Pubdate: Sat, 28 Oct 2006
Source: Craig Daily Press, The (CO)
Copyright: 2006 The Craig Daily Press
Contact: http://www.craigdailypress.com/site/feedback
Website: http://www.craigdailypress.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2334
Author: Lola Valdez
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topics/Red+Ribbon (Red Ribbon Week)

COMMITTED TO BEING DRUG-FREE

Local youths participate in essay, poster contests in honor of Red
Ribbon Week

Red Ribbon Week poster, essay contests

Grand Futures Prevention Coalition hosted essay and poster contests
this week at Craig Intermediate School and Craig Middle School, in
honor of Red Ribbon Week.

The campaign is designed to steer America's children away from drug
and alcohol abuse.

Here, we've included the work of the local contest winners.

The essay contest for Moffat County High School students has been
extended a week. For more information, call Kiniston.

First Place

BE SMART, SAY NO!

By Lola

Fifth-grader at Craig Intermediate School

To be drug free means just that, to be drug free. I know you would
think it would more complicated, then your right. When you think about
it being drug free sounds like a task that can be accomplished in just
one or two hours. In fact, it can completely ruin your life. It has
been seen far too many times: a person that gets hooked on drugs
struggles so much and then fails. That's why it is so important to be
drug free. Once you're hooked you'll stay that way.

When you do drugs you are hurting everyone and everything around you.
Just think of all of those people that are being hurt just so can get
that rush for a few minutes. Most drugs are illegal, so when you get
caught with a drug, guess who is going to pay the consequences. Yes,
you will pay the consequences but so will your parents or little
brother or sister. Your parents will have to pay for you to get out of
trouble and can you imagine how much they will suffer knowing that
their little boy or girl is hooked on drugs. I'm sure it hurts them so
much that will probably never trust you again.

It also hurts your body. When you do drugs you are literally killing
your brain cells that may have held valuable information or could
later on hold valuable information. Sure so you have a billion or
trillion of them but it only takes one to hold that valuable memory of
Grandma or Grandpa. Also when you do drugs your body will probably
start liking a little too much and eventually you'll be hooked for
good. Some people can even die without a certain drug they have become
addicted to.

Also, you should think about your future. How are you going to go to
college and get an education if you failed out of high school because
you were getting drugs or doing drugs? Once when you get to the age of
like 25 you will realize that you were dumb and end up regretting it
for your whole life. And believe me that's a regret you don't want to
sleep with every night.

So when your friend Billy Bob asks you if you want some drugs, you'll
have to make a very important decision. If you say yes you will lead a
life of suffering and failure. Bui, if you choose to say no you will
have assured yourself a bright future. However, no matter what I say
or do it is still your decision, you make the choice. BE SMART SAY NO
TO DRUGS!

Second place

HOW "PAWS" HELPS US REMAIN DRUG FREE!

By Tiarra

Fifth-grader at Craig Intermediate School

Practicing Respect plays a very big part in helping us remain drug
free. First of all you can practice respect for your body by eating
healthy and not drinking or doing drugs. Second of all, by doing drugs
it could make you look and feel older. You could also help your family
by not dong drugs because you could go to jail or worse, ... die. That
is how Practicing Respect helps us remain drug free.

Accepting Responsibility also helps us remain drug free. You have to
accept the responsibility of being an adult. To take on the Task of
being mature and abel to provide for a family. Accepting
responsibility also falls under accepting the fact that laws are laws
and rules are rules and you can't change them, that's just the way it
is and theirs nothing you can do about it. That's how Accepting
Responsibility helps also.

Working hard helps us remain drug free because if you are just sitting
around like a goon you probably don't have any goals and you will be
sitting around one day and just start doing drugs. But if you work
hard you probably have a goal and keep going on the road of success
and have a good job and life when you grow up. That is why you should
awalys remain drug free.

Safety is another way of remaining drug free because staying safe
falls under drug free doesn't it? You should never drive under the
influence of drinking here's why, if you are driving drunk at night
and you are very tird you might fall asleep at the wheel and there is
a car in the other lane you could have a head on collision. So would
you want to take someones life or maby even yours just because you
coulden't follow directions? Think about it.

In my opinion, doing drugs is horribal and I would never do them
because my mind is set on college. Think about how bad it is to do
drugs you get bad lungs, bad health, and bad habbits. Drugs lower your
good looks and make you feel older too. Do you want to do drugs? Think
about it.

Third Place

DRUG RESISTANCE

By Curtis

Fifth-grader at Craig Intermediate School

Everybody knows that drugs are bad and bad for you. But the CIS School
has something called PAWS to help encourage young adults not to use
drugs.

The P in paws stands for Practice Respect. You may ask how that can
help us be drug free. Well it can help you in many ways for example if
you practice respect you may grow up with a strong and healthy body.
Also your appearance will be a lot nicer without drugs.

In the drug resistance policy PAWS the A stands for Accept
Responsibility. If you accept responsibility by not using drugs you
can make other choices besides doing drugs. Maybe you could play a
sport, or play a video game with some of your closest friends.

Are you working hard, I sure hope so because that's what the W in PAWS
stands for. You may be wondering how to work hard and be drug free?
Well working hard and being drug free isn't that hard because you can
concentrate better, and you are more focused on what you are doing.

Safety. What a big part of PAWS. People may ask you to try some drugs.
But just say no, it isn't safe. As long as you put yourself in a safe
situation PAWS will always be there for you and remember anything is
better than drugs!
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MAP posted-by: Derek