May 2011 - Jefferson County Public Schools

Listen to your Heart Randy Truong
The things we do as young teenagers just to fit in are completely ridiculous. Such as wronging your closest friends just to be
accepted by others, or dressing in something that you aren’t absolutely comfortable in. You may be sitting there now thinking of the
things you have done, because I know everybody here has done something to fit in at least once in their lives. And most of the times,
the things you did to fit in aren’t a good thing. That is why it is best to listen to your heart.
So, let’s just say you’re at a party with several of your friends and everybody is drinking, and you don’t want to. Well the
answer is simple, don’t drink! Why attempt to be like everyone else when you’re comfortable with yourself? If you have your mind
made up, then don’t change it!
You have the choice of what you will be tomorrow, and you are the only person that has this decision. You can be told
countless number of times the right thing to do, but you are the only one that can take this information in and process it in the
correct manner. So at the end of the day, you are the only one that can define yourself.
Everyday, people’s lives are changed by the decisions they make just because of their friends. Don’t be one of those people.
Living in regret with the actions you made is one of the worst things to undergo. Making sure you are competent of the correct
decision making skills is imperative.
There are plenty of choices that one can make that can harm their lives, and that is why you must always keep this in mind.
It’s not just the drugs, alcohol, sex, or greed that can harm us mentally and physically, it’s the guilt in the decisions we made to end
up in the predicament that we have created.
I am not here to inform you how the use of drugs kills thousands of teens every year, or how many more thousand lives are
taken from drunk driving. But I am here to tell you that you should take preventive action before it comes down to it. Think of the
people you love and the people that you will affect when making the right decisions!
If the people you care about are affected in a bad way from the decisions you make, then you are doing the wrong thing.
You may sometimes believe that your friend really has your back, and wants the best for you, but this is not true if they are guiding
you in the wrong direction. For instance, an example of this is not only if they ask you to smoke some weed, but use it around you.
Weed is illegal in many states and can get you in lots of trouble with law enforcement. Just remember, your atmosphere will affect
you as a person, and will give others a reason to judge you. People may say that they will never evaluate the person you are inside
before getting to know you, but the world is not always clean and cut like that, so there will be situations where people will judge
you incorrectly. Try avoiding the types of friends that harm your reputation.
Let’s get back to drinking; it’s something so many young teens start at an early age. Most teens are highly uneducated when
it comes to drinking, believing that it doesn’t affect them as a person. Sure, you may see everyone else drinking alcohol, as a matter
of fact over 80% of teenagers have tried alcohol at least once in their life. You may want to give in too, but why should you? Simply
dare to be different and you won’t give in to the urges. But you may not quite know what drinking does to the teenage body, well let
me tell you!
Drinking can ruin a person in the long-run, because you can easily become dependent upon it. When you drink, it affects
the brain and its nervous system, which is completely horrible for a developing teen. Your brain is developing during your teenage
years and drinking prevents this process from building to the best of its abilities. So, if you are not drinking yet, then don’t plan on
doing it! Also drinking damages your liver, which is an organ you can’t live without. Your liver is the organ in your body that cleans
your blood of toxins, and also prevents you from getting sick; damaging it will give you more trips to the doctor.
driving. If you already chose the option not to drink, you have to make sure your friends aren’t drunk while driving you somewhere,
because this can get you both killed. Simply refuse to enter the car, or have a designated driver if you are planning on going to a
party. If you are in the situation where someone is about to drive drunk, and you care about them, just take their keys from them!
They may be mad at you, but will thank you in the long-run for being a good friend, because they won’t be able to even feel mad if
they’re six feet deep.
Each year in the United States alone, there are over 5,000 teens ages 16 to 20 killed by car accidents. It is the leading death
of people ages 15 – 20. An additional 400,000 are seriously injured from these accidents. It may seem like a low numbe,r but just
imagine everybody in school disappearing. The average teen is more likely to get into a car accident than any other age group.
Teenagers only account for 10 percent of the population, but are responsible for over 12 percent of crashes! Also, the typical teen is
four times more likely to get into a car accident.
Most teens that get into car accidents do not wear their seatbelts, up to 74% of them that are killed in a DUI did not wear
their seatbelt. Not only do teenage car accidents cost up to $34 billion dollars a year, but it costs young teens lives. Most of them are
young and not able to experience everything in life, it was all taken away as fast as it was given. So next time you enter a car, just
make sure the driver isn’t drunk, or you’ll just be another victim of the road.
This is just one example of all the things in our environment that can pressure us into doing the things our hearts tell us not
to. It can knock us off our feet unwillingly. So just keep in mind that doing what your heart tells you is always the best idea.
Sources:
President and Fellows of Harvard College. “Alcohol use among teens and young adults” Harvard Health
Publications. 2008.
Carlson K. Darren, Government and Politic Editor. “How Many Teens Say They’ve Driven Drunk?” The Gallup
Organization. 2005.
Blizzard, Rick. “One in Three U.S Teens admits Drinking Alcohol.” The Gallup Organization. 2003.
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