Every teen if they are honest are curious about alcohol, drugs and tobacco. These are three of the most important choices each teenager must make at a certain time in his/her life. For most of us it is either in high school or college, but some kids are faced with the decision during middle school. We learn from our parents that none of these are good choices and most schools offer some sort of D.A.R.E program as early as elementary school to reinforce our parent's warnings. In some cases the parents do not provide a good example through their use and abuse of one or all three of the options.

DON'T Click Away From This Page!!!

These pages are written by two teenager girls who have and will face these choices. We aren't creating this site as kids who don't understand what you are facing. We aren't total nerds; we want to feel accepted by our peers just like you do; we face the same temptations as you to join the "in" crowd. Please check these pages out before making your decision whether you are going to start or continue using any of these substances.

We aren't inner city kids; we live in a small middle class northwest Indiana town with mostly homespun qualities. We were pretty sheltered in elementary school. We suppose we could have found some way to try any of the three temptations, but they weren't in "our face." By the time we reached middle school, however, we were pretty sure where we could go to get alcohol, most forms of drugs, and even tobacco. There were quite a few guys who smoked or chewed before we left 8th grade. Once we reached high school sources become even more obvious. We know quite a few students who were at parties where alcohol is served and even some parties that were "busted by the cops."

There are many students whom we have known since kindergarten that participate in these activities and some even try to persuade us to join them. We definitely want fit in and be cool; we don't want to feel left out or too afraid to join in on the fun. But we know these aren't the right choices for us and we want to share some of our thoughts on these pages. So stay with us before you make a decision for yourself.

We both are fortunate enough to have parents who provide us with positive examples, are active in our daily lives and support us in our activities and challenges. They have instilled in us an inner confidence and we like who we are. Most importantly, they have taught us to set goals. When our eyes are set on the future and not on the present, many of these decisions become "no brainers."

As supporting as our parents are, it's not always easy to go to our parents for advice especially when we are wondering about things we already know they disapprove of. Sometimes we want to explore possibilities without being made to feel inferior or to disappoint our parents. So we are doubly fortunate to have a strong network of like-minded friends who listen to us and remind us of who we are. We're also active in sports and extra-curricular activities where we can develop relationships with other adults who also provide a support system. Our high school has Team Lead, which is a group of administrator and teacher appointed students who form "bystander leadership" in an effort to eliminate bullying from our schools. We think a by-product is that students appointed as peer mentors most likely are not the teens who are participating in any substance abuse. These students act as role models and are an encouragement that not all teens are users.

Even with the most nurturing of families and the most supportive of school systems, it still comes down to whether we should follow the crowd or follow our hearts and minds. Some of us feel peer pressure more than others. For the most part it's a matter of knowing who you are and having the self-esteem not to follow the crowd.

Lacking A Strong Support System

We know not all teenagers are as fortunate as we are. These pages are especially made for those teenagers who aren't comfortable discussing these subjects with their parents, don't have a strong support system in their peers or adult leaders, and/or teenagers who still have questions and are trying to decide between wise choices and destructive choices.

When we ran across the site, Secret Life of Teens: Kids Gone Wild, we were surprised at some of the thought processes. It was as though these kids who did and said these things had no knowledge of how stupid they were being. At least, if you are going to use illegal stimuli to have fun, it is important to know it isn't a smart thing to do. Up until we read this article, we thought that most kids involved in these things at least knew it wasn't a wise choice.

We have tried to condense a wealth of information available on the Internet into a few fact-filled pages because we feel if it's short and sweet you are more likely to consider the information and more likely to make the wise choice for you. There are many resources available to parents and teenagers. Some of the best we found are:

• Family Guide: Keeping Youth Mentally and Drug Free

• National Crime Prevention Council

• lk;l

We hope you find something valuable to you on these pages. You are faced with a lot of pressure to be cool and not a sissy. We understand that, but do you realize that there is a whole world out there that doesn't need to rely on drugs to have fun and enjoy life? Instead of compromising your high school experience and your future, keep surfing and reading!