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Anonymous
1
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Alcohol can lead to many different
things. Most of the time, it leads to regrets and bad
decisions. There is so much to risk when alcohol is abused,
meaning drinking to get "waster".
Most of the drinking is brought on by
peers.
One major thing alcohol affects is
family. Often families have at least one alcoholic in their
line of family. It causes great harm and discomfort to be
constantly in that situation. Families struggle everyday
with alcohol related issues.
Everyday someone dies from an alcohol
related crash. These are mostly caused by drunk drivers. The
sad part is that usually the drunk driver is the one who
lives. I am going to say it is not worth all the "could
happens".
This past summer, my friend and I were
at my house. We were just hanging out watching TV when we
heard a knock on my window. I opened my blinds to look
outside when I saw two of my guy friends in the bushes. One
had a huge bottle of Jack Daniel's in their hand and they
were both completely drunk. I yelled at them to go away so I
would not get in trouble. My friend and I decided to go down
the hall and wait till they left. About five minutes after
both of them came walking down my hallway. They had climbed
through my bathroom window uninvited. I brought them back to
my room and tried to convince them to leave and go sleep in
their truck. I made a mistake by not waking up my parents. I
thought I could deal with it myself. I found out that I was
wrong when one of the guys got in his truck. Me and my
friend took the other guy in our car and followed him down
the river road. He sped up so fast we lost sight of him
until all we saw were bright orange sparks that had flown
from his truck. He had fallen asleep at the wheel and
flipped over the bank into the cow pasture upside down. He
had totaled his truck. We all panicked and jumped out of the
car. To our surprise he was alive with no major injuries. He
had gotten very lucky. He is now facing DUI charges and will
be in court in a couple of months.
Teen drinking is very common in this
town. There are many parties happening every weekend. I
think two of the main reasons for teen drinking in this town
are rebellion and boredom. It is very easy to choose a party
with friends vs. staying at home and being bored. A lot of
the time people go not thinking they will drink and peers
convince them to. Every morning-after they wish they hadn't.
Alcohol isn't worth it.
__________________________________
Jonathan Van
Derschaaf
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Alcohol is evil. It ruins lives and
should be illegal. For some reason, which I can't
comprehend, people like it. Even though it gives you a
beer-belly and completely devastates your liver, people
still drink it. People even tell me that it tastes
bad! Why drink something that tastes bad and is
unhealthy for you. I will never get that concept.
I live with my mom and neither of us
drink. But I most my dad because of alcohol. Before I was
born my dad used to drink, and abuse my mom. He used to yell
and say harmful things to my brother and sister. It
continued to happen until I was born. I was pretty little so
I don't remember most of it. I do remember my brother being
really scared one night and telling me to hide under the
bed. While I was hiding I heard some yelling, but I still
don't know what truly happened. When I was in kindergarten
my dad moved to California, to a rehab center, and my mom
divorced him.
My dad was a good guy, I'm told, but
when he used alcohol he became a violent man. We moved often
because he couldn't keep a job. My brother and sister had to
change schools almost every year. My dad also tried to kill
himself many times. He almost succeeded. He took a whole
bottle of his antidepressant pills and washed it down with
alcohol. But he survived. When I was told that story I was
very disappointed. It showed me know weak a man he really
was. He was very sad inside and tried to fix it with alcohol
use. The alcohol turned his sadness and depression into rage
that he took out on his own family.
I'm thankful my mom had the strength
and courage to take alcohol out of our house. I have
witnessed the effects of alcohol on the people you love and,
because of that, will never accept it. I'm the lucky one in
my family. I never had to truly deal with the wrath of that
monster, who claimed be was my father. I have no Earthbound
father. My only father is God.
__________________________________
Kinder
Sands
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I don't have a sad experience or a
heart wrenching story of my own or any personal experience
I've had or encountered involving alcohol to tell you. But I
can't say that sometime in my life I won't. I won't ever
say, "That won't ever happen to me."
I can tell you that, if not all,
probably most people who have had a traumatic experience
involving alcohol have said "That won't happen to me." But
it very well did and that could be me or you. I know I won't
ever drink irresponsibly, but who's to say someone I am
close to with or know won't? And even if I or anyone I
love don't drink, it's still possible for alcohol to affect
me. Everyday people drink and drive. On average 500
people are given DUIs in American per day. That is 500
'accidents' waiting to occur every day.
When I was eight years old, I decided
I wouldn't ever drink. I was on vacation at a camping resort
up the McKenzie River located near Eugene, Oregon. Along the
river is a highway. There are many houses on and near the
road. Among those houses was a family of four in a pretty
blue house. The seven years old daughter knew as far as she
could go in her yard before it was too close to the road.
She would be a junior today attending Thurston High School
with her big brother who is now a senior. Every day they
think of their baby girl, his baby sister, their
granddaughters, or his/her child friend and wonder how
someone could be so irresponsible. "I thought she was a
small trash can," was the man's excuse for hitting the seven
year old blonde little girl playing with her Barbies in her
own front yard. He was driving drunk and hit the small child
at 48 miles per hour. Her body wasn't displayed at her own
funeral because it was in separate pieces.
Ten years later, I am still sticking
to my word. I won't drink alcohol. I don't see the point in
it. If you need to be drunk to have good times then that's
sad. Why drink something hurting your liver and feeding your
body calories that cost too much when you have plenty other
refreshing drinks available? I just think it's a waste,
even if you are drinking responsibly.
I am very thankful to not have any
personal stories involving alcohol. Sometime in my life that
might change, but for now I'll do what I can to prevent the
possible and if it does happen to me at least I was smart
and said "That could happen to me."
__________________________________
Chase
Ransomer
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Peer
Pressure
Alcohol has not affected my life in
many ways. Not because I haven't been pressured but because
I have said "No!" Peer pressure is a major cause of why most
teens drink. I have resisted alcohol because of my morals
and beliefs, setting good examples for younger kids, and my
athletic desires.
I have chosen to stay alcohol free
because I don't want to live life under the influence of
anything besides myself. Alcohol impairs your judgment and
is the highest rating for car accidents. My morals and
beliefs have taught me to make good decisions. Alcohol is
illegal until 21 years of age and it's a misdemeanor if you
get caught carrying it. You also receive an MIP and get your
license revoked for a year.
Young kids and other fellow high
schoolers in our community don't always get good examples
set for them. I make it a point to always lead by example.
Kids see bad examples set for them every day by their
parents, siblings, or friends. I want to be a positive
example that when kids aren't sure what to do that they can
always have something to look back on. Don't give excuses,
take responsibility for your actions and make the right
choice.
My number one desire in life is to
play Division 1 basketball. By using alcohol and giving into
peer pressure I hurt my team and let them down. I want to
stay eligible and work hard every day so I can always
perform at my best. Alcohol not only hurts your performance
but it also hurts your future. Coaches in college want a
good, well-rounded kid that does not have alcohol related
issues off the court. Issues with alcohol off the court
takes away your focus when you are on the court. The best
way to avoid alcohol is to not put yourself in bad
situations. Stay away from parties, even if you think you're
not going to drink! That's when the pressure starts, and if
you can't handle the heat then stay out of the
kitchen.
Peer pressure is a major cause of why
a lot of teens drink. Next time you get pressured think
about your morals, goals and the fact that alcohol is
illegal. Keep yourself away from bad situations and just say
"No!"
__________________________________
Anonymous
5
_______________________________________________________
My take on
alcohol
Alcohol has been used by people close
to me my whole life, but it hasn't ever impacted my life in
a bad way. My parents always drink on occasions or every now
and then, but they never overdo it to where it is a bad
thing. They go to get-togethers with family and friends
drinking for a good time. My older brother drinks in college
but still manages to be the same person socially and in the
classroom. All the people around me just happen to be smart
about their drinking - though most people would say drinking
in the first place isn't very smart.
I don't think much about people
drinking unless I see them overdo it and something bad
happens, which is on a rare occasion. There are parties all
the time where kids my age get trashed and never get caught.
For myself, I have never consumed alcohol illegally and I
don't plan on ever doing it. But by being at these places I
sometimes get pressured to try it. Talking my way against
doing it has never been a problem and everyone is usually
pretty cool about it when I deny them the beverage. I also
don't really put myself in situations to where there is
major alcohol consumption and parties. But when people ask
why I don't drink, I tell them that I don't really have
anything against it and that I just have something else I
have to do later like practice or work; and that they can do
whatever they life.
Most of the time people around me
don't drink at times for the fear of getting into trouble
with the authorities. I don't have this fear because getting
away with drinking really isn't hard for me at all. I could
access it through many people and places but I choose not
to. Like most parents, mine let me try it under their
supervision at home, but I still decide to refuse it.
So I guess I don't really have any sob
story to tell on how alcohol has affected my life but I can
say one things for a lot of the people that claim they do. A
lot of the time it is their own choice to drink that messes
them up in the long run. Most people I hear about know the
consequences of drinking and still complain when something
bad happens. All I can say is that if I ever do decide to
drink, I will do so knowing the consequences of what can
happen in the situation and will accept what happens as my
fault.
__________________________________
Anonymous
6
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Let me tell you a story about a fairly
that was virtually destroyed by alcohol. I will not divulge
whether is my family, or another. I have seen things no one
should have to. The effects of alcohol on this family were
devastating. I have witnessed fights with father against
son. I have witnessed screaming matches, where punches were
thrown. I have seen alcohol tear people apart, cause
devastation, and in the end,death.
In the beginning, this family was
perfect. The mom, Julie, was always fun, and the dad, Nick,
was a good father figure. Their oldest, Chris, was a nearly
grown man, and was turning into a very good person. Their
youngest, Jaime, was a good girl who never got in trouble at
school (she was in 6th grade). This family had put up a
front. The same kind many people put up to hide their secret
pain. Day by day, incident by incident, this family got
worse. It started slow, Julie and Nick would fight, or Jaime
would just disappear. Slowly, it got bigger, Nick would
fight with Chris, grab him by the throat and tell him he was
worthless, and Chris would wander the streets until two A.M.
wondering where he would sleep that night.
Julie was an alcoholic; she got drunk
every night of the week. Nick didn't drink very often, but
when he did, he got mean. Chris and Jaime had different ways
of dealing with this. Chris would try to help, playing the
role of marriage counselor most of the time. He would try to
protect Jaime from all the fighting and screaming, but he
couldn't be there all the time. Jaime would disappear for
hours, or even days at a time. She would go partying with
her friends, drinking, doing drugs, and having sex. She was
spinning out of control fast, because there was no one there
to guide her.
I will never forget that devastating
night in June, the breaking point. Julie and Nick had been
out to a bar all night. When they got home, the house was
instantly filled with yelling. By the time Chris got
downstairs, Nick had Julie on the ground, choking her. It
was apparent they were both drunk. Chris threw Nick off of
her, turning the heat to him. Next thing I knew, Nick was
strangling Chris and Chris couldn't get away. Julie was
screaming for them to stop. I was frozen. I had no idea what
to do. Julie called the police. When they got there,
everyone was interviewed, and Nick went to jail. When he got
out, Julie wasn't there. He killed himself less than a month
later.
This family was devastated, and
destroyed by alcohol. Before this, I had no idea what
alcohol could do. In memory Nick, I ask all of you - stop
drinking now, while your family is still whole. Your
drinking could be affecting your family more than you know.
Just don't do it.
__________________________________
Anonymous
7
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Two
Sides
Alcohol is a simple 7 letter word
which effects many people's daily lives. In the dictionary
alcohol is classified as "A distilled fruit," but to the
eyes of a teen, a wife, a husband, a child, a spouse,
alcohol is escape, addiction, abuse, molestation, rape,
death. Though I have never been beaten, never been molested,
never got the worst of an alcoholic family, I still got
impacted greatly.
As a child I saw alcohol as just a
beverage mommy and daddy liked. But as I grew older, I
realized that it was the transformation from Dr. Jekyll to
Mr. Hyde. I would come home to find my mom wasted on the
couch, and therefore escape to my room. I never got the
glory of being a child. The park, going on walks, mom and
daughter time was out of the picture. When I played sports
in grade school my mom and step dad did happen to come to
maybe 3 or 4 of my games, of course with that big orange cup
filled with their addiction. Maybe if I was lucky I wouldn't
have to see them get into a huge fight and leave.
Not only is my family involved in a
great deal of alcohol, so many of my friends revolve their
life around it. I helped my best friend overcome her
drinking problem. Four times a week she would drink, I
showed her that she didn't need alcohol to have fun, nor did
she need it to rid herself of stress, and all the down falls
of life. She has now been sober for a year.
Of course being in high school I have
had the chances to drink, and people have tried to peer
pressure me. I have always been a strong willed and good
kid, and I think growing up around alcohol really made me
know that I didn't want to grow up to be an alcoholic like
my mom and dad. Seeing firsthand what alcohol actually does
to your mind and body gave me strength to easily say no.
Being underage and drinking has no good outcome; you can
lose your license, lose your friends, lose your money, and
even lose your life. Why risk the things that mean the most
to you? To a pair of sober eyes you see so much more than
just a good time. The feeling is indescribable'; abandoned,
hurt, lost, all describe the way it feels growing up in an
alcoholic family. Experiencing the things I had to
experience made me know I would never be like that nor would
I ever put my children through the pain and agony I went
through.
__________________________________
Anonymous
8
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I don't see anything wrong with
underage drinking as long as you're smart about it. There
are people that get smashed every night and pretty much live
their whole lives in a constant hangover. I don't agree with
that. But every once in a while, as long as you're not
putting yourself or anyone else in danger, I really don't
see why it's so bad.
Once, my friend and I wanted to go to
a party down in Crescent City. Neither of us really knew the
people that we were going to hang out with very well, so
that made it a little scary. We had to take quite a few
precautions to make our adventure very safe and
secure.
Before we left, I called two of my
friends and told them the address so they could come get us
if anything happened. One of them also called me
periodically throughout the night to make sure we were still
okay.
One of the biggest problems we had was
figuring out where we were going to sleep. We didn't want to
stay at the party house since we didn't know the people, and
I did not want to drive home that late at night. So we
decided to stay the night at a hotel. We also decided to
take a cab to and from the party. Not only did it keep us
from getting lost, but it was safer than us trying to talk
at one in the morning. And driving was not going to be an
option, given how much alcohol we were planning on
consuming. We also agreed on a time to leave so that neither
of us would be stuck there longer than we wanted to
be.
I know that most old people are
against underage drinking and I can see where they're coming
from. A lot of people don't plan and don't think about the
consequences that could happen. I know a lot of girls that
will go to parties with boys they don't even know and stay
the night with them. Or they will try to drive home that
same night while they are still all drunk and high. I think
those are both really stupid choices and I'm sure that's why
adults don't want us drinking.
But there are safe ways to go to
parties and stuff. We had so much fun and nothing bad happen
to us at all.
_________________________________
Anonymous
9
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I don't have a particular bad
experience having to do with alcohol. However, I have seen
and realized that alcohol does change people, ultimately for
the worse. My Dad regularly drinks every night. He will
drink around ten beers on average. He doesn't get smashed or
anything, but I can definitely see a difference in him
between daytime and nighttime.
First he gets really nice and happy.
Sometimes he stays that way, sometimes he doesn't. Alcohol
is a mood amplifier so if something makes him mad, he starts
yelling a lot. He has never hit anyone, nor have I ever been
afraid that he would. I just hate seeing him so mad. And to
make things worse, he won't listen to anything people say
when he has been drinking so I just have to leave him alone
for awhile.
Then there's all the money that he
spends on beer. He always has at least forty-eight beers in
his fridge. I'm sure he spends thousands of dollars a year
on it. That's a lot of money to be spending on something
that slowly kills you and tears apart families. I can only
imagine all of the useful things he could buy with the money
he spends on beer.
I am afraid for my Dad that he is
going to get cirrhosis of the liver, or some deadly disease
like that. I've talked to my Dad about this, but he just
says not to worry and that he will be fine. When you drink
for thirty years straight with no end in sight, alcohol will
destroy your body from the inside out.
These kinds of things are exactly what
make me now want to drink alcohol. I don't want my family to
be afraid of me or think down on me and I don't want to
disappoint anyone. My biggest fear is that I'm going to end
up the same way as my Dad but my wife won't be as nice and
forgiving. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I ended
up losing my family due to alcohol.
__________________________________
Anonymous
10
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I'm a rare occurrence. Not many
seventeen year olds can say they have never drank before.
Granted, I have tried different kinds of alcohol before just
to see what it tastes like, but I have never been drunk or
really anywhere close. Alcohol doesn't appeal to me at all.
The only thing I see when people drink is them acting stupid
and making fools of themselves. It also scares me. I'm
worried how I will personally react to alcohol. I don't like
thinking that I won't be in control of what I am doing and
saying. It's my personal choice; I avoid alcohol at all
costs.
In my opinion, there are only two
reasons teenagers drink: either they have real problems
(home, school, whatever) that they are trying to get away
from or because their friends are. Some people might
disagree by saying that the reason they do it is because
it's fun. And that might be true, but is it fun to go home
and drink by yourself? No. It's fun to drink with your
friends. I hate to use the term "peer pressure" because it's
old, overused and kind of vague, but in reality that's
what's happening. Only now you don't have to worry about
being asked if you want a drink. You go with the intention
of doing it before hand. You make the conscious choice. I
try and avoid situations where I know drinking is going on.
Just recently my best friend asked me if I wanted to drink
with her and one other person. She told me that she thought
I would be a lot more fun if I "loosened up" and had a
drink. I said no but it was really hard. Harder than I
thought it would be.
The truth is that Curry County's
drinking problems are a lot worse than people think It sucks
that there are kids in our community living in abusive,
alcoholic homes. That shouldn't be happening but it is. As
far as teens drinking, it's always happened and probably
always will. Telling them to "just say no" is not going to
solve the problem. It depends on the person and whether or
not they are willing to hang out with different people or
find somewhere else to hang out on Saturday. If they want to
stop drinking and partying they have to remove them self
from the situation that will cause them to do it and
possibly even stop hanging out with the friends that
encourage and join in the drinking. It's about the choice
and you have to make your own.
_________________________________
Anonymous
11
______________________________________________________
Here we are again driving to find a
hotel to stay at to hide from him for the night. The 4th of
July fireworks illuminate the dark night sky. We keep the
radio playing to drown out our silence to keep the words we
all want to say inside.
This isn't the first time we've been
down this road, and it surely won't be the last. My brother
and I both realize this as we look at the rear view mirror
and see my mother's expression. We share a glance and sigh,
as my mother pulls into a driveway and turns around. I lean
my head against the window and watch as we get closer to
home.
As we drive back to our house, our
mother tries to defend her boyfriend and what he has done to
her; but they have no effect on me. I've heard the same
excuses a hundred times before. I glance at my little
sisters and see tears streaming down their puffy red cheeks.
I've lost sympathy for my mom, and now I only hold animosity
towards her. My brother and I have dealt with this since we
were born, but to see my sisters go through the same thing
breaks my heart. I'm upset that my mother allows him to have
this control over her, and that she makes us go through
this. For my sisters to grow up in this household with him
around, makes me sick to my stomach, and the tears fall down
harder.
We near the house as red and blue cop
lights send their radiance through the somber night. My mom
fixes her make-up as she gets ready to fool the cops for
what seems like the hundredth time. My brother and I usher
my sisters past the officers, my mom, and the man who has
the innocent smile and blood on his knuckles. As we near the
door my heart plummets as I hear her excuses fall out of her
mouth and I know now that this will happen again. I want to
yell at them and say this has happened before. That this is
nothing compared to what has happened before; dislocated
shoulders, broken arms, black eyes. I wish the officers
would see past the lies, and see the bruises, cuts, and fear
hiding behind her eyes. But like every other time, the cops
will simply give him a warning, a mere slap on the wrist,
and be on their way.
We push the front door open and tiptoe
around the shattered photo frames and broken beer bottles.
My sisters walk to their rooms as my brother gets a
broom.
We finish cleaning near midnight and
tacitly make our way to our rooms. I glance into the living
room and see the sinner on the couch passed out with empty
beer bottles on the floor. I turn the lights off and walk to
my room. His rage is over - for tonight at least.
__________________________________
Anonymous
12
______________________________________________________
My birth father was an
alcoholic, among the worst kind, too, having another
addiction to accompany this bad habit: he also abused
steroids. Then again, addictions often go hand-in-hand with
each other. This isn't about steroids, though, but giving
you that extra piece of information may provide more insight
to his behavior.
Although we only lived with him for
the first two months of my life, having never actually known
the man, and the only knowledge I have of him and his
behavior is my mother's recollection of the experience, I
feel it may have destroyed any chance of me ever fully
trusting another man as a dad. It's true; alcohol abuse
obliterates pretty much anyone's chance and ability of being
anywhere near a functional parent.
He didn't know how to care for a child
at all. One episode my mom has told me of took place when I
was left at home to be cared for by my father while my mom
went to work out. When she returned, she came into the scene
of me sitting in my crib, crying dearly, while he sat in a
chair, staring at me, with a beer in his hand, not knowing
what to do.
On top of this episode of negligence,
he would also throw objects at my mom, physically and
mentally harm and degrade her while drunk, and simply
abandon his role as a husband and father by taking only to
himself and his own interests (drinking, working out,
steroids, etc.).
Though we left this lifestyle rather
quickly, as I said, when I was only two months old, having
this in my history and being on my own blood affects and
worries me greatly. I had my first taste of alcohol when I
was two years old at an uncle's wedding because I was
curious what all the adults were drinking and wanted to try
it. Ever since, I've always had an interest in it. I didn't
have another drop until I was thirteen, though, but drank
every chance I got after than. Though I thought it was fun
at the time, it has caused nothing but problems I've nearly
died twice from alcohol, and even though I've vowed never to
do it again, I'm always in fear of becoming an alcoholic
because it's in my genes.
The greatest thing that keeps me from
it is not only the experiences it's put me through and the
people so dear to me who I know it would hurt, but the drive
to be everything the man who aided in my creation was not; a
real father. Alcohol destroys that possibility, and when I
have kids, I want to be the greatest dad that I can, the
father I never had.
__________________________________
Kevin
Bachler
______________________________________________________
It was a Sunday morning. I opened the
newspaper and the first article I saw shocked me. Four
teenagers killed in a car accident. The driver was drunk. As
I read the article, I head my sister coming out of her room
crying. She entered the room and I asked her what was wrong.
She saw the big picture in the article, points at it and
tells me two of the four kids were Lisa and Anne, two high
school friends of her. I was totally shocked.
You know when you read those articles
in the newspapers about accidents and death you know you
should be very upset about it and pay a lot of attention to
it. But in fact it never really hits you. It is just some
buy who died somewhere. It happens all the time. But this
case was different.
There are these two girls you saw last
Friday in school joking around, and now they are dead. That
is hard to believe. But it says it here in black and white.
Four teenagers dead. The driver was drunk. The driver was
drunk? Yes, it is true that Lisa and Anne partied a
lot. So there is a good possibility that they were with
somebody drunk.
A couple of weeks later, my sister
went to their funeral. On their headstones it
said:
Lisa Schmidt 1988-2006
Anne Lauser 1987-2006
They were kids. They did not have to
much of life. Both of them were under 20 years
old.
I am 17 and I am making my plans for
life right now and none of these plans include dying at 19.
When I think of them, I always think about them on their
last Friday when they were joking around. Never about the
picture of the accident in the newspaper. If the driver
would have stayed sober I would see them joking around this
Friday.
__________________________________
Anonymous
14
______________________________________________________
The first drink of alcohol I ever took
was my seventh grade year, I am not ashamed of it, not am I
proud. I may have gotten sick and gone to the hospital to
get my stomach pumped and had a good story, but I didn't
know it was the beginning of a horrible high school
life.
I started out stealing it from my
parent's stash in the cupboard, a shot here shot there.
Something to do, you know? In Eighth grade I really
thought I was pretty cool, doing that the other kids only
talked about doing. I started smoking pot: the whole nine
yards for a 13 or 14 year old. You don't take the time to
sit back and think of what all this can become when you are
drunk. All I was worried about was having fun.
I hit freshman year, and started going
to parties with upperclassmen. Drinking had become a main
priority for me because I had just been arrested for having
pot and couldn't do that anymore. I don't think I had an
addiction, yet. I drank my first beers today; it was a
Natural Ice 16 ounce. I drank them one by one till I was
sick all night. After that I said I would never drink
again.
Sophomore year came around and my
intent not to drink had been shot down. I would not call it
peer pressure, but the fact that all my friends had just
begun to dabble around with drugs and alcohol, it made me
want to do it with them and have some more fun. So here I am
drunk, sweating every time I even look at a drink of
alcohol, and I began drinking out of hand, more often. This
was the beginning to a very troublesome home life's, being
hung over all the time and fighting with my parents. It's
all horrible.
Junior year I became an alcoholic. I
acquired a new love; its name is Jack Daniel's. I was
drinking almost every night and getting hammered every
weekend. I became indulged in a life of alcohol and drugs.
The only thing I cared about was the next time I was going
to get loaded. I began getting stomach aches all the time,
and started throwing up blood when I drank till I got sick.
Every time I looked at any alcohol I wanted it so bad, but
it made me sick whenever I drank it. I had a really bad
experience one night; I got too drunk and started throwing
up a lot of blood. I passed out and broke my nose on a
coffee table. After that I swore never to drink
again.
It is now my senior year and I have
ruined a good chunk of my life, including my high school
career. Stomach ulcers now affect me almost daily and I have
to think about wanting a drink constantly. I have been
almost completely sober for a year now. With alcohol, I
think the key is moderation. And I hope I have not damaged
my body to a point I can never recover from.
__________________________________
Anonymous
15
______________________________________________________
What a
Night...
So one night after last year's
graduation, I went to my buddy's house for a party. There
were a bunch of people there, a good amount of alcohol, and
other things. We started drinking a little bit, but there
were a few people that had been there for a while that were
already pretty hammered. We played video games, listened to
music and just hung out not really doing too much. Then out
of the blue, one of the guys suggested that we go drive and
play in the mud in the truck he had just gotten.
So we all piled in, and I later
realized that he was pretty smashed, but so was I so it
didn't bother me too much. It was fun until he lost control
of the truck and slammed into a tree, totaling his new ride.
Thankfully no one was hurt but someone had the idea of
walking back to my buddy's house and drinking some more.
(Since we had all been through a pretty traumatic experience
what better way to take the edge off, right?) So we
went back and started drinking some hard stuff: whiskey, rum
and vodka as opposed to just the beer that we started
with.
Well now everyone was getting really
drunk, and a couple guys' egos were rising along with their
level of intoxication. They started passing threats back and
forth, and soon we had our first fight of the night. About a
half hour later, two of my good friends who had been best
friends forever lay on each other breathing heavily and
bleeding profusely. We put them on the couch and then passed
out, after vomiting a couple of times.
Another one of my best friends was
really drunk and trying to get lucky with his girlfriend,
but she wasn't in the mood for it. She ended up leaving
after slapping him and screaming in his face that she was
done with him and his drinking. (This wasn't the first time
this had happened.) I later ended up in bed half naked
with a girl whom I had never really talked to or met at all,
and who also happened to not be my girlfriend. I woke up
during the night and ran to the bathroom to throw up. I
walked out and passed out on the couch.
I woke up the next morning in a puddle
of my own urine. I had gotten to drunk that I had wet myself
during the night. I took some Tylenol but it seemed like
there was nothing I could do to get ride of my fiendish
headache. I called a ride home, and when I got there I
dropped and didn't more for hours,. I later had to tell my
girlfriend about what had happened and she didn't speak to
me for two weeks. But what a night huh? Wanna drink
sometime?
_________________________________
Anonymous
16
_____________________________________________________
I remember when I was little, arguing
with my mom at the grocery store. She would get mad at me
because I didn't understand why we couldn't afford the food
I wanted but she could buy her bottle of vodka. I have vague
memories of my mom's drinking habits. They didn't seem that
bad when I was young because I had such a happy childhood;
but now that I think about it, I realize that she was an
alcoholic.
For most people, when they are
children they idolize their parents. Mom and dad can do no
wrong, but as we grow older we realize they make mistakes
too, just like everyone else. My mom
is a great mother, she is always there for me, she takes my
side most of the time and loves me very much, but everyone
has their problems and one turn of events can change your
life completely. When my dad died my mom became very
depressed and last year, after almost ten years of sobriety,
she started drinking again. Just a little at first,
something to help with the pain and sadness but after a
while she became addicted again.
During those ten years of sobriety she
went to AA meetings where she made friends and met people
who helped her quit. She still talks to those friends on the
phone periodically and she is working on quitting again. The
thing about being addicted to something is, you need to
decide on your own terms that you want to quit. Being forced
will only make things more difficult. What my mom is
starting to realize is that the alcohol is only making her
depression worse and now she wants to stop.
The fact that my mom drinks doesn't
make her a bad person but I had a hard time getting used to
the idea that she does. When she is "buzzed" we tend to
argue, usually about pointless things. I just want to stay
away from her and lay low when she is drinking because I
know it is just the alcohol talking. I don't blame her
because I know she is going through a lot of things. I also
don't purely blame the alcohol because I know teenagers and
parents argue. I love my mom very much and I know she will
stop when she is ready.
Seeing her and other family members
drink has had a big impact on me, the choices I will make in
the future and my outlook on drinking. I don't condone
drinking but it is not going to cloud my judgment of people.
Most people drink for fun and that isn't going to stop me
from being friends with them. I personally choose not to
drink because I know what my family history is and I know
what it can turn into.
_________________________________
Mitch
Pruden
_____________________________________________________
I guess I could say that alcohol had
an impact on my life at one point in time. When I was in the
first grade my mom met one of her friends from high school
named Clay Nading while he was working a short distance from
our house. One thing led to another and they were dating. I
started to get to know this guy and he seemed nice, until I
soon found out about his drinking problem.
Within two years he was drinking every
day, and couldn't hold a job down because he was a piece of
trash. I think the longest he had a job for was maybe two
months., It didn't stop there; he became a frequent drug
user. From pills to meth to marijuana he didn't care what it
was. With all of this going on he was being physically
abusive to my mom. My mom eventually became ill with breast
cancer and had to quit her job. After her chemotherapy and
radiation it started all over again. No matter how many
times the cops were called nothing was done my mom would lie
and say she had fallen or something along the lines of that
in fear he would beat her again. Also law enforcement here
is pathetic and is worried about curfew violations more than
anything.
I think the biggest conflict that
eventually led to my mom breaking up with him was when my
oldest brother Alex was about sixteen years old and the time
when he was in his room minding his own business when Clay
started in on him. It was over something completely
ridiculous. Alex had drank the last of the juice in the
fridge and didn't make more. For some reason when Clay was
all strung out that just ticked him off. He went crazy on
Alex so he moved in with my grandparents and my brothers and
I soon followed. After a year we moved back in with my mom.
Clay is still to this day a habitual drug user and leading
the same lifestyle and making outrageous false accusations
against me and my family
If you look at the big picture alcohol
has had a positive impact on my life, it taught me how to
cope with problems and stress, and it made me realize that I
would kill myself before I sunk to that kind of low.
__________________________________
Marla
Green
______________________________________________________
I am one of only a few people in my
high-school who has never tried alcohol. I have never had
the desire to try alcohol. It helps that drinking has never
been in my home. Also, that I do not hang out with people
who drink or party.
When I was eight I probably could not
have told you what alcohol was. Some people might call that
sheltered, but I call it lucky. Alcohol was never in my
home, my parents do not drink. In fact, both of my parents
have never tried alcohol. (Unless you count the time my mom
ordered a Diet Dr. Pepper and the waitress brought her a
beer. As soon as she tasted what it was she spit it
out.) From their example it has made me make it a goal
to never taste alcohol.
The friends I hang out with make it
easy to stay away from the party scene. None of us feel the
need to party; we would rather rent a movie or go prank a
friend.
Because I stay away from the party
crowd, I think it has helped greatly in avoiding the peer
pressure to drink. It does not bother me that I have never
been invited to a party where alcohol was present,
especially when I come to school on Monday and hear the
stupid things people had done.
It is so sad to me how many kids give
into peer pressure and go to parties and get drunk. I do not
think there is a point to drinking; most alcohol smells and
tastes bad anyways. Also it makes you do stupid things. I do
not see the point behind something that makes you regret or
feel embarrassed about what you did while you were under the
influence of it.
I am glad I never grew up around
alcohol. One day I will be able to look back at high-school
and not be embarrassed by the stupid things I did. I am
proud that I will be able to tell my kids that I have never
tasted a single drop of alcohol.
_________________________________
Anonymous
19
____________________________________________________
Did you know there were around
5,987,000 alcohol related car accidents in 2007? I was a
part of those statistics that year, when I got into a car
with a drunken driver. 41,049 people died that year in those
car accidents. Luckily, I am not in those
statistics.
I was staying the night at a friend's
house. We decided to hang out with his cousin. So we did we
didn't know he had planned on drinking though. Until he
stopped at the liquor store. Then we went to his
girlfriend's house and he invited some friends
over.
After they were done drinking, I chose
not to. It was around 11pm. I though we were going to stay
at Stephanie his girlfriend's house. But Brad had a
different plan. I had nowhere else to go so I had to get in.
We were on the way back to my friend's house. Then his
friend Robby pulled up beside us. He proceeded to ask Brad
if he wanted to race. Brad said, yes. We began to accelerate
We all started yelling at him to slow down, he didn't
though. He finally decided to listen, and stomped on the
brakes at way to fast a speed. He didn't see the gravel
ahead of us. We hit the gravel and started to spin. In the
process of this we knocked over a couple mail boxes and ran
into a fence After that I don't remember much. We started to
flip and the last thing I remember was the two square foot
speaker that was sitting next to me on the seat fell towards
me. Afterwards my friend told me it hit me in the head and
knocked me out.
When I woke up the truck was lying
with the passenger side on the pavement. Everything was
broken, all the windows and most of the stuff inside We
climbed out of the driver's side window. I was the last one
out after Stephanie. During the accident she had almost
ripped her pinkie finger off her hand. She got blood all
over the truck and me getting out. Once we were out we
panicked and ran back to Stephanie's house. The cops got
called by someone who had seen the accident. The cops called
Brad's house and his dad picked up. He told the cops where
he thought we were. They showed up questioned and
breathalyzed us. Brad got a ticket for driving under the
influence and fleeing the scene. Stephanie and my friend
both got tickets for minors in possession.
Ever since I have been scared to death
every time I get into a car. Two years later it's still hard
to get into a vehicle. I don't trust anyone's driving or
mine anymore. Alcohol has made a huge impact on my life. I
learned my lesson and will never get into a car with someone
who has been drinking no matter what. I'm glad to be one of
those surviving statistics. Not one of the 41,059 people who
didn't survive alcohol related car accidents that
year,.
__________________________________
Heather
Hunter
______________________________________________________
The End of my
Hero
I feel his grip hard pressed against
my throat. Lifting me up as if gravity doesn't exist. "I
told you to pick up your toys!" Still held up against
the wall, I smell it upon his breath again. Alcohol. Of
course daddy's been drinking again. "Why don't you ever
listen? You never do anything right! Everything
was so much easier before you were born." I've learned
long ago not to talk back.
Finally his grip releases and I'm
violently thrust upon the floor. My head bounces off the
ground, the force of the hit burning at my skull. All around
goes dark and fades to black. I can't even make out his
screams anymore. I can't see, it's all a dark
blur.
All of a sudden I feel a powerful
impact into my side. And then another. And another. Why is
he doing this? He's supposed to love me. I'm daddy's
little girl. Why do I not deserve my own daddy's
love?
I hate when the day turns to night.
This always happens. He's not the same when the sun is out.
He loves me then. And he tells me it too. In those moments,
I'm his world. But the night, the drinking, it changes him.
He becomes this, this monster.
He's still kicking me as I lay
motionless on the floor. I've become numb. Numb to it all.
All I can feel now is the heat of tears caressing my cheeks.
All I can hear now is the sound of my bones breaking. I
hate him, I hate him, I hate him. Why does he make me hate
him? In and out of consciousness, fading to and fro.
Ringing in my ears increasing louder and louder. It's all
unbearable. I let out on final scream as loud and powerful
as possible, and I'm out.
After some time, unaware of how long,
I reawoke to the sound of sirens. The view is all still a
blur. I just know that daddy's gone and it's silent, less my
deep breathing and those sirens. So which is it this time,
ambulance or police? Oh just please anything to get me
out of here, away from this. I'll never forget that night.
Yes, I'd felt the wrath of daddy's drunken temper before,
but that was the worst it had ever escalated. Daddy was
taken away that night, and for good. I haven't heard much
from him since. But no, my problems weren't all solved
there. I'm still haunted by those attacks to this day. I
have also learned though. I've learned to be tough, to stand
up for myself, learned that I didn't really deserve any of
that. Mostly I've learned of the horrible effects of
alcohol. How it can tear a family apart. How it can elevate
a temper to abuse. How it can make daddy's little girl feel
so enraged with hate towards her hero. I still do wonder
though, why did daddy have to choose his awful drinking
habit over me?
__________________________________
Anonymous
21
______________________________________________________
"out of all of the people in my life,
why did it have to be you, the one person that really means
something to me, the one person I depended on more than
anything. I'll never forget the hugs, the kisses, the
fights, the laughs or the moments we spent together. I miss
seeing your beautiful smile every day., I miss the silly
nicknames you would make for me. I miss the comfort of
always feeling safe with you. I never realized how important
you were to me until that night. I'm sorry for not being
there for you You know you will always have a place in my
heart and over whatever distances there may be I send you my
love." If Michael was here with us today this is what I
would want him to know.
Michael Oliver was one very kind
hearted person. He knew how to cheer anyone, no matter the
circumstances. He taught me to not to take the little things
personally. Michael was loved by many and there was nothing
bad to be said about him. Michael the best beer pong
playing, the best at quarters, and had a record time for key
stands. He was always down to party. Our Friendship never
changed no matter how much alcohol was consumed, and that's
how I wanted it to stay.
The beginning of last summer the
partying changed. People brought prescription pain killers
to crush them and snort them. After painkillers, came
ecstasy. Michael really got into that one. Cocaine was
around for a while but never as popular considering the
price and the comedown.
Last October 15th Michael went over to
his friend Baileys apartment. One of Baileys friends showed
up with 5 drops of acid dropped on Listerine strips.
Michael, of course was down to try it and had a bad trip. It
made him think about his life and that he was a horrible
person. Later that night Michael left Baileys. They told him
not to go but he didn't listen. No one had heard from
Michael for the rest of the night. The next day everyone was
looking for him. I didn't think much of it because I knew
nothing could happen to him, but I was wrong. Around ten
o'clock on October 16th, Michael's body was found off the
highway face down in a creek. The death of Michael Oliver
was one of the most tragic things that had happened in my
entire life.
I've heard more people than I can
count say things like "oh it's just alcohol" or "I drink but
I wouldn't do drugs". From my experiences I have witnessed
just about everyone I know go from just drinking to start
smoking pot and a majority of them moved to harder drugs
such as cocaine, ecstasy or acid. Alcohol is an opening to
so many more curiosities, for your especially, I've seen and
experienced more than I wish I had and when it all come down
to it, it all started the first time that bottle touched his
lips.
__________________________________
Anonymous
22
_____________________________________________________
Don't grow up to be your
mom!
"Don't grow up to be your
mom!" These were the words my dad said to me every
chance he got. Growing up, my mom was never really there for
me. She would always come home in the late hours of the
night and sleep almost all of the next day. Had a very bad
drinking problem.
By the time I turned seven, things had
gotten worse. My parents were getting a divorce, and I had
decided to move in with my dad. I figured it would be a
better environment for me and I wouldn't have to deal with
my mom's drinking problem I thought things were going very
well but little did I know things would get way worse before
they would get any better.
Eighth grade graduation was just
around the corner, and I was very excited! I hadn't
seen my mom in quite a long time, so I invited her I hope
she had changed, I was wrong! She showed up to my
graduation late and to make things even worse drunk out of
her mind, She wasn't even able to watch me walk across the
stage. After graduation I avoided her I didn't want my
friends to know who she was. She had embarrassed me so much,
and I wanted nothing to do with her.
By the time I started my first year of
high school I decided that I would never drink because I
have seen first hand what it can do to a family. Alcohol
pretty much screwed up what should have been the best years
of my life!
A year later we moved to Brookings.
I was very excited because moving meant I would be able
to get away from my mom altogether. Thing have been going
great and I can say that I have not grown up to be my
mom.
I have never really suffered any loss
from being away from my mom. My step mom has been there for
me whenever I have needed a mother figure to look up to and
for that I am very thankful.
__________________________________
Anonymous
23
_______________________________________________________
The impact of alcohol on people can be
substantial. Living as a teenager in Brookings has shown me
that fact. I have seen many good people that were on the
right track fall because they lacked the willpower to keep
their minds clear. Alcohol abuse was one of the influences
that fogged the minds of the broken, offering them a false
chance to forget their bitter memories. But all they receive
is another weight on their shoulders, a weight that
gradually grows heavier until the bearer forces others to
help carry it.
Unlike most people, I did not feel the
need to abuse alcohol to avoid my echoes of the past. Those
screams of agony know their rightful place in my mind. But
then again, I was rarely pressured into drinking. People
tend to think that only the worst people let alcohol destroy
them, but even the best and brightest of our society can be
turned into abominations.
Too many people have fallen to
alcohol's seduction, but if it has changed one person in my
life the most, it would be my mother. When may parents were
still together, I remember how caring my mother was, always
trying to help me and my brothers. I would never see my
parents arguing, and for the most past they seemed happy. I
won't go into detail, but when I was about eleven years old,
my parents filed for a divorce. After they fought over
custody in court, my brothers were separated from me and I
noticed a change in my mother, she began to stay out later
than usual and would look at me as if I was a
curse.
Day after day, I would see her stumble
into the house attempting to drink more than she could keep
in her stomach. She kept this habit up for some time until
at one point I stopped caring about whether she came home
safely or drove her car off the road. At times her routine
drowning in alcohol would frighten me, and being the child I
was, the only thing I could do was run. I remember running
through the doorway, moving as fast as I could for as long
as possible. I ran until my veins turned to ash and my heart
pumped sulfur, but I learned to ignore the pain. I also know
that if I ran far enough, the screams would go
away.
Eventually, I would be caught by
police and returned to the monster that used to be my
mother. And after a few months, my father found out what had
been happening, so he took me with him to Oregon and I never
saw my mother again. It may have been traumatic, but its
only one more beast chained up in the depths of my mind. I
managed to stay happy though; some people live to suffer and
the rest keep looking forward to the next
sunrise.
__________________________________
R. J.
Sims
______________________________________________________
Alcoholism is a disease, not a
condition. A plague, far worse than cancer. Destroys
families, relations and anything it makes contact with
inside and out. It inflicts regardless of age, color, race
or religion. It wrecks and twists everything it contacts.
Not just the user, everyone he or she loves goes down with
them.
It is a lie, false momentary happiness
in life. A mask on reality for those who week and can't face
it. All this at the cost of what? The loss of lives
once belonging to people whom we once cared for. Families
tainted by the infection of alcoholism. Hanging by a thread,
dysfunctional families limp along acting as if everything is
ok. The violence, anger, and rage that comes from leaves
families walking on egg shells. Just waiting, watching, and
wondering what is going to happen next?
It feeds on the week searching for
answers and approval of their peers. Actions taken
irrationally made by the influence of alcohol not normally
considered when normal. The solution for sadness and
sorrows. Drown it out in solitude, alone in darkness. The
never ending feeling of uncertainty. Always looking for
closure. To blind to see that the so called solution is the
problem.
The lowest of the low, the slum, the
sleazes and the unwanted all share this habit of choice.
Criminals, outlaws and the exiled all share this common
trait. Once well respected people in the eyes of others.
Empty pockets debts owed only to leave there name reduced to
dirt. No better than the ground you and I walk
on.
Everyone loves holding someone else's
hair back. It's really cool to scam on chicks smelling like
piss, vomit and booze. That's quiet the ladies man there.
Hoping the bottle will up their chances of girls throwing
themselves at their feet, that's really cool. All the
actions an decisions poorly made that only from what people
tell them since they can't recall it for themselves. The
regret to fallow all this only to do it again.
The mothers left home alone in the
middle of the night remembering when their baby's daddy will
come home to fill their empty home. Leaves a family's name
in filth and every things associated with it, ashamed to be
closely related when your inflicted's name comes up. Kids at
home to baby sit themeless. Late night screaming and yelling
that wakes the whole house. Stumbling, bumbling, crashing
and smashing everything in the house, watching in confusion,
wondering what's wrong with daddy? That was my average
childhood, what a way to grow up.
Never there to teach me to play ball,
build a tree house, ride a bike, work on cars and the other
things that dads normally do. The worst part is that I'm
probably just like him, ins genetics. I'
I've seen the horrors of what alcohol
can do to an inflicted and his family first hand, what
happens when you take the wrong path in life. I live with it
and am wiser for it. Never will I follow in my father
footsteps.
__________________________________
Anonymous
25
______________________________________________________
Alcohol has an impact on everyone's
lives that are around it. It's a kind of poison that people
use these days to have fun, especially teens. I don't
believe you need any kind of alcoholic beverage in your body
in order to have fun. I can have the time of my life and be
completely sober. I feel sorry for the people who
can't.
I have been around alcohol many times
because my friends drink. When I'm with my friends at a
party, I usually stick around to be the designated driver. I
sometimes feel like it's my responsibility to do so because
I'm one of the only people that don't drink. If something
every happened to one of my friends while they were
intoxicated and I wasn't there to help them, I would feel
terrible.
I choose not to drink because I know
my body can't tolerate that kind of substance yet and I am
not of age. I know I don't need to have alcohol in my system
to have a good time with my friends. Drinking underage can
only lead to negative circumstances. It can do harmful
damage to my body, allow me to make bad decisions, and get
me in trouble with the law. I am very involved in sports at
school and I also have a part time job. If I chose to drink
I could possibly be kicked off my team and lose my job as
well. It's not worth it.
I think a major reason why teens
choose to drink is because they are bored. Living in a small
town doesn't have many fun things for teens to do on the
weekends. Maybe if there was a place for teens to hang out
on the weekends they wouldn't turn to drinking. Society
today makes drinking look fun and cool and it attracts young
teenagers. I don't think drinking would be such a problem if
society didn't talk it up to be so cool and glamorous. Peer
pressure also plays a big role when it comes to drinking.
Kids tend to follow by example and do what their friends do.
When my friends are telling me to drink it's hard to say no
because I don't want to feel stupid or like a loser. When
I'm really just being the bigger person and making good
decisions for myself.
Everyone needs to know how to make
decisions for themselves and learn how to say no and say it
firmly. Everyone needs to have a voice and let it be heard
or they will end up on the wrong path. Teens need to
remember that they have a decision and they need to decide
on their own what is best for them. I am proud of the
decisions I have made about alcohol. I think all teens need
to think twice about the next margarita they make or party
they attend.
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