It’s a typical Saturday night in the Copper Basin area. Teenagers jump into their vehicles and head out for a night filled with friends, music, and fun. Oh but wait, we can’t forget one key element of the night. That’s right, the beer. Underage drinking has become an overwhelming trend in our community. Teenagers find it normal and “cool” to tip a few back on the weekends. What they don’t realize is the danger they are putting themselves in. Alcohol affects me because I am a youth living in a time and community where drinking is somewhat expected of me in order to “fit in”. It also affects our community in one huge way. Teens think its all fun and games but when one is tragically killed due to their little “friend”, alcohol, the community will be the one left behind to deal with the loss.


I’m at a party on Saturday night. I look around me and see the kids I go to school with. Keyword: kids. So why do these kids have alcohol in their hands? There’s the brain of our grade, putting the bottle to her lips. Is she not smart enough to realize what the alcohol is doing to her mind and body? Apparently all those A’s she earned did not give her enough knowledge to make the right choice. I look over and see the football star. He made the winning touchdown tonight at the game. He’s got the muscles, the girls, and a beer in his hand. He’s big man on campus by day, life of the party by night. In my books, all he is is another one that bit the dust. Then there’s the video game freak. He goes from sinking battle ships during the am hours to sinking beer pong balls during the pm hours. There are teens from every clique here. The jocks, the nerds, the art freaks. They may seem like exact opposites from each other but they share one common love. Alcohol. Alcohol knows no gender, social standing, or frighteningly, age. Scanning around, I see people doing keg stands, playing Beer Pong, and chilling together sipping on Bud Light. This is a normal weekend for these teens. But teenagers drinking alcohol should never be normal.



I’m at a funeral on Friday morning. I look around me and see the kids I go to school with. We’re all sitting together in the front of the church while the rest of the community is gathered behind us. Placed in front of us is a wooden coffin. Inside is my classmate, Johnny. He was the shy nerdy guy in our grade. He was going to attend Arizona State University in the fall. He was going to be an engineer. He was going to be so successful. But now, he’s going to be laid to rest in Mountain View Cemetery. And now saying my final goodbye to him, I can’t believe he’s gone. I turn around and face all my classmates. All those faces, they look so different now than they did Saturday night. Saturday night was when all of our lives changed. Saturday night was when Johnny lost his. He chose not to drink, but he also chose to get in a vehicle with someone who did. That someone is looking at me right now, guilt written all over his face. Sean thought he could drive home even though he had quite a few beers. He crossed the yellow line and drove right off the side of the road. He walked away with a broken arm and a few cuts and bruises. Johnny was not as lucky. His body tensed up on impact and he was thrown out of the vehicle. And now, we’re here. And we’re left to carry on without Johnny. Me, my classmates, our community. Our community knew what we were doing. They knew we drank. They knew it was dangerous. But now as they’re closing the casket, it’s all really hitting home. Drinking on Saturday night was not worth burying our buddy Friday morning.


It’s April. It’s been about six months since we laid Johnny to rest. Tonight is prom. Prom equals dresses, dancing, dates. One thing my classmates are surely leaving out of this equation is alcohol. Johnny’s death has taught every single one of us, the brain, the jock, the artsy kid, that we do not need alcohol to have a good time. We must live above the influence to live at all. So, tonight will be about having a good time. It will be about having a time we will actually remember, not one that is blurred by booze and beer. And most importantly, it will be a night to remember our dear friend Johnny.


Alcohol affects my life because the most important people in my life make alcohol a part of theirs. They believe they are invincible. They believe they can drink as many beers as they want and then drive safely home. In reality, they should not be consuming alcohol at all. Not one sip. But by the time they are high school seniors, 80% have used alcohol and 62% have been drunk. (www.alcohol-information.com). As a senior in high school, those percentages represent my classmates, my friends. Even if I chose not to consume alcohol, alcohol still consumes me. It’s everywhere. On advertisements, in stores, and sadly, in the hands of my underage peers. “First you take a drink, then the drink takes a drink, then the drink takes you.” ~Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald. Teens, don’t let alcohol take you.