D.A.R.E.
This year I have been fortunate to participate in D.A.R.E class. D.A.R.E stands for drug abuse resistance education. A drug is a substance other than food that has a physiological effect when introduced to the body. I have learned that drugs can be bad. For example, about 475,000 people die of alcohol and tobacco related deaths alone, and there are over 200 harmful chemicals in cigarette smoke. A cigarette causes 1 in 5 deaths a year, contains 4,800 chemicals, 69 of which are known to cause cancer, and that 15 billion cigarettes are smoked worldwide everyday.
But I have learned much more than just avoiding drug abuse. I have learned how to avoid situations, and, my personal favorite, how to say no, and no means NO. This can help me avoid situations in which I feel pressured into doing something, especially by peers. I can say no and walk away. As cigarettes users cumulatively rise, my ability to say no and walk away will help to avoid that unwanted peer pressure. I can also avoid a risky situation, by taking a risk I open myself to the consequences that may follow, in order to do this I must thoroughly think through the situation. For instance, by choosing to avoid a party due to underage drinking that has happened there before. I have avoided a possible situation where there may have been a bad outcome. I’ve also learned to be assertive, not aggressive or passive, this will help my voice be heard and show confidence. This will also show I am not an aggressive person or a shy person. In D.A.R.E class I learned about good decision making. This means to assess the situation, make my decision, and evaluate if it were a good decision. I know that taking that first cigarette, as 4,000 other teenagers do each day, is a bad decision because one can lead to another, and another can lead to another. This detrimental process is called addiction and it is absolutely diabolical. I also know to avoid violent behavior because it is side you will regret ever showing. Even bad behavior or rule breaking is making a decision. Your decision, and nobody else's, these propositions that popped into your brain were most likely very poorly thought through propositions. In future situations I will strive to make decisions I won’t regret, good decisions. In D.A.R.E class Officer Mark has challenged our knowledge through a game known as D.A.R.E baseball, and during the beginning of every D.A.R.E class we share currents events in high hopes of receiving the solid gold star.
So in conclusion I have learned that making good decisions is extremely important and that it is super easy to just give the very simple response of no. I have also learned to be assertive and not passive or aggressive. I have learned that drug is a substance other than food that changes the way you think. I have learned that consequences follow suit behind every risk and to avoid violent behavior. I have learned many more things as well such as how to assess, decide, and evaluate every decision. The last thing I learned is that the large passenger airships of the 1900s although filled with 7 million cubic feet of highly flammable gas, they still had a room for smoking. Finally, I pledge to avoid drug abuse and violent behavior.
