How to say No!

How to Say No to Drugs and Alcohol by wikiHow

To "Just Say No" to drugs and alcohol, one must have a reason and that reason must be that there are more interesting, and productive activities to choose from. It also helps to have an answer to peers who may offer these substances to you. Be strong as sometimes you may have to lie about how much drugs you have had that night, e.g: "I have already had far too much tonight", or, "Sorry dude, it doesn't agree with my chest, I get really bad asthma". When declining the offer keep strong but calm, if you become too abrasive to the dealer there could be consequences, for they are most likely interpreting your decline differently than your meaning. Keep in mind, people who offer you drugs, are most likely on drugs

Consider the following 18 steps:

1.      Realize that abusing drugs may lead to devastating events in people's lives. These could include prison, homelessness, serious medical problems such as an overproduction of serotonin and even death.

2.      Think about what other things in life you can achieve such as activities that are more fulfilling than drugs. Maybe investing in a career, or practicing an instrument. Drugs can destroy family ties, so spend time strengthening bonds with your family and friends.

3.      Examine all activities broadly, to help you Discover What You Really Want from a New Career. Think about the compliments received from utilizing your skills, the rewards of pursuing an interesting career, or how much your new found self-esteem really means to you. Write down your goals and tick each goal as you achieve it. Don't set your goals too high, make sure they are reasonable, or you will just set yourself up for failure.

4.      Compare the results, long term and short term, of your new lifestyle. If you were taking drugs, the results would never be as good.

5.      Realize that enjoying life and pursuing new interests is more satisfying and EASIER (long term anyway) than abusing drugs.

6.      Prepare yourself for occasions where strangers may offer drugs to you. It could be a street corner or a party. By now, you should be able to tell the person why you choose to refuse or chose not to participate in what they are offering.

7.      Try to associate with people who do not use drugs, and avoid situations where they will be used and given to you. Try immersing yourself in activities that are made more difficult by drugs, such as driving, talking on the phone, learning something new, or jogging.

8.      Have a good friend who you can talk to about any situation where you are tempted to take drugs. This will help you be more accountable, and it should provide you with positive feedback from someone who genuinely cares about you.

9.      Remember that the future is full of promise and abusing drugs might rob you of those beautiful things in life.

10.  Look at the list of people who have been destroyed, even killed, by drugs. Just because many Rock Stars, actors or friends use them doesn't make them cool; you must make your own decisions. For every star that looks cool taking drugs, there is one who is in rehab, or has died.

11.  Forgive yourself if you feel you made a mistake by trying drugs. If you don't make mistakes in life, how will you learn? Accept your mistakes and don't be hypocritical when you see people around you making the same mistakes. The thing that matters is what lies ahead of you, not what is in your past. [Leave the Past Behind]. The past has taught you a valuable lesson. Learning from your mistakes has made you a stronger person today.

12.  Just say NO. Make sure you are firm and strong. If you come across as weak the person following you will latch on

13.  Walk away. Try and lose them if at all possible. Find a crowded location or look for somewhere you can find someone responsible and reputable. If you're in school, find a teacher. If you're not in school, move to step 3.

14.  Tell an adult or friend about it. Make sure that you alert the appropriate person about the encounter. Give all the details you can

15.  Call the police or an authoritative person. This step is the one to take if your encounter is outside a school. It is important, however, to perform step 2 before starting to call police. If they hear you, they may become angry or violent.

16.  Avoid further encounters. You should avoid the person who offered drugs at all costs. It would also be advisable to avoid the place where you were encountered.

17.  Change the subject. Example: No thanks, let’s go play some baseball

18.  State a fact. Example: No thanks! My parents would ground me for life!