For many teenagers in Hong Kong, drug smuggling is a part of their life. I have a family friend “Y” who started to take drugs in grade 8. He was the first person I knew that took drugs, he took cocaine, and now he smokes marijuana. The amount of drugs he did increased by years. He said that the first time he saw cocaine was at a night club at Tsim Sha Tsui (TST).
What happens at a night club…
GIRLS BE CAREFUL! AVOID DRINKING ALCOHOL AT A NIGHT CLUB!
“A friend of mine hid the cocaine in a cigarette box. I didn’t know that it was cocaine until my friend told me, I thought it’s a pack of mixed powder,” Y said. “He told me that it was something that would make you forget all your worries,” Y shrugged and smiled.
“Then he poured the cocaine in my drink. My friend also told me to offer some cocaine to the girl sitting at the table beside me. I knew better to resist. I took a sip of the drink. It couldn’t taste the cocaine, so I took another sip,” Y grieved.
“Why did he have to take drugs to make himself happy?” I have never seen drugs like cocaine or marijuana in real life and I heard that it doesn’t taste good, but when people get addicted, it is hard to let go. To me, taking drugs is similar to smoking. It is a life and death decision, but they still make people take the risk.
My own experience:
Last year I went to my friend’s birthday party and my friend introduced me to a guy. When I first saw the guy, he kept sniffing and sneezing. His face looked pale and I saw some white stuff on his fingers. I guess it was cocaine.
“Are you alright?” I asked.
“Yes, i just took some cocaine,” the guy whizzled.
He looked at me, took a pack of cocaine from his pocket and waved up high.
“Do you want some?” he asked. I shrugged my head. “It’s good for you, the cocaine makes you happy.”
Without me responding, he poured some cocaine in my drink. I glared at him and walked away. I couldn’t imagine something like this will happen to me. From far away, I saw the guy laughing and dancing by himself . People at the dance table were staring at him.
Drug Addict Stereotypes:
A few years ago, I was tempted to take drugs after I watched a Cantonese show that talked about drugs. The protagonist in the episode kept warning her sister not to take drugs, or else her life would be completely ruined. I thought to myself, is the protagonist exaggerating on the consequences of drugs, how can a single dose kill our body? I remembered that my sister, Gloria who sat beside me at the sofa agreed with what the television said. She shivered.
“Don’t be stupid! The protagonist is only exaggerating to make his sister listen to him,” I said as I munched chips in my mouth.
“But… But… the program mentioned that cocaine is one of the most dangerous drugs. The cocaine can go into your central nervous system and into your brain. Why would a police officer lie to you? If cocaine is not a dangerous drug, why are people sentenced to jail after they store cocaine?” My sister said as she grabbed the bag of chips from me.
I paused and looked at my sister, maybe she is right.
(Pictures from cantonese episodes)
I think I believed in too many celebrities and stereotypes, drug addict stereotypes that persuaded me drug is not harmful. In the Cantonese shows that I watched, the protagonist who took drugs survived. Therefore, people assumed that there aren’t any consequences in regards to drug taking.
The cantonese episodes that influenced me…. it totally messes up my thoughts!
Teenage Problems in Hong Kong 