How Did My Life End Up Like This?

• Rebekah Mcgregor, Grade 9
• Short Story
• 2016

The question that I ask myself constantly is; how did my life end up like this?’
In high school I never fitted in with the crowd, I tried acting like everyone and dressing like them but I was never welcomed warmly into their groups, until I met Jason. He let me join his group of friends; I suppose it was my easy going nature that he liked.
Jason was doing drugs every week. He had depression, so the only time he was really happy was when he used marijuana. I accepted this as it was an after-school activity, I guess this was because I thought he had a reason to take it (His depression) but it never passed through my mind that the depression was caused by the drug to begin with.
In the week before I took marijuana, I had been in detention three times when I had done nothing, I had been humiliated in front of the whole school a few times too and there were lots of rumours going around the school about me and a dorky kid in the grade bellow, by the end of the week I was stressed, frustrated, depressed and just plain sick of life! As I told Jason all my worries and thoughts he started talking to me about marijuana, telling me how happy he is when he takes it, making it sound so good. I agreed to take it that weekend, to experience happiness for the first time in a while.
I liked getting high; it felt so good so I started doing it once a month. I thought my parents were ‘idiots’ and I had no idea they knew about it. My grades were still good enough so there was no reason for them to worry.
I started increasing the amount of times I took marijuana and after a year and a half I was smoking it every weekend and sometimes before school. I got caught a few times by my parents and they raided my room, they found everything except the pot which I had on me at the time. I promised my parents that I would go to MA (a drug control program) but I had no intentions of coming off marijuana, it was the only time I felt happy.
I came back to reality when Jason died of a heart attack because he had an over dose of marijuana, it scared me so much.
From there I took full control of my life again, my attitude changed after that accident. I also saw the effect in my parents too, they had aged in the 3 years of my addiction and their health was deteriorating. I would have to make it up to them, they never lost hope that I would come back to reality; I love them so much and promise to never let them go through so much stress again.
My advice to others is never let drugs control you; it effects more than just yourself.