Custom Search
|
|
Just Say No! By Todd Rutherford
Arlen Booth's Cocaine Coma addresses a problem that many young adults, particularly women, face today: being unwittingly drugged as a "prank" by a twisted individual who either finds it amusing or seeks to take advantage of them. Cocaine Coma chronicles a young woman, Susan, who goes to Florida for vacation after Christmas, before she is to return to Chicago to begin student teaching and spreading her anti-drug message. Although many of these incidences are not as disastrous as Susan's, they inevitably result in lost time that cannot be accounted for, embarrassing displays of uncharacteristic behavior, loss of dignity, health ramifications, and other unfortunate scenarios. Before Susan leaves for her vacation, her father warns her to "be careful what you drink and eat at all those parties," and cautions her "there are so many sick druggies around, so keep alert." Susan abhors drugs and steers very clear of them, taking a firm stance against drug use, reassuring her father that she and her "straight group of friends" have made their own plans. She informs her father that not only does she despise drugs and steer clear of drug users, she even wears a pin to represent her beliefs and attempts to spread them to others; she belongs to a new group called JSN, which stands for "Just Say No." Susan wears a pin on her collar to indicate that she is drug free and is hoping it will become popular. "We think this method may work. Some of us future teachers started it so when we go into the schools to practice teach, it may be cool and spread." JSN is "all about an individual making the right choice for themselves and not following peer or gang pressures." Susan ardently supports the cause, finding it her moral duty to spread because "we have to do something." Although there are many different substances used in these rampant "prank druggings," in Susan's case, it was cocaine, which, unwittingly consumed in a large quantity, brought about heart failure. When an outsider comes into the drug-free New Year's Eve celebration and spikes the punch with cocaine, it leads to the death of both Susan and her new drug-free boyfriend, Victor, who together consume more than everyone else, being the first to the punch, they scoop "toppings" onto their drinks, thinking it is powdered sugar to flavor the punch. As her mother, Carol, goes through Susan's personal effects and finds her JSN pin, she ponders, "How sad, the thing she was so against took her life." Both Victor and Susan's parents are devastated by the loss of their children, "With heavy hearts, Carol and Mike returned to their jobs the next week. Most of their co-workers had been at the visitation or the funeral and had provided many words of regret and encouragement. None of these words could fill the void left by Susan's death. Susan was a physical part of them. She was part of their soul that had developed into a beautiful young woman." Carol contemplates, "Who knew the loss they felt inside? Only a parent who had lost a child could ever know the feeling of emptiness." While Susan's story represents a very extreme case of a prank drugging, it resonates with people of many generations, young people who have either personally fallen victim to prank drugging or have witnessed friends who have, and parents who have been through turmoil with their children who fell victim. Booth has a gift for identifying societal problems and addresses a very real problem of today's generation in an artful and intriguing way, serving as words of warning to young people. Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com Learn more about virtual book tours. Stop by Todd Rutherford's site where you can find out all about reviews for books and what they can do for you. |
|