Western Kentucky University - Talisman Yearbook (Bowling Green, KY)

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Kid EXDOSGCI Ari Uririiitufall high One room is usually set aside, not necessarily on purpose. It just seems to happen that way at a college party. The freshmen from the small-town schools might think it's the coat room. But most others know better. Anyway, the freshmen find out when they go inside to look for their coats and get lost in the thick, pungent smog that develops in a room filled with people smoking marijuana. For a naive student, this can be traumatic. And although there are students who are never exposed to drugs before coming to college, most students interviewed at Western said they had gotten used to taking or being around drugs in high school, or even earlier. They all agreed that almost nobody goes through college without coming in contact with drugs or liquor. They'd have to stayin their rooms all night, a Bowling Green senior said. They'd have to come in contact with it. Asked whether he'd ever been to a college party at which alcohol or drugs weren't present, he said, No, l've never seen it happen. That's what the whole idea of a party seems to be. But that doesn't mean one has to drink beer or enjoy drugs to attend a party. And it certainly doesn't mean that the words drugs and fun are inseparable, nor are they mutually exclusive. One student said that his not smoking man- juana has had little effect on his relationships with students who do, but that sometimes it's hard for them to understand. They figure you're not having a good time. But they don't mean any harm .... You gotta say there is some pressure ito conforml. They can't believe you don't want to. His observations were verified by another student, who says he's involved with drugs, You don't feel like you're having a good time unless you're doing some sort of drugs, whether it's alcohol, pot or pills. Carol Sheets, an Elizabethtown freshman, the only student interviewed who gave permis- sion for her name to be used, said she goes to parties only to meet people, and that she doesn't drink to excess or take any drugs, other than an occasional aspirin. About pressure to conform at parties, she said, It's not hard to resist at all .... But I don't want other people to feel uncomfortable. Although Sheets said she has been to many parties where drugs and beer were plentiful, she said they're not at all parties. Sheets, who bases her abstinence on religion, says that her more religious friends have parties that don't involve any drinking, unless it's tea, or smoking, unless it's cigarettes. Though she is strongly opposed to heavy drinking or drug use, she is tolerant of those with opposite views. But she does feel that they're wrong. lt's nothing. I think it's so empty. lt's the in- secure who are going to be influenced. There are those who don't necessarily want to take drugs but do because they don't want to be alienated. Peer pressure in college is no different from peer pressure in high schoolg it has a great ef- fect on a person, another student said, adding that alcohol and pot are cool with just about everyone. Dr. Jimmie Price, an associate professor who teaches drug abuse at Western, said it is not known how extensively drugs are used by stu- dents here, but, We would assume that some usage does take place. But what kind of drugs and how much, I can't say. She cited peer pressure and curiosity as main reasons people try drugs and alcohol, es- pecially drugs. But, she says, there is a new reason for drug use. Nowadays, it's more commonly accepted to be done strictly socially land for recreationlf' she said. A lot of society's role models tout the use of some drugs, and young people emulate it. People at all age levels use drugs to cope with and to escape from problems, too. The problem of peer pressure is not limited to college students, either. You never get away from it, It's always going to be there. Judging from the comments of students, there is pressure on those who abstain, and pressure on those who take drugs. But the pressure, they say, is more felt than seen. ln some cases, it may even be imagined. The harder the drug, the more pressure is in- volved. Acids are probably the hardest acting drugs . . . available at Western, but they are only pop- ular among certain groups that you trust, one student said. Those who don't partake may be seen as outsiders because they pose a threat to the drug users, who, though they may want to be relaxed, can't afford to take as many risks as those who smoke marijuana. lt doesn't bother me when they don't want to smoke imarijuanaif' one student said. But when it's coke or Quaaludes, the crowd starts getting smaller. But it just happens. They don't want to be around us anymore than we want them around. Though marijuana was the most frequently mentioned drug, three students interviewed talked about the use of cocaine and Quaaludes and one mentioned acids, or hallucinogens. Nobody said he had come in contact with heroin or other drugs taken intravenously. Whether they advocated or opposed the use of drugs, all students interviewed said they tried to tolerate the views of those who differ. I know what's right for me, but I don't care what anyone else does. Well, it's not that l don't care - I just don't say anything, one student said. Sheets, who says it bothers her that people feel they need drugs, said she has trouble relating to drug users. But, l get along with just about everybody. A Bowling Green junior said, l just feel I don't need it imarijuanal. It's partly because it's illegal, I guess. But drinking is legal for me, and I don't do that either. Back to the smoke-filled room analogy. The door is open, whether it's for entering or leaving. lj Illustration byDavidFrank Kid Exposed

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