My generation’s Drug Experimentation
My grandchildren think I am a really cool person because they think my generation was a really cool generation.
Indeed, we were rebellious, outrageous and colorful. Our music still plays all the time everywhere, and the grandkids know the words. They have heard the stories about us heralding in the civil rights movement, women’s liberation, the Disability Rights Act, etc. They hear us tell stories about how we fought to end the unjust Vietnam war that was killing our classmates.
We marched, demonstrated, defied, rebelled and enjoyed being nude. It was all about freedom to be and do whatever we wanted.
And part of what we wanted was to do drugs.
I was not exposed to drugs until I was 20. First it was pot, then came acid, mescaline, black beauties, mushrooms and, very rarely, cocaine. I was considered a lightweight for my time.
Our generation did drugs and a lot of them. Heck, Harvard professor and LSD guru Timothy Leary told us to tune in, turn on, and drop out—so we did! And drugs made us go to places where we could explore and expand our consciousness. Music sounded better, sex was out of this world and we believed drugs made us smarter than the straight guy.
One of my friends, however, was using needles which was deeply disturbing—even then—because I knew that she was putting her life at risk. A handful of my friends did not live long lives.
It was mostly because of alcohol, the most dangerous drug. They drank themselves to death. And those who did not die were dedicated to nightly visits to AA to stay sober and help others to avoid falling back into that pit.
(While alcohol is considered more dangerous than all other drugs, the safest drug is magic mushrooms, which are still considered a federal crime to possess or sell.)
Today my generation is paying the price with our health, and in many instances, it is related to alcohol. I stopped drinking 20 years ago because it made me feel horrible and it aged me. I also did really dumb things if I had one too many.
My mother became an alcoholic imbibing scotch on the rocks with her lady friends at their thrice-weekly afternoon bridge gatherings. She died at 40 not just from alcohol, but it was a contributing factor.
I can’t say I would go back in time and rewind my history and eliminate my foray into the drug culture. But I can tell you that I am relieved this part of my life fell by the wayside many decades ago.
Let us be honest, drugs cause harm to the human body and they impact one’s mental acuity. I will occasionally chew on a psilocybin mushroom cap if I am going to a party, but today a non-decaf cup of green tea after 3 p.m. will keep me up all night.
But it does not take much anymore to get me off. Just waking up in the morning still breathing is intoxicating. The choices I have made in the past 30 years are ones that benefit my health and help to keep me living just a little bit longer.
As I look back, I can honestly say with a sigh of relief that I am grateful my children did not follow in my footsteps with drug experimentation because it can be dangerous and certainly not beneficial to their quality of life.
My son and daughter, now middle-aged, have always been careful, measured and responsible when it comes to their libations. Today, I counsel the virtues of a drug-free life to my teenage grandchildren, who are faced with an even greater array of dangerous drugs that are so much more powerful than in my day.
I hope the fact that they think I am so awesomely cool will inspire them to listen to my wisdom and make the right decisions.
