The first person who ever asked me to take a drink of alcohol was my aunt. She looked me dead in the face and said, “Take a sip.”
Sometimes, we don’t realize the type of people we surround ourselves with. Some people influence us in positive ways, others negatively. We must choose who we surround ourselves with.
Sometimes we are in positions where we have to make difficult choices. Some of the choices revolve around drinking and drugs.
The typical circumstance that we aren’t taught in schools or by our parents is the idea that our friends and relatives are the people who pressure us.
They pressure us to take our first sip, take our first drag.
We are taught in school that we should always say no to peer pressure, but saying no to the ones close to us is much harder than saying no to some random stranger.
When my aunt told me to drink, my mom was beside me.
She looked at me disappointed.
I looked at the drink and decided not to try it just yet.
It meant so much to my mom not to take that first sip.
I guess it meant a lot because she told me about her background and how alcoholism ran in her family.
I realized that I didn’t actually want to drink. It was just something presented to me that made me interested.
Now that we’re in college, we have the option to choose who we are friends with.
You are able to develop connections with people that will support you, help you and make you grow and as a person.
If you had crappy friends in high school, change who you associate with now. You are in control of your life.
A few years ago, I worked for a camp, and my co-workers would invite me out.
The only way they could have fun was by drinking.
I was intrigued by the idea that some drink could make everything fun, so I tried my first drink at a party.
It was completely disgusting.
I thought it was just me because everyone else seemed to be having a great time, so I kept drinking.
When I stopped, I realized that drinking just made everyone feel a fake sort of confidence.
Once everyone stopped, they were completely different people.
I didn’t change.
When everyone was muggy and sad about the world, I realized that I had the confidence they tried to have with a drink that tasted disgusting.
I am confident in the person I am, and I don’t need a drink to feel any better. I hope you don’t either.
Email Angie Cipriano at angie.cipriano@cardinalpointsonline.com
