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Teen Topics: Joke Gone Awry

teenheaderLast week a friend of mine told me a story about a situation one of our acquaintances had encountered, and I would like to share it with you, with hopes that you will take away some of the lessons that I did.

A high school student, who we will call “Bob” was working on an assignment in class when another kid came up to his computer and shut it down as a practical joke. Having lost all of his work, he was understandably upset. Unfortunately in his anger, Bob punched the other boy in the face and an altercation ensued. A couple of weeks later, after Christmas vacation, Bob came back to school and was sitting with his friends. Knowing that Bob likes Gatorade, his best friends offer him a bottle to drink. Not thinking anything of this, Bob accepted and drank the entire bottle. Little did he know that the kid who he had punched had suggested to Bob’s friends that they mix seven sleeping pills into his Gatorade as a practical joke. Throughout the day Bob felt dizzy, nauseous, and was unable to concentrate on his school work. After it seemed like Bob was on the verge of passing out, his so called “friends” realized that maybe what they had done was not such a great idea and told him about the sleeping pills. Bob was taken to the hospital and his stomach had to be pumped to get rid of the toxins from the sleeping pills. Sleeping pills can be fatal when taken in excess and Bob was extremely lucky that he ended up remaining healthy.

When I heard this story, I was flabbergasted that students in high school can be ignorant enough to commit such horrible “practical jokes.” Just like any other kid, I accept food and drinks from my friends all the time without thinking twice about it. However this story opened my eyes and made me realize that even with your best friends it is always best to exercise caution. Even what seems like a harmless joke can end up having dire consequences. With prom and graduation parties just around the corner, I wanted to emphasize the fact that you can never be too careful, even with people that you trust the most.

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