This is Stevens essay that he read at the assembly.

While 91 percent of seventh graders are free of alcohol and drugs, the other nine percent still need to be educated upon how what they are doing is wrong and damaging to their health. That is only one of the many reasons I feel DARE is necessary for students constantly being exposed and influenced by alcohol and drug use. A multitude things can be learned from DARE such as staying true to yourself by not giving into peer pressure. Without DARE, students wouldn’t be educated upon the life threatening side-affects of drugs and alcohol. As a student going though DARE, I suspect that without it, I wouldn’t be nearly as prepared as I am now for peer pressure situations.

After spending several weeks in the DARE program, I presume that it is a positive step down the road to drug free schools and communities. Without knowledge of the horrible, negative affects of alcohol and drug use, students would not only hurt themselves, but also influence the younger population. Another reason DARE is necessary to a safe society is by enlightening children upon how to cope with peer pressure. Peer pressure inspires people by putting ideas in their head that they have to participate in what everyone else does in order to be cool and fit in, whether or not what everyone else is doing is good or bad. By teaching kids that drugs have a downright adverse affect upon their health, children of younger ages will have a safe, healthy community to look up to and grow up in. I have gathered many things from the DARE program that have tied all the loose ends on what to do and how to carry out your actions in peer pressure situations.

I have gained that the number one way to drive out the brain washing affects of addictive substances and alcohol is to avoid the situations in the first place. Doing so will minimize the amount of experiences you will encounter involving the use of such health degrading substances. If, unfortunately, you should encounter a setting in which such delinquency is occurring, there are a number of ways you can back out and keep yourself secure such as simply saying no or stating a fact. But, to take complete responsibility , the best thing to do would be to inform their parents or guidance councilor in order for them to receive the help required to break them of such habits. The importance of remaining drug and alcohol free can not be stressed enough.

DARE is necessary to violence free and drug free life because it explains to you the severe, life long consequences of drug and alcohol use. Without DARE, students would ignore the negative affects of drugs and only pay attention to the temporary joy they get out of them. DARE also aids in avoiding violent situations by instructing you to avoid situations involving drugs and alcohol in the first place. While under the influence of such substances, people are not themselves and can act differently then normal, sometimes even more violent. By staying away from conditions, you are keeping yourself out of harms way. Also, DARE teaches people that everything is your decision, you don’t have to give into peer pressure.

While the world is educated upon how drugs can lead to a complete negative affect upon your health and friends in your long-term life, DARE contributes by enforcing the ideas of the importance of remaining drug free, a lot can be learned about drugs, alcohol and, peer pressure. Also, DARE is a vital step to live a life free of drugs and alcohol. The next time you hear a story about how drugs or alcohol ruined someone’s life, you can be happy that you were smart enough to remain free of such contaminants. I pledge not to do drugs and to make responsible decisions throughout my life.