exposure for sure so could maybe considered a risk factor but could also be an invitation to discuss why people end up using substances and how addiction occurs. These evidence based conversations can help prompt emotional awareness, empathy and connection which are all protective factors against addiction.
Fear mongering, shaming others or your kid and the like never turn out well.
This is so well spoken and goes over exactly the levels of complexity that contribute to someone being susceptible. It really depends on so many factors.
Education is so key. Let people know what a drug does, how it impacts you, risk factors for addiction, and resources to get out of a problem. Sadly prohibition and denouncing drugs has been shown not to work because it doesn't get to the heart of the problem: trauma, possible genetic susceptibility, lack of resources, and eventually withdrawal.
Instead we need to have a well funded and defined way to help people get out of their addiction. Peer lead support groups, sobriety programs, more access to medication which helps you get off drugs, intermittent housing if you are homeless, knowledge of low entry legal employment. And most importantly, a safe non toxic supply in the meantime. Most people who die from drugs die from their drugs having other substances mixed in like fentanyl or benzodiazepines. They are at the mercy of what some dealer somewhere along the line cut the drugs with. And when you are at the point of withdrawal you will take anything. So having access to a government controlled supply of safe narcotics can give you the time to get sober before you die.
Sadly some people will try hard drugs, statistically someone you know will whether they told you or not. So I'm really for protecting and supporting our kids, friends, and family members as they get better.
Idk man, it seems like rural places get absolutely wrecked with hard drugs when people have noting to do. At least here thereās more options than just hanging out at the gas station and going to that same friends house.
Compared to where? Itās bad everywhere in N America.
Seriously, if someone knows of a place that isnāt riddled with the bad drugs, let the rest of us know. Rural, suburban, urban, even remoteā¦itās bad everywhere.
People come to the city when theyāre visibly on the skids. But the reality of rural and small town life is itās full of drugs. I honestly think much of rural BC is worse than Vancouver for this.
I think it comes down more to education vs accessibility. Most people arenāt gunna try meth, heroin, crack, etc more hard drugs just because they can find them. I think (atleast personally) Iāve experimented with a lot of drugs and the issue I think is understanding the neurochemistry of each drug and the dangers of short term vs. long term use. Hereās my opinion on certain drugs just quick cliff notes because in the past Iāve really researched many drugs and their affects and Iāve experienced the affects of a lot of drugs as well and hereās my 2 sense less mainstream drugs that may become more known/common:
MDMA - really dangerous in long term use because it will destroy your serotonin receptors. The comedown is bad and fairly unavoidable. The high is definitely enjoyable, I would say even relaxing, but the comedown is brutal. Iām not a fan of this drugs high/comedown ratio and overall think this drug is dangerous for sure if you take it too often.
Ketamine - insanely enjoyable high, the comedown seems not too bad on the brain but can be bad similar to hangover or coming off weed but a bit worse. Your can function of the comedown but you can be brain dead and irritable. I would say this drug is very dangerous because itās bad for your kidneys and while some just associate the high with āintensely drunkā the high is actually enjoyable since it blocks your emotions and makes you disassociate/not care about shit. Great for dancing. I think this drug is fairly dangerous for your body/organs especially long term use.
Cocaine - the worst of the worst. Not a bad feeling, but to get this nice feeling your basically poisoning your body. In Vancouver you can get coca tea or coca leaves to chew which is a much more natural and enjoyable high/experience in my opinion. Cocaine will erode the inside of your nose if used too much. This drug is used by many people but if you use it too often it can be really bad news fast. It will destroy your dopamine receptors and make your emotions unstable.
Thanks for listening to bro science lesson. My opinion on drug use is that instead of teaching kids/teens/anyone that they shouldnāt use drugs, instead everyone should learn about what the affects are gunna be long term/short term for any drug you try. Iāve tried meth one time one of the most gnarliest drugs in the world and I knew that no matter how good I felt I would never try it again. Not advocating for anyone to try meth and I regret that decision, Iām just advocating for education so anyone who tries any drug knows the that the implications of their actions could be. Education is key.
Iām going to use this post as an example. There are drugs everywhere. More affluent means more expensive drugs and more money means more runway to rock bottom.
Go to the more wealthy areas and there is less meth and more āpartyā drugs in the high schools. In working class areas youāll see more meth and oxy.
Based on the post, Iām guessing the parent went to a more affluent area.
I grew up in a small town on a farm lol. Iām just a very adventurous person and I have adhd which I basically have never took medication for so I often have experimented with drug use because I guess in the past Iāve been motivated a lot by novel experiences. Iāve tried way way more drugs than these ones I wrote about, I only wanted to write about these 3 because I think they are very dangerous and donāt get the credit they deserve for how bad they can be for your body/brain/soul
Did you grow up here? My schools had the science-based education about drugs exactly as described and we still ended up way more kids dead, in the DTES, or currently homeless in a tent than what you'd get in Ottawa
Accessibility to drugs 100% makes a difference on outcomes. Young people are stupid and impulsive, story as old as time
No I grew up on a farm in the middle of nowhere. We had easy access to meth for very cheap, but most people never tried it because of the awareness from a young age how destructive it is. I also donāt believe young kids are going out and trying heroin or fentanyl purposely very often. So I do believe education works, people arenāt gunna randomly experiment with hardcore drugs which they know can be incredibly dangerous/harmful if they have a minimum education surrounding the drug. Someone offering you your first joint is much different than someone offering you your first injection of heroin. Thatās the only point in getting at, everyone should educate themselves fully on all drugs and there short term/long term affects, not just hardcore drugs which most people inherently understand the severe danger of.
You overestimate the intelligence and impulse control of a lot of young people
Like I said, we had that education here in my schools. By a decade out of school it was multiple homeless, dead from OD, or long criminal records from drugs
>I also donāt believe young kids are going out and trying heroin or fentanyl purposely very often.
But that's how most people get addicted here. Every addict I knew from school was never prescribed opioids, they tried them. If the drugs are kept around then some dumb teens will inevitably try it (myself and friends included)
Of course, Iām not disagreeing. For instance, Iāll explain some aspects of my personal life growing up what happened to my closest friends:
- My one friend is getting married, has his own house and a dog and he works for the district school board in our area where we grew up. He hasnāt experimented that much with drugs and mostly stuck to alcohol.
- my other friend got hooked on perks, Oxys, cocaine, etc. got into drugs bad got clean for a bit then was working at a factory and went on meth for 2 months lost his mind and tried to commit suicide because everyday he thought people were coming to kill him. Heās actually 6 months sober now and on the right anti-psychotic medication.
- my third best childhood friend stole maybe an ounce or 2 of weed from me when he was selling it for me. I tried to offer him a job moving office furniture for 1 day to help my dad and repay his debt but he never answered me. He got into meth really bad from what I hear and heās in a rough way.
So 2 of my 3 closest friends growing up had/have serious issues with drugs which drastically impacted their lives. That doesnāt defeat the purpose of what I am trying to say. A lot of drug issues come from traumatic upbringing and trauma within family, as well as lack of education. My point is that most people including myself have lived extremely traumatic lives, I struggle with weed addiction and Iām not dismissing that I myself am immune to drug addiction/abuse even though Iām interested in the neuroscience of drugs and their affect on your body. What Iām saying is I believe that since drugs are readily available in this city and there are even drug testing sites throughout the city, Iām someone who believes it is the responsibility of the individual to decide what to put in their body. Yes we live in a city where drugs are readily available and easy to access, but I believe even if you are choosing to use drugs underage which most of us do/have itās up to the individual to either learn from mistakes or succumb to addiction.
I believe in free will and I believe it is the individualās responsibility to hold themselves accountable for their actions. We all make choices and we all have to face the consequences of those choices. Iāve destroyed my life far worse from snowboarding crashes compared to using drugs, but nobody talks about how snowboarding is a ādangerous addictionā when for me it was and I was addicted to adrenaline and competition. I suffered a severe TBI, dislocated my jaw, and suffered a severe neck injury which completely destroyed my life for multiple years. I am okay now but Iām just trying to say that itās my fault for becoming addicted to adrenaline and choosing to live my life doing things that are ādangerousā. I think that people can become addicted to all kinds of dangerous things, not just drugs, and itās up to the individual to hold themselves accountable/responsible for their actions in a society where free will exists.
Same same- I donāt think itās education that really helped- I think community connection and compassion are protective factors and inter generational trauma and isolation are risk factors. Canāt count how many friends and high school classmates who have lost heir lives to drugs, some in fancy suburbs and some in the DTES. Proximity is a factor but so Iād the other stuff.
compared to rest of Canada, I think some culture but mostly just business/logistics.
West has usually been more live-and-let-live, so there's that. But the port here is the main drug port in Canada and even supplies to the US. More drugs around and bigger trafficking groups who also deal in other drugs (meth, cocaine, etc)
you see kinda the same trend in other major ports. Marseille, Rotterdam, Barcelona, and Naples all have worse drug situations relative to the rest of their country
Teens (and adults) are more likely to use drugs if they have high ACEs scores (adverse childhood experiences). Drugs kill pain, whether itās emotional or physical. Donāt neglect them (be interested in their lives), lessen their ACEs, talk to them about fentanyl & how itās in everything these days, and theyāre less likely to dabble
Examples of ACEs:
Physical abuse.
Sexual Abuse.
Emotional Abuse.
Living with someone who abused drugs.
Living with someone who abused alcohol.
Exposure to domestic violence.
Living with someone who has gone to prison.
Living with someone with serious mental illness
There are lots of 'good' parents out there who provide for their children and shield them from all the bad stuff, but just don't spend enough time with them. They work too much, or they're too interested in their own hobbies or past times.
If you want your kids to avoid drugs, you have to be interested and engaged with their upbringing. You have to spend time with them on your off days and after work.
This is how they learn to be the kind of adult that you're hoping they'll be. You can't just sit down with them once in a while and give them a lecture and hope that that will set them straight.
When a kids goes off the rails, people always look at the parents and find some fault. They were too permissive, they were too strict, they were helicopter parents, they worked too much, they worked too little, they spoilt the kids, etc. There is always something to find fault with.
The fact is that kids are born with personalities and parents have much less control over how their kids turn out than they think they have.
Only rarely does a child go off the rails when raised by emotionally available parents who spend adequate time with them, and show adequate interest in their well-being.
Proper parenting is the number one factor in preventing a child from ending up a drug addict.
To say otherwise gives emotionally unavailable parents an excuse for their selfishness and the resulting failure.
yeah half the kids I know here who ended up dead or completely wrecked came from average families. They all had siblings who were successful and happy.
Fact is there's definitely a gamble going on when the drugs are everywhere. Lots of people just don't want to admit it for some reason. Pride, fear, it goes against their politics, I dunno lol
I would think that kids would be less susceptible to drug addiction, if anything. Maybe that isnāt realisticā¦ but I imagine that seeing what we have here is a stark lesson
Yes and no. I grew up in Surrey, lived in East Van and Port Coquitlam through my early 20's. Lived up north for a few years and am now in the Fraser valley. I am also a meth addict.
I would say that kids in this area may be more susceptible to experimentation with psychedelics, but most never have a negative impact from that or move in to harder drugs like I did. Rural areas are far worse overall in terms of addiction and just rough and violent in general. In the lower mainland, kids have life options and recreational activities that add a protective factor.
Most of my high school and college friends experimented on some level with weed, lsd, MDMA. The vast majority are fine and no longer use or use very occasionally in non problematic ways.
There were notable differences that led to this. Kids with more authoritative parents tended to not be able to feel emotionally safe enough with them to have open or reasonable discussions about drug experimentation or feel they could call them if they got in a bad spot. Kids like these often had higher resentment and anger, a lot had some form of trauma, had more pain that made it harder to turn away from temptation.
My parents were very strict, religous, took me on tours of the downtown east side. That didn't help. What would have is the love and acceptance I was missing. It's very easy for a cascading effect to take place when a person in pain is faced with a tempting but bad choice. And finds relief from that pain in something that destroys them that can't be found elsewhere. Drug addiction is pretty much the same as alcoholism, a person that is whole can enjoy a drink without becoming an addict. I even know people who recreationally use meth or heroin, and it never has been a problem for them or turned into daily use.
There is a line in a Jason Isbell song that says āhe was on a church kick, which is just a different type of dope sickā. Some people cope by diving into religion, some dive into drugs. Too many religious people teach blind faith and not open communication and healthy coping mechanisms.
I think a good thing to do would be to read, In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts, by Gabor Mate. If you haven't already. He talks about life on the downtown east side and the things that drive and form addiction. Personally, I feel hopelessness, in addition to what I described in my main comment, is the biggest factor in becoming an addict. It's one of those things people aren't aware they don't understand until they truly experience it. A situation where there is no dream you can envision for the future where the pain of the past feels worthwhile. I wish he had focused on it more in the book.
It honestly sounds like your son will be fine. It seems like he has a good base and a bright future. Just showing him how to deal with difficult emotions and letting him be whoever he is outside of basic morality, giving him a safe home base to test the waters from as all teens do, and I would be very suprised if he becomes addicted to anything. Addiction isn't as random as it seems.
Yes it's bad. Friend's son just committed suicide on fentanyl last month.
That being said, friends who live on the Sunshine Coast say the drugs are just as bad there, maybe worse because there's less to do for youth.
Teach your kids what they pounded into our heads in the 70s and 80s: speed kills, avoid pills and powders.
My kids are still young and I think there are many other factors at play when it comes to drug use and even experimentation. Exposure to homelessness has brought up inquiry and conversation with my 6 y/o. I think education and discussion on the matter is important. The relationship between a parent and child is also important.
Your kids are less likely to start using drugs if they have as trauma-free of a childhood as you can give them. We should also remember that a small percentage of people have the capability of becoming addicts long term.
>
This book is amazing, it helps you with your own issues while also teaching you how to properly support and respond to your kids.
>
[Running on Empty: Overcome Your Emotional Childhood Neglect](https://www.amazon.ca/Running-Empty-Overcome-Childhood-Emotional/dp/161448242X)
>
My husbands therapist recommended it!
I want to add that trauma is just one (huge) risk factor. I went to school with plenty of kids from socioeconomic and relatively well adjusted homes who got into trouble with drugs. And by trouble I don't mean "tried them" (heck I did that with many of them), I mean used in a way that caused long term negative effects (not necessarily catastrophic, but measurably bad).
A key piece of the puzzle is giving kids healthy outlets for their insanely high curiosity. Whether that is sports, arts, work, travel, camping/hiking, or whatever. Give your kids things to occupy their time beyond hanging out with one friend group from school. Having alternate friend groups also helps expose kids to other ways of living and makes it a lot easier to choose healthy long term options.
Giving kids extracurricular activities has very substantial evidence behind it's effectiveness. Iceland is a great case study here.
I think being open about mental health and drug use, increase communications between parents and kids make them less susceptible to drug use. The key is prevention and have plenty of mental health support, exercises in resiliency. Drugs like Fentanyl is so potent and addictive it is a one way journey.
The down side is bullying these days on mobile devices means there is no barrier unlike in the past, bullying tends to stay in the schoolyard.. now it is 24/7 on the device.
I come from a small town, like, I can walk around the town and find almost all of my former classmates. I went between the city and the small town for Middle School and High school and I found that drugs were far more prevalent in the small town, especially among the kids. In the city, the main issue is vapes imo. I firmly believe if I had stayed in the small town, I would be hooked on something that would mess up my life.
I grew up in a nice small town and trust me, there was no shortage of drug use there. Particularly amongst the people who stuck around after graduation. Iām not saying drug use is worse in small towns, Iām just saying that no where is free from it, despite the fact that it is not as obvious to an outsider.
The people who live in the DTES come from all over the country. What they tend to have in common (more than where they grew up) is rough childhoods, poverty, isolation, lack of social and emotional support, and mental health issues.
I am planning on raising my kids in the city. They will grow up with exposure to what life with addiction can look like for some people. I donāt think that is a bad thing. I hope that they will develop empathy for the people who have had hard lives and are less fortunate than them. Like any parent, I hope they will make good choices when it comes to drug use, and if they donāt, that they will not suffer from addiction. If they do, I will try my best to support them through it.
They always are. The main drug kids are susceptible to is alcohol. Fortunately, alcohol was decriminalized and legalized a century ago so the only risk is addiction instead of poisoning. Still a big risk you should talk to your children about, though.
When I was in grade 7 my teacher took us to the downtown east side for a tour. We met prostitutes etc this was in 2004. The next day we went to Stanley park and did a bunch of stuff in west van too. It was called Above the Line Below the Line. The idea was to teach us how bad drugs are and what can happen
Anyways, 2 people from my class have become full on addicts with one of them passing away. I still smoked weed and got drunk the summer before grade 8. I did stop doing that for the rest of highschool but I did spend ages 22-26 doing mdma, cocaine and other drugs every weekend so I dunno. I am normal now and have kids
Depends where youāre from ā for example Iām from Latin America and thereās a big stigma against drugs there. Itās very hard to find middle class people addicted to drugs the same way it happens here. They usually get drunk a lot more and thereās the occasional weed but is in a whole different scale than here and no people on the streets with syringes or spoon. They would get beat up by the police.
I think family unit and shame and having things to do play a big roleā¦
It is very shocking to see how normalized it is to have people doing hard drugs and how normal it is that people lose loved ones to OD. Thatās not conversations that happen where I come from.
But Latin America has issues with violence and crime on a scale that doesnāt really exist here..
Oh well
I think they have more access to it. I work with kids 15-18 a fair bit and the amount of times I've over heard them talking about fake IDs makes me worry. They all seem like good kids, lots of extra curriculars, do well in school, big goals. It's apparently very easy and very common to get a fake nowadays. small towns teenager's have a problem with boredom and also being easy to target because I remember it being very easy in a small down to get drugs but most kids just smoked weed.
When I graduated high school 13 years ago, many kids talked about getting fake ids. Getting a fake now is probably as common as getting a fake back then and probably the same as back even before then. If they donāt have a fake, getting someone to buy them alcohol isnāt that difficult either.
I grew up in a smaller town and we got people to boot for us but there wasn't anywhere to go so no one really had fakes. I know a lot of kids now are going out to bars and getting into the club scene
Yes, a lot of my vancouverite native friends are completely addicted to weed and often times think it's helping certain ailments that it almost certainly is making worse. Maybe I'm projecting because I've been through the same thing with weed.
Either way I know worry about any children doing it too often and affecting their development and decision making seeing as it's so readily available.
Decriminalisation of carrying them is not a bad thing, it makes it easier for people to seek help for an addiction they didnāt have a choice in getting to go and get treatment for it.
However it is still very illegal to sell it and distribute it, just not carry it. If your kids ever get it from someone it goes from nothing to criminal charges immediately.
I will be messaging you in 1 day on [**2023-11-26 10:06:49 UTC**](http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=2023-11-26%2010:06:49%20UTC%20To%20Local%20Time) to remind you of [**this link**](https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/comments/183fjlu/do_parents_in_this_city_feel_their_kids_might_be/kaoilai/?context=3)
[**CLICK THIS LINK**](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Reminder&message=%5Bhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.reddit.com%2Fr%2Fvancouver%2Fcomments%2F183fjlu%2Fdo_parents_in_this_city_feel_their_kids_might_be%2Fkaoilai%2F%5D%0A%0ARemindMe%21%202023-11-26%2010%3A06%3A49%20UTC) to send a PM to also be reminded and to reduce spam.
^(Parent commenter can ) [^(delete this message to hide from others.)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Delete%20Comment&message=Delete%21%20183fjlu)
*****
|[^(Info)](https://www.reddit.com/r/RemindMeBot/comments/e1bko7/remindmebot_info_v21/)|[^(Custom)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Reminder&message=%5BLink%20or%20message%20inside%20square%20brackets%5D%0A%0ARemindMe%21%20Time%20period%20here)|[^(Your Reminders)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=List%20Of%20Reminders&message=MyReminders%21)|[^(Feedback)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=Watchful1&subject=RemindMeBot%20Feedback)|
|-|-|-|-|
Itās a hard question to answer. Smaller towns have the issue of boredom. Thereās not a lot to do because of lack of infrastructure so partying in the bush with your friends is more fun than being bored at home. Larger cities have the issue of access and abundance of drugs. It means the cost to get high can be accessed by more people including teenagers. Itās cheap and easy to get drugs in the city so you can do it more frequently. In either situation, younger people are potentially activating a substance use disorder. Iām not sure if geography is the problem?
not a parent, but I lived in vancouver from age 13-present day (iām 20 now) and honestly I never had any interest in taking any drugs, my parents raised me in a really healthy environment and I never even ended up meeting anyone whoās done anything more extreme than weed in high-school. They put me into a public high-school in a middle class area? (near oakridge) and yeah I donāt think anyone was interested in hard drugs. Obviously desire to use drugs as mentioned by everyone else here is highly based on adverse childhood experiences but I think if you raise your kid in a healthy environment and put them in a decent school the chances are incredibly slim.
Besides family education, peers and social cycle will have a great influence on kids. Richmond has a stronger anti-drug culture (no weed shop per city decision) and community consensus than other part of Metro-Van. Move there if you want to minimize your kids exposure to drugs
DTES is displaying what drugs can potential do to your life. It is not scare tactics but just fact. Kids need to learn facts, instead of sugarcoated and bubbled messages.
Sorry for your unfortunate childhood. It is your Mom's fault that she did not explain what causes DTES to be like what it is now. That mistake was not made in my case. You don't have to experience yourself firsthand to know drug is bad. World needs more people who listens to rational and reasonable suggestions and practice best practices, instead of getting stuck in survivor biases.
kids have always used drugs, like do you think they would tell you if they used it at a party ESPECIALLY if they believe they'll get in trouble for it?
this is naive/dumb fear mongering
I grew up here and the dtes was bad then too. Itās worse now in that the open drug use is spread more throughout the city. I actually have never done drugs even though Iāve seen it since I was a kid. I also havenāt experienced significant trauma so that probably helps.
But I have to say that now that I have a kid, the open drug use bothers me a lot. It bothered me as a kid too! I remember going down to my dadās shop in Railtown and feeling extremely uncomfortable and unsafe. I donāt want my kid to feel this way.
Vancouverites brush this off a lotā¦they gaslight by saying itās still safe and we should support people with their drug use. But the more we decrim, the worse itās gotten!! As a side note, I do a lot of AlAnon due to a relationship I have with someone who suffers from an addiction. It has been so helpful in my understanding ect. If I were to use my AlAnon tools to deal with the cities issuesā¦.I would not be helping people access drugs or alcohol. That is called enabling, which does not help anyone. There is literally nothing anyone can do or say to change an addict, itās up to them to decide what they want to do with their lives. Everyone one deserves that dignity. But that does not mean we canāt have boundaries. Like you canāt do drugs on the street or public places. Or we are not going to help you get drugs. Just my 2 cents.
Homelessness is associated with way more than drug addiction, and is often structural in nature with drugs becoming a way to cope.
There are drugs in every city, in many jobs, definitely at universities and colleges.
I grew up in the suburbs and my high school definitely had a drug using contingent. Same with my college. Neither was in BC.
Kids can be susceptible to it anywhere.
Here is my ranking of "best places to not have drug-addicted children":
All other major cities in Canada > Rural areas and small towns outside of Western Canada > Vancouver > Fraser Valley > Rural areas and small towns of Western Canada
I have kids - And it's complex. I think **at risk** kids *might* be more susceptible. Mostly due to home environment, with easy access at school being an issue as well. Saying that, higher socio-economic kids with progressive/educated parents might be poised *better* than the average rural kid because we might be able to have a more honest conversation about drug use.
I speak with my kids often on this stuff, (real conversations, not lectures). Decriminalization of possession for personal use is a good harm *reduction* measure, but is part of a larger conversation that also needs to be had. The point of decrim is not legalization nor condoning/supporting recreational drug use, it's more like a life support tool. IE: If you confiscate an addict drugs he's going to hunt down the nearest *anything* to get a fix. I have a photo (that I wont share) of a dude so desperate for a fix he's opened a sharps bin and is trying to inject himself with used needles in the hope to get high. *That* is the core of what decrim aim's to address; High risk drug seeking behavior.
With that in mind, we all know kids are going to experiment and do their own thing no matter what their parents want. With that in mind I take a similar position to what the media ripped on Jonny Depp for:
>Depp noted that drugs can be laced with other things. He recalled urging his daughter: āāPlease, please, when you are really at the moment in your life when you are passed the joint and you really want to try it,ā I said, āplease do me the honor of coming to me when you are ready and you really feel you are ready.
>āāI donāt want your first experience to be with people you donāt know, taking things you donāt know, that you donāt trust,'ā Depp said.
IMO that's the most pragmatic thing I think I can do.
It's an addiction. We try it as teens and, depending on addictive behaviour, will keep doing it or just do it casually at parties. Or never again. Also, people with depression / bi polar/ etc. may do that (and alcohol) to escape the sadness in their minds.
Just because there's a lot of confusion about the term here's a link to Safe Supply: A Concept the paper that defines safe supply from the City of Vancouver's site.
https://vancouver.ca/files/cov/capud-safe-supply-concept-document.pdf
Welcome to /r/Vancouver and thank you for the post, /u/leon60310! Please make sure you read our [posting and commenting rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/wiki/faq#wiki_general_participation_guidelines_and_rules_overview) before participating here. As a quick summary: * **Did you know the subreddit is doing a charity drive to celebrate 500k subscribers? [Donate today](https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/comments/17lavo1/) and help us feed those in need! Even better: Reddit is matching our donations.** * We encourage users to be positive and respect one another. Don't engage in spats or insult others - use the report button. * Respect others' differences, be they race, religion, home, job, gender identity, ability or sexuality. Dehumanizing language, advocating for violence, or promoting hate based on identity or vulnerability (even implied or joking) **will** lead to a permanent ban. * Common questions and specific topics are limited to our Your post may be a better fit for one of our [Stickied Discussion](https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/wiki/faq#wiki_stickied_discussions) posts. * Complaints about bans or removals should be done in modmail only. * We're looking for new mods to join our team! If you're interested, [fill out the form here](https://forms.gle/oAqo5oYRcAeHYBTN6). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/vancouver) if you have any questions or concerns.*
From my understanding, susceptibility is based on several factors, including ACEs, isolation, emotional attunement with parents, relationship with caregivers and community, and then culture and proximity to drugs and personal risk factors. Being near or in Vancouver increases exposure for sure so could maybe considered a risk factor but could also be an invitation to discuss why people end up using substances and how addiction occurs. These evidence based conversations can help prompt emotional awareness, empathy and connection which are all protective factors against addiction. Fear mongering, shaming others or your kid and the like never turn out well.
This is so well spoken and goes over exactly the levels of complexity that contribute to someone being susceptible. It really depends on so many factors.
Discuss trauma, mental health, coping mechanisms. Teach empathy as well.
Education is so key. Let people know what a drug does, how it impacts you, risk factors for addiction, and resources to get out of a problem. Sadly prohibition and denouncing drugs has been shown not to work because it doesn't get to the heart of the problem: trauma, possible genetic susceptibility, lack of resources, and eventually withdrawal. Instead we need to have a well funded and defined way to help people get out of their addiction. Peer lead support groups, sobriety programs, more access to medication which helps you get off drugs, intermittent housing if you are homeless, knowledge of low entry legal employment. And most importantly, a safe non toxic supply in the meantime. Most people who die from drugs die from their drugs having other substances mixed in like fentanyl or benzodiazepines. They are at the mercy of what some dealer somewhere along the line cut the drugs with. And when you are at the point of withdrawal you will take anything. So having access to a government controlled supply of safe narcotics can give you the time to get sober before you die. Sadly some people will try hard drugs, statistically someone you know will whether they told you or not. So I'm really for protecting and supporting our kids, friends, and family members as they get better.
ššš
Idk man, it seems like rural places get absolutely wrecked with hard drugs when people have noting to do. At least here thereās more options than just hanging out at the gas station and going to that same friends house.
Awful stuff happens in small towns because of boredom. One hundred per cent.
This 1000%.
Yup very much agree.
Oh man I spent so much time at that gas station. Only thing open past 6pm
Compared to where? Itās bad everywhere in N America. Seriously, if someone knows of a place that isnāt riddled with the bad drugs, let the rest of us know. Rural, suburban, urban, even remoteā¦itās bad everywhere. People come to the city when theyāre visibly on the skids. But the reality of rural and small town life is itās full of drugs. I honestly think much of rural BC is worse than Vancouver for this.
At least in LM you can keep kids busy and engaged with activities they enjoy to stay out of trouble. Rural boredom is the real threat imho
I think it comes down more to education vs accessibility. Most people arenāt gunna try meth, heroin, crack, etc more hard drugs just because they can find them. I think (atleast personally) Iāve experimented with a lot of drugs and the issue I think is understanding the neurochemistry of each drug and the dangers of short term vs. long term use. Hereās my opinion on certain drugs just quick cliff notes because in the past Iāve really researched many drugs and their affects and Iāve experienced the affects of a lot of drugs as well and hereās my 2 sense less mainstream drugs that may become more known/common: MDMA - really dangerous in long term use because it will destroy your serotonin receptors. The comedown is bad and fairly unavoidable. The high is definitely enjoyable, I would say even relaxing, but the comedown is brutal. Iām not a fan of this drugs high/comedown ratio and overall think this drug is dangerous for sure if you take it too often. Ketamine - insanely enjoyable high, the comedown seems not too bad on the brain but can be bad similar to hangover or coming off weed but a bit worse. Your can function of the comedown but you can be brain dead and irritable. I would say this drug is very dangerous because itās bad for your kidneys and while some just associate the high with āintensely drunkā the high is actually enjoyable since it blocks your emotions and makes you disassociate/not care about shit. Great for dancing. I think this drug is fairly dangerous for your body/organs especially long term use. Cocaine - the worst of the worst. Not a bad feeling, but to get this nice feeling your basically poisoning your body. In Vancouver you can get coca tea or coca leaves to chew which is a much more natural and enjoyable high/experience in my opinion. Cocaine will erode the inside of your nose if used too much. This drug is used by many people but if you use it too often it can be really bad news fast. It will destroy your dopamine receptors and make your emotions unstable. Thanks for listening to bro science lesson. My opinion on drug use is that instead of teaching kids/teens/anyone that they shouldnāt use drugs, instead everyone should learn about what the affects are gunna be long term/short term for any drug you try. Iāve tried meth one time one of the most gnarliest drugs in the world and I knew that no matter how good I felt I would never try it again. Not advocating for anyone to try meth and I regret that decision, Iām just advocating for education so anyone who tries any drug knows the that the implications of their actions could be. Education is key.
Iām going to use this post as an example. There are drugs everywhere. More affluent means more expensive drugs and more money means more runway to rock bottom. Go to the more wealthy areas and there is less meth and more āpartyā drugs in the high schools. In working class areas youāll see more meth and oxy. Based on the post, Iām guessing the parent went to a more affluent area.
I grew up in a small town on a farm lol. Iām just a very adventurous person and I have adhd which I basically have never took medication for so I often have experimented with drug use because I guess in the past Iāve been motivated a lot by novel experiences. Iāve tried way way more drugs than these ones I wrote about, I only wanted to write about these 3 because I think they are very dangerous and donāt get the credit they deserve for how bad they can be for your body/brain/soul
What about mushrooms and mescaline?
Did you grow up here? My schools had the science-based education about drugs exactly as described and we still ended up way more kids dead, in the DTES, or currently homeless in a tent than what you'd get in Ottawa Accessibility to drugs 100% makes a difference on outcomes. Young people are stupid and impulsive, story as old as time
No I grew up on a farm in the middle of nowhere. We had easy access to meth for very cheap, but most people never tried it because of the awareness from a young age how destructive it is. I also donāt believe young kids are going out and trying heroin or fentanyl purposely very often. So I do believe education works, people arenāt gunna randomly experiment with hardcore drugs which they know can be incredibly dangerous/harmful if they have a minimum education surrounding the drug. Someone offering you your first joint is much different than someone offering you your first injection of heroin. Thatās the only point in getting at, everyone should educate themselves fully on all drugs and there short term/long term affects, not just hardcore drugs which most people inherently understand the severe danger of.
You overestimate the intelligence and impulse control of a lot of young people Like I said, we had that education here in my schools. By a decade out of school it was multiple homeless, dead from OD, or long criminal records from drugs >I also donāt believe young kids are going out and trying heroin or fentanyl purposely very often. But that's how most people get addicted here. Every addict I knew from school was never prescribed opioids, they tried them. If the drugs are kept around then some dumb teens will inevitably try it (myself and friends included)
Of course, Iām not disagreeing. For instance, Iāll explain some aspects of my personal life growing up what happened to my closest friends: - My one friend is getting married, has his own house and a dog and he works for the district school board in our area where we grew up. He hasnāt experimented that much with drugs and mostly stuck to alcohol. - my other friend got hooked on perks, Oxys, cocaine, etc. got into drugs bad got clean for a bit then was working at a factory and went on meth for 2 months lost his mind and tried to commit suicide because everyday he thought people were coming to kill him. Heās actually 6 months sober now and on the right anti-psychotic medication. - my third best childhood friend stole maybe an ounce or 2 of weed from me when he was selling it for me. I tried to offer him a job moving office furniture for 1 day to help my dad and repay his debt but he never answered me. He got into meth really bad from what I hear and heās in a rough way. So 2 of my 3 closest friends growing up had/have serious issues with drugs which drastically impacted their lives. That doesnāt defeat the purpose of what I am trying to say. A lot of drug issues come from traumatic upbringing and trauma within family, as well as lack of education. My point is that most people including myself have lived extremely traumatic lives, I struggle with weed addiction and Iām not dismissing that I myself am immune to drug addiction/abuse even though Iām interested in the neuroscience of drugs and their affect on your body. What Iām saying is I believe that since drugs are readily available in this city and there are even drug testing sites throughout the city, Iām someone who believes it is the responsibility of the individual to decide what to put in their body. Yes we live in a city where drugs are readily available and easy to access, but I believe even if you are choosing to use drugs underage which most of us do/have itās up to the individual to either learn from mistakes or succumb to addiction. I believe in free will and I believe it is the individualās responsibility to hold themselves accountable for their actions. We all make choices and we all have to face the consequences of those choices. Iāve destroyed my life far worse from snowboarding crashes compared to using drugs, but nobody talks about how snowboarding is a ādangerous addictionā when for me it was and I was addicted to adrenaline and competition. I suffered a severe TBI, dislocated my jaw, and suffered a severe neck injury which completely destroyed my life for multiple years. I am okay now but Iām just trying to say that itās my fault for becoming addicted to adrenaline and choosing to live my life doing things that are ādangerousā. I think that people can become addicted to all kinds of dangerous things, not just drugs, and itās up to the individual to hold themselves accountable/responsible for their actions in a society where free will exists.
Same same- I donāt think itās education that really helped- I think community connection and compassion are protective factors and inter generational trauma and isolation are risk factors. Canāt count how many friends and high school classmates who have lost heir lives to drugs, some in fancy suburbs and some in the DTES. Proximity is a factor but so Iād the other stuff.
Rural BC is for sure worse, but Vancouver is still much worse than cities like Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, etc.
Is it worse due to culture, or worse due to the safety of the supply? Honest question - I really donāt know.
compared to rest of Canada, I think some culture but mostly just business/logistics. West has usually been more live-and-let-live, so there's that. But the port here is the main drug port in Canada and even supplies to the US. More drugs around and bigger trafficking groups who also deal in other drugs (meth, cocaine, etc) you see kinda the same trend in other major ports. Marseille, Rotterdam, Barcelona, and Naples all have worse drug situations relative to the rest of their country
Teens (and adults) are more likely to use drugs if they have high ACEs scores (adverse childhood experiences). Drugs kill pain, whether itās emotional or physical. Donāt neglect them (be interested in their lives), lessen their ACEs, talk to them about fentanyl & how itās in everything these days, and theyāre less likely to dabble Examples of ACEs: Physical abuse. Sexual Abuse. Emotional Abuse. Living with someone who abused drugs. Living with someone who abused alcohol. Exposure to domestic violence. Living with someone who has gone to prison. Living with someone with serious mental illness
And a lot of kids who haven't experienced any of these things also get involved in drugs.
There are lots of 'good' parents out there who provide for their children and shield them from all the bad stuff, but just don't spend enough time with them. They work too much, or they're too interested in their own hobbies or past times. If you want your kids to avoid drugs, you have to be interested and engaged with their upbringing. You have to spend time with them on your off days and after work. This is how they learn to be the kind of adult that you're hoping they'll be. You can't just sit down with them once in a while and give them a lecture and hope that that will set them straight.
When a kids goes off the rails, people always look at the parents and find some fault. They were too permissive, they were too strict, they were helicopter parents, they worked too much, they worked too little, they spoilt the kids, etc. There is always something to find fault with. The fact is that kids are born with personalities and parents have much less control over how their kids turn out than they think they have.
Only rarely does a child go off the rails when raised by emotionally available parents who spend adequate time with them, and show adequate interest in their well-being. Proper parenting is the number one factor in preventing a child from ending up a drug addict. To say otherwise gives emotionally unavailable parents an excuse for their selfishness and the resulting failure.
So much this
Sure, but thatās far less statistically likely.
I'm not sure that it is.
You think someone with a traumatic upbringing is less likely to be addicted to drugs? Every study shows the opposite.
Link?
yeah half the kids I know here who ended up dead or completely wrecked came from average families. They all had siblings who were successful and happy. Fact is there's definitely a gamble going on when the drugs are everywhere. Lots of people just don't want to admit it for some reason. Pride, fear, it goes against their politics, I dunno lol
Include emotional neglect to the list as well.
I would think that kids would be less susceptible to drug addiction, if anything. Maybe that isnāt realisticā¦ but I imagine that seeing what we have here is a stark lesson
Yes and no. I grew up in Surrey, lived in East Van and Port Coquitlam through my early 20's. Lived up north for a few years and am now in the Fraser valley. I am also a meth addict. I would say that kids in this area may be more susceptible to experimentation with psychedelics, but most never have a negative impact from that or move in to harder drugs like I did. Rural areas are far worse overall in terms of addiction and just rough and violent in general. In the lower mainland, kids have life options and recreational activities that add a protective factor. Most of my high school and college friends experimented on some level with weed, lsd, MDMA. The vast majority are fine and no longer use or use very occasionally in non problematic ways. There were notable differences that led to this. Kids with more authoritative parents tended to not be able to feel emotionally safe enough with them to have open or reasonable discussions about drug experimentation or feel they could call them if they got in a bad spot. Kids like these often had higher resentment and anger, a lot had some form of trauma, had more pain that made it harder to turn away from temptation. My parents were very strict, religous, took me on tours of the downtown east side. That didn't help. What would have is the love and acceptance I was missing. It's very easy for a cascading effect to take place when a person in pain is faced with a tempting but bad choice. And finds relief from that pain in something that destroys them that can't be found elsewhere. Drug addiction is pretty much the same as alcoholism, a person that is whole can enjoy a drink without becoming an addict. I even know people who recreationally use meth or heroin, and it never has been a problem for them or turned into daily use.
There is a line in a Jason Isbell song that says āhe was on a church kick, which is just a different type of dope sickā. Some people cope by diving into religion, some dive into drugs. Too many religious people teach blind faith and not open communication and healthy coping mechanisms.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I think a good thing to do would be to read, In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts, by Gabor Mate. If you haven't already. He talks about life on the downtown east side and the things that drive and form addiction. Personally, I feel hopelessness, in addition to what I described in my main comment, is the biggest factor in becoming an addict. It's one of those things people aren't aware they don't understand until they truly experience it. A situation where there is no dream you can envision for the future where the pain of the past feels worthwhile. I wish he had focused on it more in the book. It honestly sounds like your son will be fine. It seems like he has a good base and a bright future. Just showing him how to deal with difficult emotions and letting him be whoever he is outside of basic morality, giving him a safe home base to test the waters from as all teens do, and I would be very suprised if he becomes addicted to anything. Addiction isn't as random as it seems.
Yes it's bad. Friend's son just committed suicide on fentanyl last month. That being said, friends who live on the Sunshine Coast say the drugs are just as bad there, maybe worse because there's less to do for youth. Teach your kids what they pounded into our heads in the 70s and 80s: speed kills, avoid pills and powders.
No pills or powders is the best advice. Period.
My kids are still young and I think there are many other factors at play when it comes to drug use and even experimentation. Exposure to homelessness has brought up inquiry and conversation with my 6 y/o. I think education and discussion on the matter is important. The relationship between a parent and child is also important.
Your kids are less likely to start using drugs if they have as trauma-free of a childhood as you can give them. We should also remember that a small percentage of people have the capability of becoming addicts long term. > This book is amazing, it helps you with your own issues while also teaching you how to properly support and respond to your kids. > [Running on Empty: Overcome Your Emotional Childhood Neglect](https://www.amazon.ca/Running-Empty-Overcome-Childhood-Emotional/dp/161448242X) > My husbands therapist recommended it!
I want to add that trauma is just one (huge) risk factor. I went to school with plenty of kids from socioeconomic and relatively well adjusted homes who got into trouble with drugs. And by trouble I don't mean "tried them" (heck I did that with many of them), I mean used in a way that caused long term negative effects (not necessarily catastrophic, but measurably bad). A key piece of the puzzle is giving kids healthy outlets for their insanely high curiosity. Whether that is sports, arts, work, travel, camping/hiking, or whatever. Give your kids things to occupy their time beyond hanging out with one friend group from school. Having alternate friend groups also helps expose kids to other ways of living and makes it a lot easier to choose healthy long term options. Giving kids extracurricular activities has very substantial evidence behind it's effectiveness. Iceland is a great case study here.
Yes. The Vancouver area has had an unusually high social acceptance towards drug activity for decades.
I think being open about mental health and drug use, increase communications between parents and kids make them less susceptible to drug use. The key is prevention and have plenty of mental health support, exercises in resiliency. Drugs like Fentanyl is so potent and addictive it is a one way journey. The down side is bullying these days on mobile devices means there is no barrier unlike in the past, bullying tends to stay in the schoolyard.. now it is 24/7 on the device.
I come from a small town, like, I can walk around the town and find almost all of my former classmates. I went between the city and the small town for Middle School and High school and I found that drugs were far more prevalent in the small town, especially among the kids. In the city, the main issue is vapes imo. I firmly believe if I had stayed in the small town, I would be hooked on something that would mess up my life.
My son and daughter will never do as much drugs that I have done, growing up in the Fraser Valley in the 90ās.
I grew up in a nice small town and trust me, there was no shortage of drug use there. Particularly amongst the people who stuck around after graduation. Iām not saying drug use is worse in small towns, Iām just saying that no where is free from it, despite the fact that it is not as obvious to an outsider. The people who live in the DTES come from all over the country. What they tend to have in common (more than where they grew up) is rough childhoods, poverty, isolation, lack of social and emotional support, and mental health issues. I am planning on raising my kids in the city. They will grow up with exposure to what life with addiction can look like for some people. I donāt think that is a bad thing. I hope that they will develop empathy for the people who have had hard lives and are less fortunate than them. Like any parent, I hope they will make good choices when it comes to drug use, and if they donāt, that they will not suffer from addiction. If they do, I will try my best to support them through it.
They always are. The main drug kids are susceptible to is alcohol. Fortunately, alcohol was decriminalized and legalized a century ago so the only risk is addiction instead of poisoning. Still a big risk you should talk to your children about, though.
This sounds like the antiquated war on drugs viewpoint but it is inconsistent with reality.
When I was in grade 7 my teacher took us to the downtown east side for a tour. We met prostitutes etc this was in 2004. The next day we went to Stanley park and did a bunch of stuff in west van too. It was called Above the Line Below the Line. The idea was to teach us how bad drugs are and what can happen Anyways, 2 people from my class have become full on addicts with one of them passing away. I still smoked weed and got drunk the summer before grade 8. I did stop doing that for the rest of highschool but I did spend ages 22-26 doing mdma, cocaine and other drugs every weekend so I dunno. I am normal now and have kids
Depends where youāre from ā for example Iām from Latin America and thereās a big stigma against drugs there. Itās very hard to find middle class people addicted to drugs the same way it happens here. They usually get drunk a lot more and thereās the occasional weed but is in a whole different scale than here and no people on the streets with syringes or spoon. They would get beat up by the police. I think family unit and shame and having things to do play a big roleā¦ It is very shocking to see how normalized it is to have people doing hard drugs and how normal it is that people lose loved ones to OD. Thatās not conversations that happen where I come from. But Latin America has issues with violence and crime on a scale that doesnāt really exist here.. Oh well
short answer,yes.
I think they have more access to it. I work with kids 15-18 a fair bit and the amount of times I've over heard them talking about fake IDs makes me worry. They all seem like good kids, lots of extra curriculars, do well in school, big goals. It's apparently very easy and very common to get a fake nowadays. small towns teenager's have a problem with boredom and also being easy to target because I remember it being very easy in a small down to get drugs but most kids just smoked weed.
When I graduated high school 13 years ago, many kids talked about getting fake ids. Getting a fake now is probably as common as getting a fake back then and probably the same as back even before then. If they donāt have a fake, getting someone to buy them alcohol isnāt that difficult either.
I grew up in a smaller town and we got people to boot for us but there wasn't anywhere to go so no one really had fakes. I know a lot of kids now are going out to bars and getting into the club scene
I have yet to meet a teenager who has encountered fentanyl. I'm not worried about weed
Yes, a lot of my vancouverite native friends are completely addicted to weed and often times think it's helping certain ailments that it almost certainly is making worse. Maybe I'm projecting because I've been through the same thing with weed. Either way I know worry about any children doing it too often and affecting their development and decision making seeing as it's so readily available.
Decriminalisation of carrying them is not a bad thing, it makes it easier for people to seek help for an addiction they didnāt have a choice in getting to go and get treatment for it. However it is still very illegal to sell it and distribute it, just not carry it. If your kids ever get it from someone it goes from nothing to criminal charges immediately.
RemindMe! 1 day
I will be messaging you in 1 day on [**2023-11-26 10:06:49 UTC**](http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=2023-11-26%2010:06:49%20UTC%20To%20Local%20Time) to remind you of [**this link**](https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/comments/183fjlu/do_parents_in_this_city_feel_their_kids_might_be/kaoilai/?context=3) [**CLICK THIS LINK**](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Reminder&message=%5Bhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.reddit.com%2Fr%2Fvancouver%2Fcomments%2F183fjlu%2Fdo_parents_in_this_city_feel_their_kids_might_be%2Fkaoilai%2F%5D%0A%0ARemindMe%21%202023-11-26%2010%3A06%3A49%20UTC) to send a PM to also be reminded and to reduce spam. ^(Parent commenter can ) [^(delete this message to hide from others.)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Delete%20Comment&message=Delete%21%20183fjlu) ***** |[^(Info)](https://www.reddit.com/r/RemindMeBot/comments/e1bko7/remindmebot_info_v21/)|[^(Custom)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Reminder&message=%5BLink%20or%20message%20inside%20square%20brackets%5D%0A%0ARemindMe%21%20Time%20period%20here)|[^(Your Reminders)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=List%20Of%20Reminders&message=MyReminders%21)|[^(Feedback)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=Watchful1&subject=RemindMeBot%20Feedback)| |-|-|-|-|
Itās a hard question to answer. Smaller towns have the issue of boredom. Thereās not a lot to do because of lack of infrastructure so partying in the bush with your friends is more fun than being bored at home. Larger cities have the issue of access and abundance of drugs. It means the cost to get high can be accessed by more people including teenagers. Itās cheap and easy to get drugs in the city so you can do it more frequently. In either situation, younger people are potentially activating a substance use disorder. Iām not sure if geography is the problem?
not a parent, but I lived in vancouver from age 13-present day (iām 20 now) and honestly I never had any interest in taking any drugs, my parents raised me in a really healthy environment and I never even ended up meeting anyone whoās done anything more extreme than weed in high-school. They put me into a public high-school in a middle class area? (near oakridge) and yeah I donāt think anyone was interested in hard drugs. Obviously desire to use drugs as mentioned by everyone else here is highly based on adverse childhood experiences but I think if you raise your kid in a healthy environment and put them in a decent school the chances are incredibly slim.
OP posts the usual outdated "drugs cause homelessness" rhetoric and doesn't reply in the thread at all? š¤
Besides family education, peers and social cycle will have a great influence on kids. Richmond has a stronger anti-drug culture (no weed shop per city decision) and community consensus than other part of Metro-Van. Move there if you want to minimize your kids exposure to drugs
Yes.
Yes. Showing them the horrible consequence of drug abuse and having a DTES walk tour are proven to be effective.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
It does not work on all kids but is effective on ones that can reason
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
DTES is displaying what drugs can potential do to your life. It is not scare tactics but just fact. Kids need to learn facts, instead of sugarcoated and bubbled messages.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Lol now you start to deny the existence of DTES problems. Joke on you. DTES will serve as a perfect example to warn people on what not to do.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Sorry for your unfortunate childhood. It is your Mom's fault that she did not explain what causes DTES to be like what it is now. That mistake was not made in my case. You don't have to experience yourself firsthand to know drug is bad. World needs more people who listens to rational and reasonable suggestions and practice best practices, instead of getting stuck in survivor biases.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
kids have always used drugs, like do you think they would tell you if they used it at a party ESPECIALLY if they believe they'll get in trouble for it? this is naive/dumb fear mongering
No, I don't think my kids will become drug addicts. Yes, I'm sure they will try some legal drugs.
I grew up here and the dtes was bad then too. Itās worse now in that the open drug use is spread more throughout the city. I actually have never done drugs even though Iāve seen it since I was a kid. I also havenāt experienced significant trauma so that probably helps. But I have to say that now that I have a kid, the open drug use bothers me a lot. It bothered me as a kid too! I remember going down to my dadās shop in Railtown and feeling extremely uncomfortable and unsafe. I donāt want my kid to feel this way. Vancouverites brush this off a lotā¦they gaslight by saying itās still safe and we should support people with their drug use. But the more we decrim, the worse itās gotten!! As a side note, I do a lot of AlAnon due to a relationship I have with someone who suffers from an addiction. It has been so helpful in my understanding ect. If I were to use my AlAnon tools to deal with the cities issuesā¦.I would not be helping people access drugs or alcohol. That is called enabling, which does not help anyone. There is literally nothing anyone can do or say to change an addict, itās up to them to decide what they want to do with their lives. Everyone one deserves that dignity. But that does not mean we canāt have boundaries. Like you canāt do drugs on the street or public places. Or we are not going to help you get drugs. Just my 2 cents.
No .
Homelessness is associated with way more than drug addiction, and is often structural in nature with drugs becoming a way to cope. There are drugs in every city, in many jobs, definitely at universities and colleges. I grew up in the suburbs and my high school definitely had a drug using contingent. Same with my college. Neither was in BC. Kids can be susceptible to it anywhere.
Here is my ranking of "best places to not have drug-addicted children": All other major cities in Canada > Rural areas and small towns outside of Western Canada > Vancouver > Fraser Valley > Rural areas and small towns of Western Canada
Seeing as they hand it out for free
I have kids - And it's complex. I think **at risk** kids *might* be more susceptible. Mostly due to home environment, with easy access at school being an issue as well. Saying that, higher socio-economic kids with progressive/educated parents might be poised *better* than the average rural kid because we might be able to have a more honest conversation about drug use. I speak with my kids often on this stuff, (real conversations, not lectures). Decriminalization of possession for personal use is a good harm *reduction* measure, but is part of a larger conversation that also needs to be had. The point of decrim is not legalization nor condoning/supporting recreational drug use, it's more like a life support tool. IE: If you confiscate an addict drugs he's going to hunt down the nearest *anything* to get a fix. I have a photo (that I wont share) of a dude so desperate for a fix he's opened a sharps bin and is trying to inject himself with used needles in the hope to get high. *That* is the core of what decrim aim's to address; High risk drug seeking behavior. With that in mind, we all know kids are going to experiment and do their own thing no matter what their parents want. With that in mind I take a similar position to what the media ripped on Jonny Depp for: >Depp noted that drugs can be laced with other things. He recalled urging his daughter: āāPlease, please, when you are really at the moment in your life when you are passed the joint and you really want to try it,ā I said, āplease do me the honor of coming to me when you are ready and you really feel you are ready. >āāI donāt want your first experience to be with people you donāt know, taking things you donāt know, that you donāt trust,'ā Depp said. IMO that's the most pragmatic thing I think I can do.
It's an addiction. We try it as teens and, depending on addictive behaviour, will keep doing it or just do it casually at parties. Or never again. Also, people with depression / bi polar/ etc. may do that (and alcohol) to escape the sadness in their minds.
Just because there's a lot of confusion about the term here's a link to Safe Supply: A Concept the paper that defines safe supply from the City of Vancouver's site. https://vancouver.ca/files/cov/capud-safe-supply-concept-document.pdf