Smoking/Drugs/Alcohol

Hi everyone, I'm new here and attempting my first novel. It's a YA piece but whilst I'm not taking it too seriously in terms of publishing or anything (I'm 19), I'm still unsure about the characteristics listed in the thread title. Also, I wasn't sure if this was the correct forum to write this and I apologise if it isn't.

Basically, whenever I think of some of my characters things like smoking, alcohol or drugs spring to mind and seem a natural fit. Write what you know, right? Yet whenever I put any of these ideas to paper they just seem to scream 'edgy' or trying to be controversial. Another concern is that I don't want these aspects to be a major focus of the story or to turn it into an 'after school special' with a heavy handed condemnation of such actions.

Anyway just wondering if any of you guys have written YA characters that indulge in such things without it being the primary focus of your writing. Or would you recommend against it? If so why? Any opinions/insights would be much appreciated.

 

Just don't make it the focus. Make sure there's an actual story other than "group of friends who get together and get high". How "edgy" it may feel to you is going to be very relative. Don't hear this the wrong way, because I'm just talking about being in different places in life and how these different places affect how we think about a thing: When you were born, I was already 28 years old and had already done all those things. Drinking hardly even counts in our culture; I've smoked bushels of weed; I've been to (and hosted) parties where there was a pile of snow on the kitchen counter; I've rolled in clubs until my face slid off more times than I can count.

I'm 47 today. None of those things feel "edgy" to me. If I feel anything about them, it's nostalgia for days of youth and craziness when you're given a free pass to try these things and hopefully grow out of them.

There are drugs in my WIP. It's a Fantasy piece, so it's not drugs in the way you know them in the real world. They're little shrimp-like crustaceans called talimas that induce a soft marijuana-like high. They certainly aren't the focus of the story. They just serve as part of the setting and as a nod to something I learned in one of my first anthro classes at U.F. There is no human culture of which we are aware, which, when presented with access to mind altering substances, simply says no, as a whole, to using that substance. Humans like to get high, and so do a bunch of other animals that we know of (elephants, other primates, cats, etc.).

 

What @Wreybies said is spot on. I only want to add that drugs can be hinted at as well without saying it directly if you just don't want to put it in there blatantly. YA accepts all kinds almost, so it's fine to put it in, but there's that option of being low-key about it.

 

Write what you know is good advice. When I was a young adult, many of my friends were involved in weed, alcohol, and tobacco. Most ran afoul with the law now and again because of overindulgence. I was most fortunate in that any attempt on my part to get high or drunk promptly resulted in the transference of brown soup from the inside of me to the outside of me, usually through the mouth and nose. As a result, I became the soberest young adult in Texas. The public spewing of brown soup is horribly bad to one's self esteem. So I faked getting wasted, which, looking back in retrospect, is sort of funny in itself. I don't care to write about the spewing experiences, but feel free to put a character like me in your novel.

 

I don't really care if someone thought what I wrote was edgy. I tend to write what I know as well, and if I'm crafting a certain kind of character who experiments and indulges in certain vices, I'll go about it as honestly as I can, which would also be my advice to you, but I don't know if it's good or bad advice.

 

Almost all of my YA primary characters smoke.

I think it's absolutely critical that YA main characters have some demonstrable sign of rebellion and smoking is one of the really critical parts of that. It's James Dean, it's Rebel Without A Cause. And no matter what, all teens want to look older and be treated like adults and smoking is part of that.

Smoking is the best one to play with though for characterization. Smoking is a thing you do all the damn time. Take it from someone who has smoked since he was 15; you smoke at literally every opportunity you have. So it's always there in the narrative, quietly bucking the system. And it gives them something to fiddle with in their dialogue which is important. Plus it gives you a nice easy in to start conversations with people. Smokers etiquette says you can just go bum a smoke off someone you don't know, or borrow a lighter or whatever. So that's helpful. And it gives you an excuse for your teen characters to disappear off behind the bikesheds (or whatever you damn kids have these days) and away from teachers and parents for ten minutes where all manner of things might happen.

As for drugs and booze; well, most teens will indulge but it's more situational. If someone offers them it then they'll have a go just to see what happens. Not all teens will buy drugs or booze, but most know someone who could get it for them if they really cared about it.

Honestly? Have your characters do all three. Have them try shit out. Part of the joy of writing teens is that they are mutable and trying things for the first time. Have them get stoned with their boyfriend and giggle and fool around. It's not like that's something so weird to most kids; the ones who haven't done it wish they could.

Suffice to say; teen characters need to break the rules. Badly. That's central to what it means to be a teen. And, as someone who exclusively writes in that space, I think that you will be doing a disservice if you just forget about this stuff even if you didn't quite do that stuff yourself. There's plenty of us who did who can help you out.

 

Please don't make that kind of sweeping generalization of all teens. I don't have a single regret about my non-partying teen years.

 

Wow. I don't even know how to answer that.

You never wanted to have fun or experiment or break the rules at all? For real? Are you sure you were a teenager?

Look I appreciate that not necessarily everyone wants to be getting high but when we are talking about a really broad teen audience; I would bet you all money in my pockets that more could tell you what weed smells like than couldn't.

 

Trust me, I have some very blurry memories of events and absolutely stupid amounts of things I put in my body (New Year's eve of the millennium I ate ten rolls. TEN!) where I wish someone like you had been around to be like "Okay, Wrey, you don't get to be in charge of you anymore because clearly you don't know your ass from a hot rock. You answer to me now." True story. No Joke.

 

My entire teenage years centered around wanting to get out of my shithole town and escape to college via scholarship, which I did and have never looked back. I couldn't afford any distractions from that.

 

So did mine. I still found time to get really high and get kickass grades and go to a good school.

And I suppose that's my point. I don't think I knew anyone who didn't indulge at some point in their teens. I knew people who weren't a fan of it and who didn't do it more than once, but there was no-one who could say that they went through their teens without getting some sort of fucked up just to see what it was like. Rich kids, poor kids, all kinds of kids, I got fucked up with them.

I remember when I was 16 and went bar hopping I met friends of my girlfriend-to-be-in-a-couple-of-years who were 13 and 14 getting drunk with them. I used to pick up a friend of mine from school and take her out drinking when she was 15. I appreciate that not everyone went as far out there as I did (which still feels weird because my teens seem pretty tame to me) but I think that if you're talking about teens generally most of them are pretty into the idea of trying out all this stuff even if it's not a lifestyle choice.

 

Well goody for you. I had no example like yours to follow; everyone I knew who partied wound up trapped in that town, living out the lives of the generations that came before. My only strategy was to do the opposite of everything I saw leading to their failure. No drugs, sex or drinking. The smoking was more because my parents did and how our house and clothes stunk disgusted me. My dad died of lung cancer in 1999 so yeah...no regrets there.

Well now you've met one. I mean, I agree that most teens indulge. But I'm just saying you can't say that those of us who didn't wish we would have. If I could go back now I wouldn't do a single thing differently. Why would I? I don't feel like I missed out on anything except risking my current happiness.

ETA: I feel like this entire exchange encapsulates why I've never had any interest in YA. I just don't relate to it.

 

With no offense intended; I do not think you are the right person to write for a teen audience.

Remember what fiction is; it's wish fulfillment. It's fantasy. It's the things that you wish you were brave enough to do yourself. Doesn't matter what genre. That's the purpose of fiction.

And while I'm sure there are some teens who are super focused on their college scholarship or whatever; I think that the vast majority of kids either have done or wish they could go and party and get drunk and see what it's like. And you do need to speak to that in the teen space. You need to dial into what they wish and what they know.

I hate to say it, but you are kinda the weird one when it comes to teens. And I'm kinda weird too, because I eventually got into needle drugs and went way out there. But I think that most kids by the time they turn 18 have blown a joint, got drunk and are ok with that.

 

Oh, none taken. I can't imagine wanting to do so. My creative juices have never taken me in that direction and I can't ever imagine them doing so. I'm so grateful my teen years are over, and that my daughter's almost are (she'll be 20 in less than a month). I find it a very tiresome and annoying period of my life, and I have no desire to relive it in any way, shape or form. Adulthood is much more satisfying for me to explore.

So I've been told. But to reiterate my original point? NO REGRETS

 

I have track marks and a whole lot of scars and I have no regrets either.

 

Teenagers are people. They are not some homogeneous monolith. Just because they're young doesn't mean they're not their own person with their own experiences and goals and personalities. I've known plenty of teens who don't feel any need to indulge in that sort of stuff. Going to a party doesn't show you the teens who are home with a sci-fi novel or teaching themselves C++. It takes all kinds. One of my biggest pet peeves with American pop culture is that 99% of all teenage characters are portrayed as smarmy shitweasels. Even as a teenager that bugged me. The reason I skipped straight from childrens' books to adult literature is because these YA novels didn't speak to me at all. (They were different when I was a teenager, but still.) There is actually such a thing as quiet, thoughtful, kind teenagers who grow up perfectly fine not regretting anything. (And it's seriously uncool to argue with someone about their own lived experience and tell them it's "weird", goddamn.)

C-James, why not just write it and see how it plays out on the page? The best writing practice is to just try, try, try again, keep what works and discard what doesn't. Write it the way you see it, then let it rest for a while, work on some other projects, then come back to it and see how it plays. With the benefit of distance and some intellectual honestly it'll be pretty obvious whether it feels faux-edgy or genuine. And cutting content out is a lot easier than writing it in. So my recommendation would be to give it your best shot and see how it plays with your style and voice.

 

I had a good friend who was completely straight edge and showed zero interest in the shenanigans I did with the two other friends in our four-girl group. She never "intervened" though, and I guess I understand why. I actually thought she was a strong person because it wasn't like no one invited her to parties, she just didn't fold under peer pressure. My ex best friend was also like that. We drifted apart, but I used to text her when drunk, which must have been really annoying. My brother didn't rebel either as a teenager, but he started to compensate in his 30s. I don't know if they regret "missing out". Some kids just aren't interested in getting wrecked.

I have to admit though, I was sorting through the pictures from those years a while back and I had to grin (and also grimace slightly).

 

Congratulations.

 

You're totally missing my point. You are not writing a book for one person. You are writing for a much wider group. You have to think about the audience. You have to talk to their collective experience. And yes, drinking and drugs is a very very common teen experience. Remember when you are living dude. Weed is becoming legal across the US and it's certainly vastly less taboo than it used to be. Sure, some teens are completely straight laced and would never ever ever touch a drop of booze, but like you said; those teens don't read teen books. And with that in mind, why do you think that anyone would write a teen book for teens who don't read teen books?

I didn't read teen books either. I read sci fi and historical epics and D&D source books and text books. But I still did drugs and got drunk. Because it turns out that it's that common to get drunk and do drugs. My friends were the nerds. And we got drunk together and sang Klingon songs and talked about building faster than light space ships. We got stoned and played Vampire The Masquerade. Not all the time. But sometimes. Because, as it turns out, just doing drugs and drinking doesn't immediately turn you into a fucked up shitweasel (thanks for devaluing my lived experience by the way). It's so common to do this stuff that even the really uncool kids still do it. Today many parents (who are about 35 by the way; born in the 80s) with teens have no problems at all with their kids trying it out.

Here's some stats for you; 69% of 15 year olds in the UK report having drunk alcohol at least once. 8% of 11 year olds report having drunk alcohol at least one. 11 year olds! For 14 year olds who reported drinking in the last week the average amount they reported drinking was 11 units; about 6 pints. Enough to get drunk. And 79% of kids who reported drinking said they did so to make themselves look cool. And that's why you should have these elements in a teen book. Because the teen audience knows about these things, they exist very much in that world where beer and pot is something exciting that they are interested in. Even the kids who don't indulge make a point of not doing so; that's how common it is. Kids have to actively try not to do it to not do it. And dollars to donuts I'll bet you that most of the kids who haven't tried it want to, they just haven't had the chance.

And don't even get me started on lived experience. Shall we talk about my lived experience which was 100% totally contrary? Like I said; my experience was that absolutely everyone either went to the parties or wished they went to the parties. Yes, even the quiet kids. Yes, even the nerdy kids. Yes, even the straight edge kids. One of my friends was straight edge; he still went to the parties, knew what a joint smelled like. So, according to my lived experience, their lived experience is a bit weird, and I strongly believe that it's not reflective of the greater mass of the teenage experience. To say "well that was my experience" does nothing to change what the experience of most teens is. It matters to tell the difference between when it's you that's weird and when it's everyone else that's weird. And sometimes it's you. Sometimes your experience was not representative. As a writer you have to defer to how your audience sees the world. You have to. Because if you don't then the characters just won't make sense to them. To say "Well it makes sense to me!" is not a defense. You are not the reader. They are the reader. They decide what makes sense. And for most teens if someone offers you a beer or invites you to a party you want to go, even if you can't or don't. That's their lived experience. No, not all teens. But most teens, and definitely most teens who read teen books about being teens.

Look; some people have had really nasty, messy divorces; how successful do you think a romance book that ends in a really bitter divorce would be? Some people's experience of the justice system is that it just fails and takes no interest in them; does that mean that we should write a crime book where the police ignore the life changing violent attack and go hand out some speeding tickets instead?

I appreciate that people generally wish that there was more media that spoke directly and specifically to their experience and not to anyone else's. I would love to see more chubby, beardy metalheads as the romantic lead. I would love to see anyone write a book about an addict that doesn't treat that as a tragic flaw. But that's just me. And I am a weird guy. And writers don't write just for me, they write for a much wider audience who don't have that specific desire to see people who look like me or to talk about addiction. And even if they did that, to be honest, I probably wouldn't read them anyway. There's other books that more directly speak to me. Including my books, which are teen romances written from the girls point of view. They are girls because that's what teen romance readers like. But they still have a bit of me in them too. And that speaks to me enough that it doesn't matter. It's a story that speaks to me written in a way that will help the teenage girls who are my audience to connect with it and stick around to see the deeper message.

You have that desire to see things that reflect your life, right? So why is it so hard to understand that the greater mass of the teen audience wants to see things that reflect their life?

And, frankly, I resent the implication that doing drugs and drinking as a teenager is something that makes you a bad person. It doesn't. And it doesn't make you into a failure. It makes you normal. Experimenting with things is at the absolute core of teenage characters; trying things and screwing up and learning and growing into a well rounded adult. Teens try stuff, they are working out who they really are, they are encountering all kinds of things for the first time. And yes, that includes booze and drugs. And if you don't reflect this really common, really normal set of experiences in the slightest then you're missing the point of writing a teen book.

You can write a main character who doesn't drink. But the story still needs these things there in the background, it needs other kids being normal kids. And you have to accept that to most kids reading a teen book, your character who doesn't drink and doesn't go to parties will come across as being weird to them.

 

I remember thinking it was weird that some people never partied, and used to even laugh at people that claimed to never drink or smoke. Then after I got a bit older I realized that my actions of drinking, drugs, and outright awesomeness were actually kinda not-so-awesome as I thought they were.

Don't get me wrong, I still drink a fair amount and get my party on (passes the blunt), but I've learned to respect those that don't as well. We need both in this world, because if we were all getting fucked up all the time there might be some problems, even as youths. I've even kinda been jealous of people that don't "need" it at all. I was also diagnosed with PTSD and severe anxiety issues along with mild ADD. No wonder I was self medicating, so yeah, I'm jealous mostly of those that never had those disorders.

Now would I change my past experiences? Well, maybe just one or two really awful mistakes, but even those I'd probably leave alone. All of that is what made me who I am, and taught me how to handle being that person. That doesn't mean my neighbor next door, who doesn't drink or smoke, anything, really fucked up for not having said experience. I will say that he lacks certain "street smarts" and life experience in general, but you only need those if you're going to be partaking in such things anyway. It's not for everyone, and that's okay. It's not shocking to me anymore really, and it's okay to respect that choice.

 

To the OP:

Before you get too frustrated with all the virtue signaling from everyone (and I'll include myself in that 'everyone' because I can hear the remonstration in my own initial post that it's okay to dabble, but you have to grow up and get str8-laced at some point), I think your take-away from the resultant conversation should be the following:

A human paradigm is, in one sense, a history book of things that happened (or didn't happen), places we've been (or not been), people we met (or didn't meet). Each paradigm, in the context of its respective individual self, is valid. Right or wrong, true or false, are meaningless terms in this realm, and try as we might to impose them on others, they will find no purchase because each of these history books is different. You cannot take a book about the history of Australia and point to a paragraph and say, "That's wrong because in this book over here, about America, it says that in Nebraska something else totally different happened on that date."

That's nonsensical, n'est pas?

So, when you write your story, remember that your characters are people, like you. You are the only you that has ever existed. In the broad strokes there may be many similarities between you and I, but up close, we are as different, one from the other, as a puppy is from a goldfish. When you write your story, remember this, remember that not all your characters may engage things the same way. Even when they do the exact same thing, it may well be for completely different reasons. Jeff may spark up a joint because his mom and dad are used-to-be hippies and as long as it happens in the house where they can keep an eye on things, it's totally cool for Jeff to have some friends over and get high. One of those friends, David, may be there doing the exact same thing as his friends, but it's because things are utter shit at home with his constantly fighting mom and dad, and this get-together is an escape, an afternoon spent with friends and two old hippie parents, who, while embarrassingly overly-hip, are a million times better than the vicious vipers he has at home. Tina may be there just because she's crushing hard on Jennifer, who is also there, and she doesn't actually care about smoking one way or the other, or maybe she doesn't do it at all, but she just wants Jennifer to see her in a certain light so that she does see her.

The presence or lack thereof as regards the things you're talking about are only facets of an entire human paradigm. Whether they get used or never get used, that human paradigm undeniably remains. That's what you're writing about, in the end, human paradigms.

 

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