Being Popular

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