| Whether you are young or not-so-young, there is | | | | about yourself! You are now beginning to assert that |
| one fact which is probably true-- when you began | | | | being an individual is your true priority-- and there |
| using drugs and alcohol, you may have thought it was | | | | could not possibly be anything better than that! |
| a great way to fit in with others who were doing the | | | | If you have been focusing on drugs and alcohol for a |
| same thing. If you think about it, though, there is | | | | long time, you may have lost sight of who you really |
| something that is much better than taking on a | | | | are. You may have been going along with the crowd |
| self-destructive lifestyle in order to be one of the | | | | for so long that you are not sure what is important |
| crowd-- you can now branch out into an entirely new | | | | to you and what you want from life. The best thing |
| venture, and dare to be yourself! | | | | about this dilemma is that it is never too late to |
| If you are like most people, you are probably | | | | start, and today is the very best time to start. |
| wondering what you can gain from such a radical | | | | When you take on the task of asserting this priority, |
| move. There are a number of answers to that, and | | | | you will find that you will no longer be in the position |
| all of them are equally valid. For starters, when you | | | | of having drugs, alcohol, and that lifestyle defining |
| are no longer bound to drugs and alcohol, you will also | | | | who you are. Although the thought may seem a bit |
| no longer be bound to a lifestyle which holds you | | | | intimidating at first, it should not be; after all, what |
| back and holds you down. | | | | could be better than finding that there has been a |
| If you have not yet thought of it in those terms, | | | | competent, intelligent, very individual person there all |
| perhaps now is a good time to start. As many people | | | | along? You will find what works for you and what |
| begin to use drugs and alcohol because they do not | | | | does not; and you will find a nearly-limitless world of |
| wish to conform, consider how much conforming you | | | | possibilities opening up for you each day. |
| have been doing as a result! If you have been going | | | | You have not reached this point by accident. You can |
| where your crowd goes, if you have been doing | | | | reclaim your goals, your interests, your dreams-- and |
| what your crowd does, it would seem you have lost | | | | you will have a much healthier life in which to enjoy it |
| something very important somewhere along the line. | | | | all. All you need to do now is to decide that you |
| When you dare to be yourself without drugs and | | | | really do want all of those things-- and then take the |
| alcohol, you are making a great positive statement | | | | challenge to dare to be who you are! |