The Measure of Success

When I was in junior high, my school often brought in informational programs about the dangers of drinking and using drugs. I remember sitting on the cold gymnasium floor listening to police officers and other professionals describe the horrors of alcoholism and drug addiction. I had heard the same things from my sheltering, overprotective, yet very loving parents. I promised myself I would never become one of those kids from a secure family, with a bright future ahead of them, who fall in with the wrong crowd and get screwed up because of alcohol and drugs.