Chris L 5Co

D.A.R.E

Have you ever thought about using drugs?  Don’t worry, everyone has thought about drugs, even me...Then a D.A.R.E officer came to school.  During my D.A.R.E classes I realized the biggest message to take from D.A.RE was “Never use drugs, ever!”  D.A.R.E taught me what drugs are and their horrible affects. 

        I used to think tobacco was not bad because so many people smoke cigarettes and do not stop.  If it was bad for them they would stop, but they don’t.  Then I found out about the chemical nicotine in cigarettes.  Nicotine and tobacco together do one big things and cause a variety of cancers and sicknesses.  The biggest thing is it makes you addicted to smoking or chewing tobacco.  “How does this happen!” You may wonder.  Well, your brain acts different with all the chemicals so when it does not have it in a long time, you think you need it to be normal.  But even without nicotine the chemicals in cigarettes are so bad they are also in items used to paint nails and preserve dead bodies and it goes in your mouth. “Gross!”   If you smoke you might think you are just hurting yourself, but you’re wrong.  It’s called second hand smoking, when you are around other people smoking.  The nasty chemicals get in the air and into another person system.  Imagine all the people who die from just standing there.  It’s so sad.

        One of the drugs I despise and hate the most is marijuana.  Even though marijuana is illegal in America, people disobey the law and smoke and sell it.  It makes you get stressed more.  In effect mood swings.  The second the police catch you with marijuana they will arrest you that split second.  One marijuana cigarette is equal to four tobacco cigarettes.  Wow!  That’s how powerful just one can be.  Tobacco and marijuana can be so powerful it kills on average one million people in the world in a year.  That’s crazy big.  One thing that’s surprising thing is that marijuana can be helpful.  “What the!”  You may ask.  Well marijuana can help fight sicknesses.  So if you need help becoming healthy.  That’s why some states make marijuana legal.  So if you had to use marijuana for a medical issue, the doctor would give you a prescription for marijuana.  So you can’t get in trouble.

        Alcohol is the most commonly used drug because if you have only a little amount it is okay, but a large amount is dangerous.  That’s right.  You heard me.  If you drink a little amount of alcohol it does not affect you, but it can be very dangerous if you overdose on it.  It’s fine if you don’t understand it.  I didn’t understand why it is so bad, either.  Why a little bit is fine, but not a large amount.  Here is it simplified, if you have a little it is not enough alcohol in your body to do its effect so a little is fine, just not a lot. A thing alcohol does is, making the good and bad filter in your mind not working so you make wrong decisions and actions.    If you overdose on alcohol you are called being drunk.  If you drive while you are drunk the police will pull you over for bad driving because when you are drunk your senses are weak and you can’t see well.  You are a danger to you and other people.  The cops will do a number of tests on you to see if you are drunk by telling you to walk in a strait line.  Another common test is to smell their breath for a particular smell.  The official test is at the police station called the breathalyzer.  You breathe in to the machine and the machine runs a test to see if the level of alcohol in your system is over the safe level!  Alcohol can be addicting, but not as common as being addicted to nicotine.

        Advertisements are where it all begins.  The thing about ads is it sometimes makes you think if you use the item you could be the person in the ad.  The funny thing is that most people in ads never used the item.  But it’s not like there is just one flyer or poster there are millions.  The average drug company buys one million dollars worth of ads.  Isn’t that a waste of money, right!  Why don’t companies spend the money for something worth the money?  Not ads.  Its total madness!  One reason why kids use drugs is because the ads are focused to get children to use the drug.  Why do people do all that crazy stuff?!  “It’s so mean!”

I am so glad that a D.A.R.E officer came to school so that I could set up a good future.  I want to be an engineer, but if I did not know about drugs I would never complete my goal.  D.A.R.E has been a very good experience for me.  I could never be looked up to by my children if I took drugs.  If D.A.R.E did not teach me about drugs, I would probably use them. I would not know that they are horrible and the tragic effects of drugs.  Also D.A.R.E taught me something I will never forget, if you get into a situation with drugs say “no!” and get the heck away.  A real friend would not make you do something you don’t want to, if they do they’re not a true friend.  That’s a very helpful thing to know for the future.  D.A.R.E changed my life.  It can change yours.

Thank you D.A.R.E.  Thank you Officer Batlin.