People look at me as “a good kid.” I get along well with my parents (sometimes), and do better than most kids in school. I don’t drink, smoke, or do drugs. But no one knows that I’ve been close to starting all three.

Things at home aren’t as good as they seem. I fight with my parents almost every night. They complain about everything I do or don’t do, while my little brother sits back and runs the entire house. I’ve seriously thought about running away many times.

School demands much of me, too. Sometimes I think I just can't handle it anymore. That's when I start to think about having a smoke, or getting wasted, or getting high.

Smoking isn't as bad as the others. But for someone like me with asthma, it could lead to serious lung problems. Besides, once you start, you don't stop, right?

My friends drink, and do a little pot, so it wouldn't be hard for me to have a beer and smoke some weed. It's that easy access that scares me. I worry about my friends a lot. I worry that some day they'll just get too drunk, or too stoned, and it will be too late. I've tried to tell them that they're hurting themselves – that I care about them so much and don't want to see them hurt. But they don't listen. They don't know that their lives are too good to be doing that stuff. But, at the same time, I can see what drives them toward it.

The temptation is there. I've felt it many times, and I've seen my friends give in to it. I don't know what to do about them – it hurts me to see the kids I grew up with slowly killing themselves. For me the temptation is strong, but I've managed to rise above it, and I know I'm not alone. All of you out there who also feel the temptation, don't give in to it, no matter how bad things get. Alcohol and drugs may seem that they'll make everything better – but they'll only make things a lot worse.