Ask Sam letter

Hi there,

Thanks for writing in to me it sounds like you needed someone to talk to about what is going on for your friend and how it is making you feel.

I can hear that you are concerned about your friend and that you want to support her to ‘get over her over this’. It sounds like you are already helping her by looking out for her and being there for her. I know that you might want to do more to get her to stop, but it’s important to remember that it has to be your friend’s choice to want to stop taking the drugs completely.

It can be difficult to see someone close to you taking drugs as you can probably see the effects on your friend. It sounds like you’ve already got a good idea about the risks of taking drugs on your friend’s health and wellbeing. For more specific information about this, check out the drugs page in Explore, or look at the Talk to Frank website (it has some good advice on what to do if you’re worried about a friend).

It can be difficult and stressful to be worried about someone else. Perhaps you could think about whether there are any adults around that you would be able to talk to. Sometimes it can be helpful to just tell an adult that you are worried about a friend and why, even if you don’t feel ready to tell them who that friend is. At least that way they can help you to cope with those feelings, so that you don’t having to deal with them on your own.

The ChildLine message board could also be of use to you as there are messages posted by other young people who may be going through similar things. You can even post questions on there yourself and ask for other people’s advice.

I just want to let you know that if you wanted to talk about what is going on for you then you can always speak to a counsellor at ChildLine either by logging on for a 1-2-1 chat, or by calling for free on 0800 1111. The counsellors are there for you and would like to help support you.

Take care,

Sam