“My Dad was an alcoholic and almost died from it. About twenty years ago he would drink until he passed out on the floor. He would drink at our house and even at work. He smokes a lot still. Having lived through that, it makes me really sad and angry when I see my peers do things like smoking. It feels like these kids are throwing their lives away and it makes me upset because I have seen the results of these substances. These kids need to realize the domino effect these have in their lives. I want to ask these kids if they had a younger sister or brother, and they could give them the substance, would you? Would you be willing to put them and their bodies in that danger? If you wouldn’t, then you shouldn’t do them yourself. People are afraid of being different, so people use substances to escape this fear, and the hate it generates. Being a teen sucks, its okay to freak out. Sometimes it’s a good thing to cry, or binge-watch the Office on Netflix, or go to the gym and punch out your emotions on a punching bag. It’s better than doing something that will hurt you later on. For me, crew helps take me away from these problems. When I am on the water, I am not thinking about my dad, school, or drama. Instead, I am thinking, wow, my legs hurt. My mom has really made up for my dad. She is a superhero, she’s handled everything with so much grace and shown me the good in the world. I hope that everyone can have a person like my mom.”