Problems with Underage Smoking!

There seems to be a lot of drugs out there that are bad for you these days. Some are really intense, such as heroin, or seem safe, like your parent’s prescribed drugs, but really aren’t. With all these different drugs floating around, tobacco drugs, specifically chew and cigarettes, don’t seem all that bad. But think again, because there aren’t just long-term health effects. There are many cons to smoking that outweigh the pros, which you can chose for yourself when deciding if you should quit smoking or not.

One good reason why you should not be smoking, especially while underage, is that in the state of Oregon you will get an MIP (minor in possession) of tobacco. Under this law, anyone who is caught by the police can get a big fine and, in addition, will have to take a tobacco education class or perform a certain amount of community service related to the bad effects of tobacco use. You may say that this is no big deal…what is another class? But wait, there is more…your driving privileges could be suspended for up to a year!

Not only do you get an MIP on your record, have to take a class to help you quit, may have your driving privileges taken away, but also your school may suspend you for receiving this! That means that colleges may get to see your suspension record and you will have to make up missed classes and possibly get poor grades because of it.

When chosing to smoke, think again about the other immediate consequences. Need help quitting? Get some tips here!

Your Choices Can Destroy

We have all experienced it: consequences for the stupid choices we have made in life. Whether it’s being grounded for not doing an easy homework assignment, getting a monster speeding ticket, or anything else, we have all done something foolish and have paid dearly for it.  We expect this to happen from time to time, but few really ever expect those consequences to really hurt themselves or others.

One 18 year-old girl has learned this the hard way. High on prescription meds, she lost control of the van she was driving, veered into a yard, and hit and killed a 69 year-old retired doctor. She is now facing manslaughter charges, and a life that must be lived with the knowledge that her stupid decisions cost someone her life. Her stupid decisions will likely end up destroying her own life; if convicted she could spend decades in jail.

It is sad to see her screaming and crying in the video, realizing that her decisions have destroyed. The shocking part of finding oneself in such a situation is that there are no “re-do’s” If asked, there are definitely things she would say she would do differently. She would have not taken the prescription meds. She would not have driven the van high and without a licence. She would change any number of things so that the lady would still be alive and so that she would not spend a large chunk of her life behind bars. Unfortunately, it is too late. No matter how sorry she feels, no matter how loudly she screams, no matter how many times she asks for forgiveness, she cannot undo what happened, and it is all a product of her choices.

If you are abusing drugs or alcohol, do you really understand that your choices will destroy? Not only can you destroy your own life, but you could destroy the life of someone else.

The Need for SafeShelter

It’s a situation that is all too common. A teenager gets into a fight with his or her parents. In some cases, the fighting ends with the teenager either getting kicked out or running away. The teen then finds himself on his own. He will usually have very little money if any, and he will need somewhere to stay. He will call every friend he can to see if someone has an available couch. He doesn’t know how to take care of himself or how to fix things with his parents. There aren’t too many situations that can leave one feeling more desperate than how a teenager feels when he can’t go home.

Unfortunately, when some young people find themselves in this position, they make some very poor choices. One young man, desperate for money, decided that it would be a good idea to use a stun gun on a 73-year-old woman. After he was arrested, he had this to say:

“My mom kicked me out of the house and I needed money. I don’t know why I Tased her but I got the stun gun from my friend.”

While what he did was horrible, his actions highlight a bigger problem: where should a teen go when he finds himself on the street? How can one avoid this kind of situation?

Thankfully Youth Outreach has the answer for Yamhill County: the Safe Shelter program. This is a temporary emergency shelter program designed for teens who find themselves without a place to rest their heads. The young person will stay with a wonderful host home family and get the help he needs to get things back on the right track. We can help work out issues with family, get the teen help with food and medical issues, as well as help establish and accomplish goals for the future.

There is no reason for a young person to panic when they are unable to go home. If you or a friend need our help, you can call (503) 538-8023 during the day, or you can call our after hours helpline at 1-866-538-8023. Call us; we can help.

Supreme Stupidity

We have all done it: the prank call. Many a middle school student has inquired of a random phone number whether or not his refrigerator was running just to tell him to go catch it. This type of prank should eventually die out with the invention of caller identification and other methods to track down telephone pranksters. Those that still attempt this time-honored tradition know that even during the most ridiculous of prank calls, there is a line that one just does not cross.

One young man in New York state crossed that line big time. According to a news report, he used a radio to call the local Sheriff’s Department and report an auto accident, claiming that a person was trapped. After authorities figured out that there was no accident, they tracked down the foolish 18-year-old and arrested him. His excuse for his horrible behavior? He had been smoking weed and was “not thinking clearly.”

The lesson to learn here, and the main point of this blog entry is this: drug use will cause you to do supremely stupid things. Far more dangerous than the effects of the drugs themselves are the insanely idiotic decisions one will make while high. One looses the ability to make good decisions and many times cannot control himself. This story is just another example of the endless accounts of drugs causing supreme stupidity. At least this story did not end with someone loosing his life; the next story you hear, maybe even your own story, may end that way.

Drying Cement

This week 80′s teen “heart-throb” Cory Haim died. Haim had dealt with drug abuse for years, and this drug use is suspected (although not yet confirmed) in his death. While there are many things one could learn by looking at the life of this troubled celebrity, one thing stands out to this blogger: a lifelong pattern of drug problems which originated in his teenage years.

He passed away at 38 years of age and has been battling drug problems since he was a teen. He has been in rehab, had relapses, and had depression issues. His close friend Cory Feldman called him a “tormented soul.”

Using drugs as a teenager is far more dangerous than one may think. If you even survive while abusing drugs, you are beginning a lifelong battle for control of yourself. You may think you can quit tomorrow “if you really wanted to,” but understand that by using drugs as a teen you are establishing a pattern that doesn’t just go away. Here is a saying to remember: “What you will become, you are now becoming. ” You don’t change as a person just because your circumstances change. You may think that you will straighten out when you get to college. Maybe you think you will clean up after you get your career underway, or when you get married, or when you become a parent. It doesn’t work that way.

Unfortunately, the reality is that life is like drying cement. When someone walks across wet cement they leave footprints. If the cement is immediately smoothed out it can be fixed, but if left to dry those footprints will become permanent.  This is also true of life. The more that time progresses the more permanent things become. The longer you have a lifestyle of drug use, the more permanent that lifestyle will become. Don’t let your cement dry with the footprints of drugs. If you do, you will struggle for the rest of your life.