Mary wakes up in a rusty trailer full of outdated furniture, booze bottles, and rolled-up joints sprawled throughout the trailer. An overwhelming headache radiates her head and the taste of vomit fills her mouth, none of this abnormal to her. She then sits in the middle of the trailer thinking about how this pure insanity became her life. How her future went to the dogs.
The drugs, the alcohol, all are Mary’s life now. Unfortunately, millions of people wake up in Mary's situation everyday. They’re trapped between the drugs and the alcohol, trying to find a way out. I choose to say no to drugs and alcohol because of people like this. They’re hurt financially, they get into trouble, and they have many health problems.

First, drugs and alcohol can hurt you financially. The cost of alcohol is rising, which makes it hard for an unemployed teen to buy some, especially if the teen can't get a job. When a teen needs a fix every three hours, they can’t focus on the job at hand, so they make mistakes and get fired. Being addicted to drugs and alcohol can clean you out, and if you have no job and you become desperate for a fix, you'd be willing to do anything.

If you ever reach this point of desperation, you can get into a huge amount of trouble. If you can't get a regular job, you might be willing steal money to pay for a fix. If caught, you face jail time. If you drive while under the influence, you can lose your license, go to jail, pay fines, and have a DUI on your record for the rest of your life. This may prevent you from getting certain jobs. All of this for a fix!

Now if you use drugs and drink at a young age, you face serious health risks. If you drink, you are at risk for liver disease, memory problems, unintentional injury, and much more. A very common drug among teens is marijuana or "pot." This drug temporarily impairs the ability to retain information and also causes memory loss while under the influence of the drug. Though this drug seems all fun and games, studies show that smoking marijuana is associated with a forty-percent increase in psychosis. In addition, prescription drugs, cocaine, and heroin all have withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal is violent vomiting and shaking because your body is so dependent on the drug that your body "needs" it. Withdrawal is the main reason most people won't quit, and since they won't quit they become a slave to the drugs.

In short, drugs and alcohol can destroy your life. You can be hurt financially, have trouble with the law, and there are many health risks. The future is ours and statistically; drugs and alcohol are within the top three reasons why students drop out of high school and lose their future. This is why I say no to drugs and alcohol. I will not be another statistic.








Citations

"Alcohol Facts." www.abovetheinfluence.com. National Youth
Anti-Drug Media Campaign, n.d. Web. 2 Dec 2010. http://www.abovetheinfluence.com/facts/drugs-alcohol.aspx.

"Cocaine Facts." www.abovetheinfluence.com. National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, n.d. Web. 2 Dec 2010. http://www.abovetheinfluence.com/facts/drugs-cocaine.aspx.

"Heroin Facts." www.abovetheinfluence.com. National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, n.d. Web. 2 Dec 2010. http://www.abovetheinfluence.com/facts/drugs-heroin.aspx.


"Marijuana Facts." www.abovetheinfluence.com. National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, n.d. Web. 2 Dec 2010. http://www.abovetheinfluence.com/facts/drugs-marijuana.aspx.


"Prescription DrugFacts." www.abovetheinfluence.com. National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, n.d. Web. 2 Dec 2010. http://www.abovetheinfluence.com/facts/drugs-prescription-otc.aspx.

"Statistics on Teens." www.soundvision.com. Sound Vision Foundation, n.d. Web. 2 Dec 2010. http://www.soundvision.com/Info/teens/stat.asp.