Drug and alcohol abuse is a serious problem among many young people. Most drug and alcohol abuse happens on the weekend at a party or at a friend s house. Young people want to be popular and fit in, and if fitting in means drinking or using drugs, they are going to do it. After a few parties, and a few nights out at a friend s house,young people start to get addicted to drugs and alcohol and their life begins to fall

apart.

Being popular is a goal that all teenagers want to achieve. There s nothing like sitting at the popular lunch table or knowing all of the football and basketball players. Being popular also means that you have to do all of the things that the popular kids do, like drinking or smoking cigarettes once in a while. Smoking cigarettes and drinking just a little leads to worse things like drinking more, and trying drugs.

The parties that last a whole weekend, because their parents are out of town, are where most of the drinking and drug abuse is going on. Getting drugs and alcohol is very easy. The young people get someone older to buy the alcohol for them, and anyone can find someone to sell them drugs. After going to a party every weekend, they become used to the alcohol and drugs and begin to drink and do more drugs. Then they become addicted.

Once they re addicted, their life begins to fall apart. School grades drop, they are not studying at night any more, they don t pay attention in class, and they don t do the assigned work. They don t take care of themselves, they don t eat right, and they don t care about their appearance as much as before. Young people find themselves drinking and using drugs all the time.

Since most young people are still living with their parents, they probably have a curfew. And after drinking at a party all night, they have to get home on time, so they can do the same thing next weekend. They drive home drunk, and this causes car accidents. Sometimes the accidents are not bad, and sometimes they are extremely bad. An innocent person s life could be taken, and whoever is in the car with the drunk person could have their life taken from them also.

Drug and alcohol abuse could happen at home as well. When young people see their parents do drugs or drink a lot of alcohol because they have problems, they think it is okay. They start to drink or use drugs when they have problems, especially if there is easy access to the liquor cabinet.

A person could be raped if they are around someone who is using drugs or

alcohol at the time. Sharing needles can infect them with HIV and other diseases. They can start to lose friends, because no one wants to be around someone who is drunk or on drugs. They smell bad, and their attitudes have changed.

Drug and alcohol abuse is a serious problem among many young people. If

young people would try being themselves and focus on school work, instead of trying to fit in, there would not be as many problems with drug and alcohol abuse.