Joan, now 16 years old, was coming to counseling for an alcohol/drug evaluation. She was drunk at a party at her private high school. The parents described Joan’s behavior as erratic, sometimes very loving and sensitive, and at other times explosively angry and out of control. Joan was not adhering to simple boundaries that her parents had established (e.g. ignoring curfew, not calling if she is going to be late). They knew Joan was smoking marijuana but were unable to prevent her from using it.
Joan reported that she smokes marijuana at parties because it makes her feel relaxed and it makes it easier for her to flirt with guys and feel seductive. Joan also stated that her school was pressuring students in her grade to begin looking into colleges and to prepare to take college entrance exams. Joan does not feel like she is ‘college material’ because she isn’t originally from a wealthy family and none of her family members went to school beyond the ninth grade. Joan repeatedly referred to herself as ‘white trash’ and stated that it was only a matter of time until she “became her parents.” Therefore Joan did not perceive her marijuana use as very problematic, rather as an inevitable part of her future.
Retrieved from: Fields (2010)
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