Drug Interviews: One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven | Eight | Nine | Ten

DATE: Tuesday 21st August 2001 (2 days later)

GOR: (on the telephone) Hello, hello?

QUESTION: Where are you?

GOR: At home.

QUESTION: How did you get there? What are you doing?

GOR: I ran away.

QUESTION: You are kidding. Why? What happened?

GOR: It wasn't a good place and my friend Dum had a problem with his mum.

QUESTION: How did you get here?

GOR: We came by taxi.

QUESTION: Do your parents know?

GOR: Yes, of course. I told them the story and they understand. I asked them if I can stay at home now because I have finished that medicine. The last day was yesterday.

QUESTION: But that medicine isn't enough to make you stop doing drugs. You are going to be at home now with your friends all day. Who is going to look after you?

GOR: My friends who have stopped taking drugs. They will look after me.

QUESTION: How is that going to work? It didn't work before.

GOR: How do you know? It is not the same!!

QUESTION: I am not really happy about this. Before you were saying you will be scared to take any more drugs because your parents will send you back to that drug rehab and you will have to take that medicine. Now that you have run away and your parents won't send you back, what is stopping you now?

GOR: It is not the same!!! You don't understand.

QUESTION: You are right, I don't understand.

GOR: You know what? If I stay there it is easier for me to get drugs. It is also a waste of money. It is cheaper if I stay here now.

QUESTION: OK. I understand that. I didn't really like that place. It was a waste of time. But, I don't really understand what you are doing next.

GOR: I will stay at home all the time. I am not going to go out.

QUESTION: What do you mean? Won't you go back to school?

GOR: For a while I won't go to school. I will just stay at home. And then later I am going to go to school.

QUESTION: When is later?

GOR: I am not sure.

QUESTION: Are you sure this is a good idea?

GOR: Yes.

QUESTION: But, this is what you wanted before. To skip school and spend the day with your friends. How is this going to make you better.

GOR: You don't understand. I chose this way and I have talked to my parents already and they agree with me. This Saturday my parents will take me to a hospital in Bangkok to see a doctor.

QUESTION: OK. Changing the subject a little, will the police do anything about you running away? You said to me on Sunday that they will come after you and take you back and then lock you up if you try to run away.

GOR: They won't come to look for me. My parents told them they don't know where I am.

QUESTION: Isn't this a bit risky. How do you know for sure they won't come looking for you.

GOR: They are not going to come all the way here to look for me.

QUESTION: Of course they are not! That is why the telephone was invented and that is why they have police stations in each city.

GOR: They won't come for sure.

QUESTION: OK. But, be careful tomorrow. It is Ok at the moment as your parents are there. But tomorrow you said you will be home alone.

DATE: Sunday 26th August 2001 (5 days later)

QUESTION: It is now 5 days since you ran away from drug rehab. Can you bring me up-to-date? How are you feeling now?

GOR: I am feeling better. I am just staying at home, eating and sleeping. I am a bit bored sometimes.

QUESTION: Do you still think it was a good decision to stay here instead of at the drug rehab?

GOR: Yes, I think it better here. It is cheaper staying at home. I feel more comfortable and I can stay with my parents and my brother.

QUESTION: When I visited you last Wednesday your Mum had taken the day off work and was looking after you. You weren't alone like you thought you would be. And now today your grandmother is here. Is there someone here all the time looking after you?

GOR: Yes, nearly. Sometimes I am alone and sometimes my friends come and visit.

QUESTION: Are these friends still on drugs?

GOR: Yes, they are. But, they know I have stopped. They are not allowed to tease me about drugs or take drugs in front of me. They know I am trying to stop.

QUESTION: Is your grandmother sleeping here now?

GOR: Yes. I think she will stay here all this week.

QUESTION: How are you feeling as far as drugs go? Do you feel like you need the drugs?

GOR: Yes, sometimes. That is why I try to sleep most of the time.

QUESTION: How do you keep your mind off drugs? If you are bored with nothing to do, are you thinking about drugs?

GOR: I am thinking about my friends. But, if I am bored I read cartoon books or sleep.

QUESTION: Are you thinking about the times you were together with your friends taking drugs?

GOR: No, no. I am not thinking about that.

QUESTION: I want to ask you about school now. Do they know you ran away?

GOR: No, they don't know.

QUESTION: How will this work then? I thought it was the school's idea for you to go to drug rehab. If they find out you have run away they might not let you back.

GOR: This Tuesday I am going to see a doctor in Bangkok.

QUESTION: Didn't you go on Saturday?

GOR: No, we changed it. He will give me some medicine. It was my mum's idea. She is hoping that this will make the school happy if I do this.

QUESTION: At the moment, when are you planning to go back to study?

GOR: I am not sure yet.

QUESTION: If you go back to school before the exams at the end of next month, will you be prepared enough for them?

GOR: No.

QUESTION: These are the end-of-term exams. They are important as they are half-way through the year. Are you worried that if you fail they might make you take this year again?

GOR: I don't think they will. But, if they do I don't mind.

QUESTION: But you might end up in the same class as your ex-girlfriend?

GOR: So, what? Who cares?

QUESTION: What about the army cadets at the weekend? You told me that you are only allowed to miss 4 lessons. They might now make you do four years instead of three years.

GOR: I am thinking I might stop learning it. I am not sure yet.

QUESTION: That is Ok for the moment. But you know that if you don't join the army cadets now you have to do the "lucky dip" when you are 20. If you are unlucky you have to be a full-time soldier for two years.

GOR: Yes, I know. I am not sure about it.

QUESTION: What is the story with the police and the drug rehab center? Do they know where you are?

GOR: They don't know. They only rang the first two days. My parents said that I am not at home and that they don't know where I am. I don't think they care about it anymore as they haven't rung again.

QUESTION: OK. We'll leave it there for now. I'll speak to you again later in the week to see what happened with the doctor.