Kalina Harrison
Kalina Harrison says she will never do drugs, but she wonders if they are truly as bad for you as she has been taught.
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In elementary school I was taught that drugs were bad and would ruin your life forever. My teachers lectured about how much better our lives would be if we never went near drugs.
They told horror stories about drug addicts, or as we called them, junkies. They warned that our minds would blank out every time we used drugs. This led me to think that people who do drugs will forget everything they’ve ever known—their name, their birthday, and any knowledge that once existed in their brain.
But I’m starting to question this concept. Here’s why: There is a person I know, and respect, who has been on and off drugs for about fifteen years. From my perspective, she knows almost everything. She’s a whiz in calculus and chemistry - a pure genius.
I am a little confused about how some people can still be smart after doing so many drugs… maybe my teachers were just trying to scare me. But I think it’s amazing that after taking a toxic substance, a person can still do college calculus.
I don’t plan to ever experiment with drugs or alcohol, but for the people in my life who might, I hope my teacher’s weren’t right.
