Pubdate: Wed, 23 Jul 2003 Source: Surrey Now (CN BC) Copyright: 2003 Lower Mainland Publishing Group Inc., A Canwest Company Contact: http://www.thenownewspaper.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1462 Author: Barb Kirkpatrick Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth) TEENS' EXCUSES FOR DRUGS AND BOOZE ARE LAME-BRAINED The Editor, Re: "Bored forgotten teens turning to drugs and booze," the Now letters, July 16. Of all the lame-brained excuses for drinking and drugs I've ever heard, the letter from the two girls saying they have to drink and do drugs because there's nothing to do takes the cake! I've never heard of anyone dying from boredom, but I've known a lot of teenagers who have died because they used assorted excuses for doing illegal things for something to do. My son lost several of his chums and schoolmates with that same excuse, that "we have to drink because we're bored." If they didn't get killed in an accident, they had to live with the after-effects of crippling themselves or someone else, and ruining their lives and their families, too. I'm so tired of listening to excuses like theirs and others who use cigarettes, food, alcohol or drugs to justify their detrimental behaviour. We are so lucky in this country to have what we have, and I'd like to suggest that these two young ladies, who have the intelligence to write that letter, also have the wherewithal to do something smart instead of doing something dumb like drugs and booze. I can say these things because I speak from being on the receiving end of watching many people being addicted to something. Many of them have died of cancer, heart disease, alcoholism and drug abuse. It hurts to lose your friends and loved ones that way. So quit using such lame excuses for spoiling your life. You only live once and it's soon over! Barb Kirkpatrick Surrey - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin