The Teenage Brain (May 2014) | Page 26

Introduction:

Tell me the truth. Tell me the truth about that. That beverage. It’s smell, it’s taste. Tell me the truth. Does it make my life so much better? Will it lighten my day, will it excite me? Will it make me silly, that bubbly person that everyone wants to be? I want to be an exciting person full of energy and fire. I want to be the person that everyone wants to be with, the popular girl. I want to fit in with society, my friends. I want to feel that feeling of being high. Having that stress of everyday life escape me, and leave me feeling amazing. I want to feel good about myself. Can I? Can I feel good about myself by drinking that drink, that alcohol? Tell me the truth.

Views of Alcohol Today:

I have known alcohol all of my life. I have been taught from the start that it is nothing but trouble only junkies drink it; it is poison to the brain; an obstacle to life. I grew up though, I have learned things, I have seen things, the enjoyment that this comes with. The smiling faces of the people that drink, the light of the party. Society has deemed it as an amazing thing, the countless commercials of the happy drunk people. I believe it is, many of my friends are talking about their experiences with alcohol as some kind of roller coaster ride. With more and more teens getting intoxicated it almost sounds like a way of life: like the solution to everything: feeling stressed? Want some excitement? Not feeling confident? Want to rebel? Want to feel special? Tired of life? The answer is to drink, drink, drink! Don’t talk about your problems, just drink them off? After that one sip all you want is more, you have a feeling of relief and pleasure, you just want more. I need that I want that. I think of alcohol as a good thing, a stress reliever, a solution to all of my issues.

I know the causes and the side effects, I know the harmfulness that a drink can bring to me. I don’t want to be embarrassed; I don’t want to be stupid; I want to be me, 100% me, not what alcohol will turn me into. I know that in life there is a time for things; when I am 16 I can drive, 18 I can vote, and 21 I can drink. I know the effects of my drinking at this day and age. I won’t risk it, for my brain’s sake. I know the truth about alcohol, and I can’t and I will not ignore it. Society has helped me, it has warned me of the nasty effects that a drink can have. I see it in media- that teen’s fail as they drink. They make it look bad, scary, and unpleasant. This is why I wait, I wait for a time when it is healthier for me to drink.

Vision Narrative

My Vision