Dear Teens:

We love you. Believe it or not, we were teenagers too and we remember what it was like to be young. It’s hard for us to admit, but we also thought we were invincible, as I’m sure you think. We think: “Nothing will ever happen to us!”

We were also motivated by fun, like you. It’s great to be young, but as we now know, if we’re not careful with our attitude and choices, fun can turn into tragedy!

I want to share with you some of the experiences I have had and some of the things I have observed and learned.

The reality is that many of the people we met when we were young didn’t make it. Or they are dead; for the decisions they made, or have destroyed their own lives with alcohol and drugs, especially alcohol! Many of them have ruined the families they had, due to their bad habits and many have harmed their children, for being bad examples.

Those of us who survived were able to see where our lives were headed and make better decisions. For some reason we were the lucky ones. Possibly so that we can share with you what we have learned. The truth is we FEAR FOR THEIR LIVES!

Many of you are headed for a life of destruction. ALCOHOL AND DRUGS WILL DESTROY YOU! You may not believe it, but we’ve lived long enough to know that what I’m saying is true.

Partying was the name of the game then and still is. Partying means drinking alcohol and/or using drugs. Of course, you like to do these things because, temporarily, they make you feel good and you look like you’re having fun. It’s just, after the supposed fun is over, what are the consequences?

Here are three true stories of children who are now suffering the consequences.

This is a letter from a boy, who is locked up in Juvenile Hall, in San Diego.

be a winner in life

I am in jail at the age of sixteen in unit 800, maximum security, and it seems that I am facing a long time for my crime.

I was with four of my friends driving to a party. When we got there, my so-called friends offered me a drink. Usually I would have been drinking and doing some drugs, that horrible night, but I was driving, so I said ‘no’, at first, but then the peer pressure kicked in: ‘Oh come on, don’t be a coward.’ or “a drink won’t hurt.”

So, like any other teenager, I did it with pride, and I took that little drink of liquor, like it was a glass of water, and you know you can’t just take one drink, so one drink became two, two became became three and three became six.

Now at the party feeling better than ever, my cell phone rings and it’s my worst enemy girls… They ask me and my friends to go kick it. I tell them “no” because it was discolored. But the homies said, “yeah, we’ll go.”

So me, I get there all drunk and broke, saying to myself “who cares, what’s the worst that can happen to me?” My friends got on the ride.

We are now on the road, driving about 120 miles in a residential area. All the detours and zig-zags. Red lights, blue lights, cops behind me. In my mind, I’m thinking “I could lose them”.

My friends tell me, “don’t stop.” What should I do now? So when I’m baffled, my friend reminds me how much trouble I’m going to get into, so I thought, “don’t fry.”

When I pulled over, I saw the policeman get out of his car and walk towards me. When he got to the end of my car, I put the car in gear and drove away… fast, uncontrollably fast, on the freeway driving 135 miles an hour, feeling like Superman flying past cars, feeling so good, because I lost the police.

Next thing I know is BAM!!! Car crash. Blood everywhere. Broken windshield and to top it off my friend flew out the front window. No seat belt

He left me and my other two friends injured. But at that time he wasn’t worried about us. He was the one outside that worried me. The dead.

When I got out of the car, there were police everywhere… They took us to the hospital and then arrested us. One friend was fine, the other was injured. He was hurt in every possible way and the last one was ‘dead’.

My charges are DUI, evading a piece officer, driving at an unsafe speed without a license, a firearm in the car, and 187 murder.

Now I face more time than ever, with a body over my head. regretting everything It was a mistake, I will never forget it.

Now the only friends I have are my family. They’re helping me get through this.

From my story, all I have to tell you is, “Never listen to your ‘friends’ or your friends because they are not your real friends.” The family is first!

HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE HIM?

The second story is horrible!

A 17-year-old boy, a great student and a great golfer, went to a party with his friends, drank alcohol and smoked marijuana. After the party he had to go to work. He got in his car feeling stoned and made another stupid choice. He stopped his because of him on the freeway to smoke another marijuana cigarette. He started his car, started speeding up, lost control, went off the freeway and hit three trees. Today he is sitting in a wheelchair, paralyzed from the neck down. No more golf. No more fun!

HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF YOU WERE HIM?

Another story:

On Saturday, December 21, 2002, I attended the funeral of a 17-year-old boy from Oceanside. He is also a victim of making the wrong decision, the consequence of thinking: “Nothing will happen to me”.

Taylor Hodgson went to a party and then got into a car driven by a friend who was at the party. The 22-year-old was allegedly driving drunk. He sped down Highway 78 and lost control as he weaved in and out of traffic. The truck struck two other vehicles and rolled, throwing Taylor onto the road. He died four hours later.

Taylor was a boy that everyone liked. The funeral was packed with schoolmates and friends. His family was devastated by the tragedy of losing the son and brother they loved. Taylor is no longer alive, to discover his potential and his fun is over! The twenty two year old driver is in jail, now he is a murderer!

DO YOU WANT YOUR LIFE TO END?

Those who love you would never get over it.

Unfortunately, these incidents are just isolated cases. I see hundreds of children in similar situations. Please be smart. Make the right decisions. Choose not to drink alcohol at all! Don’t use drugs! Don’t get in a vehicle when someone else is drinking. Make sure to remember!

IT CAN HAPPEN TO YOU!!!!!!! MAKE THE RIGHT DECISIONS!!!!!!!

I love Eva Fry

Author of “BE A WINNER IN LIFE”