How drugs and alcohol can destroy our lives

Every day we need to make a choice. We decide what to do, where to go and with whom to communicate. It usually happens that some of our choices are better than other, but sometimes we made such decisions in our life that have far-reaching and devastating consequences. To be honest, people make a lot of mistakes in their lives for various reasons. They ruin a lot of valuable relationships with people dear to them and other aspects of their life choosing the slippery path of drugs intake, alcohol consumption, and smoking. I knew that tobacco, drugs, and alcohol could be extremely harmful to human’s body almost destroying it. But only after becoming the part of a D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program I understood the level of risk people could put themselves in as well as their friends and families.

But it’s hard to make proper decisions if people around you constantly encourage you to try things like drugs, tobacco or alcohol. Usually, these can be your close friends, acquaintances, relatives or other people with whom you often meet and spend time. The biggest influence comes from peers – these are people you see the most, whose opinions mean something to you and with whom you want to maintain good relationships. They can provoke you to rash actions about which you will regret in the future. Young people can be gullible and inexperienced which makes them the perfect targets.

During the program, I have been told how to protect myself from bad and hasty decisions. If I intend to be a good pupil, student, employee, colleague and citizen, the D.A.R.E. Decision Making Model will be of great use. It teaches pupils how to be reasonable, consider the risks and hazards of a particular situation and to give people the cold shoulder to those people who propose them any illegal substances. As a rule, people who are encouraging others to try something illegal are not aware of the damaging outcomes.

Being a part of a social group, you are subjected to the peer pressure. At the beginning, everything starts as a fun, just a mere entertainment with a couple of friends who want to spend some time joyfully. But all it takes to become a drug addict is to try this substance once. All these drugs, cigarettes and alcoholic drinks are very addictive – a person gets used to them in no time. Plus, even if the drug addict decides to finish with this addictive consumption, it’s extremely complicated and in some cases impossible. The outcomes can be very dreadful – overdose and death. If someone starts taking drugs, they can’t live without them anymore and forget about their social life searching a new fix.

It’s important to know how to deal with peer pressure and to say “no, ” or else the misuse of these substances can damage your entire life. To lead a healthy and long life people should avoid drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes. We all can get addicted to using these things especially taking into consideration the number of advertisements and commercials about positive features of drinking and smoking. These commercials are financed by big multi-national corporations who are making money on people’s health. Somehow, after such insights, the general public doesn’t always consider cigarettes or alcohol harmful enough not to consume them or prevent their kids from doing the same.

But constant intake of these substances can lead to numerous negative side effects for our bodies and mind – bad sleep, stomach troubles, repetitive headaches, damage to kidney, liver, and lungs, nervousness, aggressiveness and many others. As a rule, cancer is waiting for such people at the end of their road. To get a fix, any drug addict is ready to steal, lie, abuse, deceive and neglect their friends and relatives. These people always hurt their loved ones as they don’t pay attention to anything except for their destructive needs.

I am very grateful to be given the opportunity to take part in a D. A. R. E. program as I have learned a lot of valuable information about various legal and illegal substances to enhance my life and stay away from troubles. Our instructor has explained how using drugs, smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol can deteriorate our health and social life. Now I realize how to protect myself from bad influence and prevent risky situations. After hearing real-life stories of people about their substance addictions and how they had to struggle to get rid of them, I have decided to lead a drug-free life. Drugs will never help me to become smarter, to build a good career or to be a better friend.

Work Sites

• Drug and alcohol abuse: the authoritative guide for parents, teachers, and counselors, Howard T.Milhorn – Plenum Press – 1994
• Human physiology: from cells to systems, Lauralee Sherwood