Be Proud of Your Morality

 I had an exboyfriend call me a “Good Girl”. He told all his work friends about how I didn’t smoke, drink, or do drugs. His friends were amazed that he had hooked up with a “Good Girl”. One friend called me a “Saint”. Having someone like me around benefited him in more than one way. He always had someone to be designated driver. I think he liked having someone utterly sober in his life. He never faulted me for it and never tried to force anything on me either. I never felt pressure and it was good.

 Being substance free is a good thing. I would not like to be a teenager now as there are too many pressures and well, I would just be thought of as a weirdo. It seems like now more people are being looked at as weird if they do not try out “Bad Things”. There is just too much pressure from the media as well as society as a whole. I have always been pretty strong on my non-use of substances. A lot of people tell me that I don’t know what I am missing. In a way, it is totally true. How can you miss something that you never had in the first place?

 In these economic times, who wants to spend extra money on booze, drugs, or smokes? There are a lot of people who would rather go hungry than to go without their cigarettes. I see it far too many times. There are bums out on the street who will beg for a cigarette before they would ask for food. I am not saying all homeless people are cigarette stalking bums because they are not. I have worked enough with homeless people to know that they all have various reasons for their situation.

 I feel so sorry for young people growing up in these times. It is so very different and the access to drugs and alcohol is much easier. It is almost fashionable to be on some kind of substance. It is out there in the media as well. There are not very many positive role models for children out there. Most of the celebrities out there have a lot of problems that seem to be okay. It just isn’t so. But, there are a few shows that I can say are eye opening for those people who are in the dark. The one show that I think is a good eye opener is Intervention. The show exposes the life of an addict and the choices that they make. No one is ever forced into anything that they do not want to do. They are highly encouraged to do the “right” thing, but never forced. Sometimes the addicts refuse help and leave, but that is their choice. The people who decide to get help usually have a little update at the end of the show showing their progress of sobriety. Most of them are success stories. I think that this is a wonderful thing.

 I think that those young people out there who choose to stay sober, are my heroes. If they stay strong and are able to make it to their adulthood without substances, well, they are winners. It is a tough thing with so many pressures out their. Many more than I ever had. There are so many kids out there that have become addicts well before they even get into high school. It is a sad thing. I encourage those people out there living a sober life to keep up the good work. Be an example for someone out there who isn’t living clean. Let them know that they can be sober and happy. Don’t look down at them as an unworthy person. Change their lives with kindness, love, and humanity. Remember that out of all of this, love does conquer all.

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