| D.A.R.E. has taught me more than I can explain. This wonderful program has brought reasonable answers to the brain boggling questions I’ve had about drugs, tobacco, alcohol, and smoking when I was younger. It has really brought me to my senses about making the decisions with these life taking dangers. When I was about five years old, I thought that smoking was a cool thing to do. I had watched in awe as people on the streets simply popped a cigarette in their mouth, lit it, and began blowing smoke right out of every breath! It truly looked like fun. Wherever I went, I saw people smoking. Wherever I looked, I saw cigarette ads. Smoking was everywhere! On billboards, television, books, magazines, websites, advertisements, you name it! Smoking was popular and unavoidable. I also noticed that the people in those ads were quite good looking. So I thought that if I smoked, I would be able to look as good as them when I’m grown up. Fortunately, I became much more educated on drugs and alcohol when my classmates and I took Health classes in fourth grade. I learned that things like alcohol could seriously damage your body, but I still didn’t know enough to hold me back from considering smoking for a bit just to see what it was like. Then D.A.R.E. came along and taught me all I need to know about drugs and alcohol. I learned how to make wise decisions by using the D.A.R.E. Decision-Making Model. The D.A.R.E. Decision-Making Model is another version of what D.A.R.E. stands for. The D stands for Define which means to describe the problem, challenge, or opportunity. The A stands for Assess which asks you what your choices are. The R stands for Respond which lets you make a choice and use the facts and Information you have gathered. The E stands for Evaluate which asks you to review your decision and ask yourself if you made a good choice. This model can make you think and help you make a wise decision. In D.A.R.E., I have learned how much harm drugs and alcohol can give you. It can kill your brain cells and even bring you death if you abuse it. Things like smoking can give you sickly black lungs and yellow teeth. A cigarette also has more than 200 poisons in it. Just imagine so many people shortening their lives and putting it at risk at their own will. Alcohol can mess up your coordination, balance, memory, and life. It can also damage every single organ in your body. Drugs can affect the way you act and feel terribly. You might experience a sudden urge to cause violence or have a mood swing. Marijuana is illegal in the U.S. and can increase your risk of cancer. Moreover, it contains between 50 to 70% more cancer causing chemicals than tobacco smoke. So why have all this stuff put into your body when it’s practically the same thing as committing suicide? Right now, you may be thinking that saying no to drugs is a piece of cake. No big deal. Just turn around shout NO, and walk away right? Wrong! Those ways are useful but won’t be much help against peer pressure if you aren’t thinking right. Most people think of peer pressure as bullying, and that is partially what it is. Teasing or bullying peer pressure is usually the hardest to fight against. You don’t want your peers to take you as wimp and you want to fit in and be cool. To deal with this, you should use the D.A.R.E. Decision-Making. It will help you think about what you really want to do. Another type of peer pressure is sort of like baiting. For example, a friend tells you that there’s going to be a huge party on Saturday night with all the popular kids and beer. Your friend is hanging this issue right in front of your face like a carrot for a donkey. They’re waiting to see what you’ll do next. That’s a hard choice, and again, you’ll probably use the D.A.R.E. Decision-Making Model. Friendly peer pressure is easier to deal with because you are more comfortable making your choice. This is how most good friends will approach you. They’re fine either way. You do drugs, or don’t do drugs; it’s all the same to them. Your choice. My favorite kind of peer pressure is the type that sets you in the right direction. This kind is when a friend usually tries to persuade you to go against drugs. I would go right along with that because I know that this friend understands what drugs and alcohol can do to you. There are many ways that you can say no to drugs and alcohol. You don’t even have to be polite when someone’s offering you a cigarette. You can try avoiding the situation by staying away from places where people use drugs a lot and use strength in numbers by hanging around with nonusers. You could also say no while walking away or give the person a cold shoulder by just ignoring them. Giving a reason or fact after saying no is a smart way to put it. Changing the subject or repeating no over and over again is pretty clever too. I think the best way to stay drug-free is to use humor since I am a person with a sense of humor. This may also reassure the person that you are not trying to offend them in case they are your friend. I now fully understand how dangerous drugs can be. D.A.R.E. could save my life, position, and respect someday. I hope that this program will keep going on forever because it could save many lives and futures. I now pledge to make wise decisions about alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs for as long as I live.
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