 Most of you know how big a problem drugs have become in this country. You turn on the TV, you watch a movie, and it's pretty easy to get the idea that everyone is using drugs, but the truth is most kids don't. Most kids want nothing to do with drugs. Today you're going to meet three teenagers who can show you what I mean. Oscar, William, and Alicia lead pretty ordinary lives. They go to school, they hang out with their friends, and they're trying to figure out what the future holds. They've all found good ways to avoid drugs, like setting goals for themselves, finding friends who don't use drugs, and working hard to develop their talents. You're also going to meet one girl, Tracy, who learned the hard way that drugs are a dead end. Drugs will destroy everything that's important to you, your health, your friendships, your self-respect, and maybe even your life. But what's important about Tracy's story is that she found the courage and help she needed to change her life. If you're worried about drugs, if you feel like they're all around you, remember that you can find ways to protect yourself. Think about what makes you special. Think about the people who care about you. Saying no to drugs is really about saying yes to your life. Oscar is the first kid I want you to meet. He lives in the Mission District of San Francisco. In the mission, drugs and violence have become a way of life for some. For Oscar, the choice is simple. Stay straight and survive, or do drugs and ruin your life. It used to be a life neighborhood, at least that's what my parents told me. They said it was real nice, and they showed pictures of it, and it was real nice. But like drug dealers started coming in, they started dealing with drugs, and with that they brought in all the crime, and then people were afraid to just walk, you know, it was real bad. Somebody get shot at least once a week, somebody go down, and personally too I even know some friends who they were the same age as me, same thing, we were like, you know, almost like brothers, and then boom, you got shot and like, man, how did it happen? And I was starting to think, man, why did you get involved in that? Why did you get in the gang in drugs? I said, well, I don't want that happening. I want to keep living. I want to stay alive. I'm so young, I'm only 16, so I want to make it, I want to make at least 80. Not everyone who gets involved in drugs ends up in a gang or dead. Sometimes the damage is harder to see. Smoking pot, for example, makes it difficult to concentrate and remember what you read and hear. Other drugs, like PCP, can make you angry and violent. As Oscar says, the only way to make it out of a tough situation is to stay in school and away from drugs. To me it's like a mission to not go down like some of the people I knew, to survive, to actually make it to go to college, to live a good life and not waste it like some of my friends did. The inner city can be a tough place to live, but Oscar loves his neighborhood and his friends. And they make the most of what they have, like the local youth center, where they get together to play basketball. You get fun from doing other things, dancing or, you know, basketball sports or learning or, you know, just fun things, you know. Just doing things that are fun as long as it doesn't do any harm, such as drugs, you know. Oscar's circle of friends includes his two older cousins. Alberto and David also grew up in the Mission District, but they both graduated from high school, went on to college and now have jobs they really love. Oscar spends a lot of time with his cousins. He looks up to them and tries to be like them. For them, I think I'd be like, you know, in the wrong crowd, I'd be doing the wrong things. It's like an older, older brother figure, you know, somebody you can look up to and say, yeah, I want to be like that or, you know, I want to go his way, not do that. That's wrong, you know. I want to go like the right path and do the right thing. They're always there, like, if I need to talk to somebody, I can talk to them about anything. Oscar has a big family and they all look out for each other. The fact that he loves his parents and doesn't want to disappoint them is another reason he won't do drugs. Oscar is right when he says you have to learn to take care of yourself, but it helps to have people who love you on your side. They can't make the right decisions for you, but they can be there when you need advice or support. Don't make up your mind about drugs, but my advice to you is this. Don't do drugs, because if you do, you're going to use your family, your friends, and your life. So stay in school, graduate, get a good job, and after that, the sky's the limit. Oscar's family is really there for him. Not everyone is so lucky, but you know there are other places to turn to if you have a problem or just need someone to talk to. A favorite teacher, for instance, or a support group or hotline. A lot of people out there really do care and want to help. It helps too if you can find activities that develop your talents. The next kid you're going to meet, William, has been dancing since he was 10 years old. He dreams of being a professional dancer. To make that happen, he knows he's got to stay in control of his body and his mind. And that means keeping far away from drugs. William loves the energy and creativity of dancing. He's also found that dancing is a good way to make friends and fit in. There was like dance contests in the neighborhood, and everyone knew how to dance, it was like if you didn't know how to dance, you would like standing on the outside, just looking at everybody dancing, you would just feel sort of out of place. William dances with Lysia and Nakea in a group called ADC. They've been rehearsing a routine they hope to perform at New York's Apollo Theater. I was supposed to jump over his head, you didn't? No. I looked down on your feet, we're right there. Somehow we all clicked and we got to know each other and then we started working together and we worked well, so we continued to work together. Goofy, he's just like a brother now. He's William. Yeah, William. We kid a lot, we go to the movies, we go roller skating, displace that place, and we always have fun. You have to have some seriousness and some goofiness at the same time, because it just makes it easier. William practices with his partners every day after school. They avoid drugs because they know drugs would destroy the balance, timing, and control they've worked so hard to achieve. I think drugs would affect my commitment in my practicing because I might hurt myself in a certain way and then once I hurt myself I may not be able to dance again. William's success as a dancer has given him the confidence to set some pretty high goals for himself. He really likes his science classes and he's thinking about being a doctor someday. I need to stay in school because I want to be a doctor and if I was to drop out of school what would I be able to do? William knows that doing well in school is the key and that controls the body. William works several days a week at the Boston Children's Hospital in the Research Lab. Not only is he learning what it takes to be a doctor, but it's a way for him to help his community. I see that's taken a very minute amount, which is very handy in a pediatric environment because this patient is only six days old. I like my job. It's fun. People ask me, how can you stand stuff like that? Well, it's not really standing, you just got to think about it. I may be helping someone out in the world that needs my help. Everyone needs someone help out at some point in time and I think this is how I can help other people is by working here in the lab. So as soon as we finish the washing, William can go in with the next specimen. Setting goals and working hard to achieve them has helped William say no to drugs. He believes in himself, which is why he won't do things he knows are wrong or dangerous. Drugs can make a mess of your life and William refuses to be pressured into making stupid choices. Don't be pressured into doing anything that you don't want to do. Be your own person. Make the right decision. If you make the right decision, you'll be happy within yourself. Don't make a decision that concerns anyone else. Don't be a follower. Make control of your life. Make a decision for yourself, for no one else but yourself. William knows how important it is to stay away from drugs, but some teenagers find that drugs and alcohol aren't just out on the streets, they're on the dining room table. It can be pretty tough if you've grown up with someone who uses drugs or abuses alcohol. Take Tracy for example, the next kid you're going to meet. Tracy is a recovering drug addict and alcoholic. She's been clean and sober for four years, but she's still struggling to undo the damage she caused herself and her family. Tracy found out the hard way that drug addiction is really scary. Drugs made her feel totally helpless. They took control of her life and they caused her to drop out of school and hurt the people she loved the most. And they almost killed her. I was 11 years old when I started drinking. I used to finish off the wine glasses that my parents had after they finished eating. And then I'd be with friends every now and then and they would have alcohol in their house. When their parents weren't looking, we would take little sips of it here and there. By the time Tracy was in the seventh grade, she was drinking every day. Within a year, she was addicted to other drugs as well. She started cutting classes and eventually dropped out of school altogether. Tracy was in a lot of trouble, but she couldn't turn to her mother for help. Even though Tracy's mother loved her, she wasn't giving Tracy the support she needed. I'm sure that Tracy saw me drunk many, many times. I think my own use of alcohol and other substances just kept me from seeing what was truly happening with Tracy. Tracy didn't cause her mom's drinking problem. Any more than her mother caused Tracy to drink and use other drugs. They were both suffering from a disease, alcoholism, and it took a crisis before they could see what it was doing to the family. One night Tracy overdosed on drugs and nearly died. After several weeks in the hospital, she was moved to a treatment center where she began the process of recovery. But Tracy wasn't the only one who needed to change. I had a test today. I had known for several years that I was an alcoholic, but I certainly wasn't taking care of the problem or wasn't admitting it, and I just kept on drinking. The crisis, though, was precipitated by the fact that my child was dying. I decided that if I was going to help her, then I needed to clean up my act. Tracy's mother joined Alcoholics Anonymous, a group of people who help each other learn to live without alcohol. She hasn't had a drink in four years, but she and Tracy have had to work hard to rebuild their family. When people use drugs, everyone around them is affected. My sister went through a lot with me. I can remember just scaring her to death because I would come home high. I'd take a lot of my anger out on her, and she would get hurt. I would hurt her. So I think that she's learned from my lesson. I hope so because I don't want to wish this on anybody. Tracy's determined to avoid a relapse. Drugs cost her a year of her life, a year she's had to work hard to make up. But I had to go to summer school every summer, and I had to go to night school at night. I'm just so glad that I was able to finish high school. If I didn't finish high school, I mean, I wouldn't be able to have a job. I wouldn't be able to go to college. I'd basically, you know, be a nobody. Can you now tell Eric to talk about his day? Tracy gets a lot of support from a drug and alcohol rehabilitation program called the US Project. She hopes to work in a TV station one day, and the US Project is giving her some valuable experience. Great. Now I want you to widen back out. I'm involved with a group called the US Project, and it's a bunch of young people like me that are also recovering from drug and alcohol addictions, and we get together and we write and produce our own scripts for our TV shows. We write stories about recovery and other fun things that can happen in your sobriety. Okay, in five, five, four, three, two, one, roll tape, up on audio, up from black, and cue talent. Hi, I'm Greg, and I'm with the US Project. Today we have Eric Shapiro with us from an adolescent drug treatment center. But it's really important that I have other people that I know that are also clean and sober so that they can help me support myself. Tell the guys to take three. I've worked so hard to stay off of drugs and alcohol now that I don't want to harm myself by getting into really hard or scary situations. Maybe we could focus on one of you guys and one of your issues that you want to talk about today. The US Project also offers support groups, where kids can talk about their problems and help each other stay drug-free. Support groups are really important for people like Tracy. It's hard to go through this by yourself. I don't know, this week has been really hard, I mean it hasn't been hard, I just feel like it's been really hard for me to accept because I want to control everything. And it's also nice to hear other people going through the same fears and the feelings that I'm going through so I know that I'm not alone. You know, for me it's just real hard for me to make friends and when I do I just don't want to let them go. I have a lot of fun today, but today now I know that I was really hurting myself when I was drinking and using drugs, you know, I was doing a lot of damage to myself. You know if you're hurting now then maybe you can find some buddy, some friend, even a counselor at school that you can talk to about what's going on. So it's so important to talk to people so that you won't have to hurt yourself like I hurt myself. Tracy's come a long way since the night she nearly died. She still has to deal with the problems her drug use caused and she knows she'll never be really free from her addiction. But Tracy has learned where to go for help and that's made all the difference. Knowing who to ask and where to go for help is especially important for kids who are surrounded by drugs and violence. The next person I want you to meet, Delisha, has seen firsthand how drugs and the crime they cause can destroy a community. But as Delisha has discovered, you can take charge of your life and make things better for yourself and your community. Delisha works hard at things she enjoys, playing basketball and doing volunteer work. Keeping busy helps her avoid bad situations and it reminds her that the more you put into your life, the more you get out of it. There was a lot of pressure and trouble and the best way to stay out of it was to do something constructive and positive. Through her school, Delisha found out about a group called the Youth Congress. After speaking to a few members and making some phone calls, she decided to join. She's one of about 100 teenagers from all over Boston who meet each week to discuss the problems they face, drugs, violence, teen pregnancy, and homelessness. The whole aspect of having this Youth Congress is for teens to get together in peace and harmony and you know to learn about and come up with recommendations for different topics that are important in their community and that are a problem in their community like gang violence, drugs and alcohol. Last year, Delisha organized a program to help prevent teenage pregnancy. This year, she's the head of the media committee which is working to publicize the Congress's activities. Last but not least, Malayla is going to do a mail-in to radio stations. She says she will get in touch with them and let them know what the Youth Congress is going to be about. That's it. The Youth Congress helps me because in there, I'm able to speak out on what I feel and organize and make up ideas that help the Youth Congress so that it will come off good. The Youth Congress is just one way Delisha contributes to her community. She also volunteers at the New England Baptist Hospital, designing the rows and card bouquets that are given to each patient. There are days where I help a person or give them advice because there's a lot of people come in and say, little things, like is this flower better than the other and I feel good when the patient likes the flower or something, the flowers that they receive, so it makes me feel good to know that someone is thankful. I'm proud to do what I do and I have the confidence that these things are what I need to be done and these things will help in the community so that I can look back and say I did something. Delisha also has a lot of fun. It's not all work. She goes to a lot of sports events and plays on the girl's basketball team. She also enjoys tutoring her classmates in math, English and science. Getting a good education is really important to Delisha and she's not going to let drugs interfere with it. You know what I did? I did X to the second plus 7X plus 10. The peer tutoring that I do at the school helps me. It really makes me feel good. I think staying in school is going to be important for what I want to do in the future because I hope to go to college and major in computer science. You've got X to the second minus 6X minus 9. That's the only thing I need to check up on so to be 2, 3, 2 plus 3 plus 1. If I were to start taking drugs, all my goals and dreams that I hope to do when I get older will be ruined. My activities help me to see that I'm a strong person and I can say no. This is the answer. Delisha wants her friends to see how important it is to find something you like. Sports, music, art, dance that will help you stay away from drugs. I tell them I like what I do and when you like something that you do, you do it. I guess until you die and some of them they get jealous but I say you can do it too and I invite them to do the things that I do and I invite them to my meetings and encourage them that they can do it too. Oh, look what you're saying there, an older man. You see how you see him here? Delisha gives a lot of support to her friends and community but sometimes she needs support too. She gets it through a mentoring program run by her local community center. The program finds adults who are willing to spend time with inner-city teenagers. Delisha and her mentor Lorraine get together each week to talk or sometimes just hang out. Lorraine helps Delisha remember that she's not alone, that there are adults out there who support her efforts to stay away from drugs. I don't like it back here, my legs are too fat, look at this. We do a lot of things that are helpful and that keeps me out of trouble and she helps me when I need help and that's not, she's just someone there that I can talk to when I don't want to tell things to my mother. Where's it from? Vesuvius. Vesuvius. Vesuvius. I guess I think I have something to offer in the relationship but she gives me a lot back too so she's my buddy forever you know. I'll be there when she needs me. I would like to say to viewers is to stay in school and there'll be a fool and drugs and ain't no joke. Peace. Well those are the four people I want you to meet. They've all found different ways to keep drugs out of their lives. Of course it's not always easy to avoid drugs, sometimes it might seem like everyone's doing them or that they'll make your life easier but they won't. Drugs are nothing but trouble and that's why it's important to have friends who don't do drugs like Tracy's support group or role models like Oscar's cousins and Delicia's mentor. Being involved in activities whether it's dancing, sports or helping out in the community is another way to stay straight. Talk to a teacher or guidance counselor if you want to find a mentor or get involved in activities that use your talents. Remember there are a lot of people out there who care about you. So as Oscar, William, Tracy and Delicia all say your future is too important. Don't risk it on drugs.