Tuesday, November 25, 2014

3rd Place Red Ribbon Week Essay - Stay Above! By: Summer Brown

I choose to be above the influence of drugs, alcohol and tobacco because I live a happy life, and I am not about to ruin it.  I won’t buy or use tobacco because it can cause cancer, it can ruin your skin and teeth and it makes a 32 year old look 50.  I won’t drink alcohol because it makes you unaware of what’s around you, it makes your decisions unwise and can put you in prison. 

I will never do drugs because some of them will put you in prison, they can kill you if you abuse them and they can cause liver disease. 

When you play sports in high school or college you can get kicked off the teams for doing drugs, alcohol or tobacco because then the coaches know that you don’t have the strength or willpower to refuse.  Doing drugs I illegal in sports and some in society, alcohol is illegal if you’re under 21, and tobacco is illegal if you’re under 18. 

My mom smokes, and used to do drugs.  The cigarettes make her look 10-15 years older and she’s only 34.  When she did drugs she made a lot of bad decisions.  Because of that I really don’t want to smoke, whether it’s pot or cigarettes. 

Each year about 16,000 people die of DUI.  I think that most of them are the innocent people who don’t drink because it seems like they’re usually the ones who die.  That isn’t fair in any way, shape or form.  In my opinion if anyone had to die it should be the drunken ones.  I don’t mean to be blunt but you wanted honesty.

Each year about 200,000 people die of drug overdose.  That’s terrible but they brought it upon themselves.  It’s their own fault they could have gone to rehab or said no in the first place.  If anything went through their heads it probably was “Let’s get high cause its fun.”  Because of that they’re dead.

Each year about 443,000 people die of using and abusing tobacco.  That’s more than drugs or DUI.  I think that’s because tobacco is most commonly used more than alcohol or drugs.  Also probably because there aren’t as many illegal tobacco products as illegal drugs. 

Each year about 88,000 people die of alcohol abuse.  I don’t get it why people choose drinking over friends and family.  I certainly wouldn’t choose alcohol.  They’re basically picking out the sheets for their death beds.  Since they are drunk, the sheets are probably ugly.

I’m in basketball and most likely will be through high school.  I won’t do drugs, alcohol or tobacco because I love basketball.  I also get A’s and B’s for grades and I want to get into a good college so I am above the influence. 

I’ll stay Above the Influence Forever!!

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