Drugs and Alcohol Abuse
I will not bombard you with stats and details of how alcoholism is one of the leading killers in Canada and the U.S. or how extensive alcohol and drug use is.
Still, some things are obvious. If you're drinking to forget your problems or because it's the only way you can have fun, you have a problem.
If you're into drugs, ask yourself the same question: Why am I using them? Is it to cope with your daily struggles? To have a good time? Do you tell yourself, no one gets hurt, so what's the big deal?
Most research indicates that alcohol and drug abuse have detrimental long term effects. Some researchers believe drinking and doing drugs lead to greater failures in your adult life since you've denied yourself the social and emotional growth one experiences in adolescent years. In other words, you could be setting yourself up for a big fall later on in life.
Don, 16, writes about how he first started drinking and was sure he had everything under control. Afterall, he reasoned, his father drank plenty and besides, it made him feel better. More relaxed. More himself. It wasn't long before Don started stealing to support his addiction. It took him a couple of years before he admitted he needed help but by then he had dropped out of school and lost touch with almost everyone who meant anything to him.
Check out C.J.'s story.
Check out the following links. It might just save your life.
Quitting Smoking (Canadian site)
