Rónán Quigley
Saint Anne Catholic School
D.A.R.E Essay
Seventy-five percent of United State’s school districts and forty-three countries teach D.A.R.E. D.A.R.E stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education. The D.A.R.E program has taught me many valuable lessons. D.A.R.E can help you stay away from drugs, alcohol, and other horrible substances such as cigarettes.
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One important thing I have learned in D.A.R.E is not to do drugs. In America, approximately 70,000 people died in 2017 due to drug overdoses. I can't imagine how their friends and family were feeling when they died. Therefore, always be careful taking prescription pain medication. They are very dangerous because people can become very addicted to them. Just remember three important words; “Don't do drugs!”
Another thing I learned through D.A.R.E. is that using cigarettes are very bad Cigarette use is very big in the USA. More than 200 chemicals are in Cigarettes; that's a lot! Cigarettes contain nicotine which is very bad for you because you can get addicted to it. Cigarettes kill about 400,000 people per year world wide. I personally think that smoking is very bad because it yellows your teeth, causes bad breath, dries and wrinkles your skin, and gives you a bad heart or cancer.
In D.A.R.E., I also learned that people should drink responsibly or not drink at all. Alcohol is illegal for people under 21. Anyone under that age caught drinking could go to jail. Alcohol affects the bodies growth hormones for young adults. For adults, alcohol may taste good or make you feel good but it can also be bad. If you drink and drive, you could kill someone and be put be in jail. Drinking is very bad and you should try to stay away from it.
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Without D.A.R.E, our parents, our school, and our young people would be clueless about drugs, cigarettes and alcohol . Lieutenant Chris Whitt, our D.A.R.E officer, has taught us about the dangers of these things. I will definitely stay away from them!
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© 2019 NBC UNIVERSAL Drug overdose deaths top 70,000, drive down U.S. life expectancy
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