There are a lot of good things we can do for our bodies like eating healthy foods to brushing our teeth. There are also bad things we can do to our bodies like taking medicine when we are not sick to smoking cigarettes. With our bodies we want to keep them healthy and strong so put in them what we expect out of them.

Sometimes talking about drugs to your children can be a difficult and confusing situation, especially when they are in elementary school. However, the sooner we start to help them build an ability to understand the right choices and your family’s stand point on drugs and bullying, they will tend to make better decisions. Here is a school talk I did at a local elementary school to help them face the issues of drugs and bullying for Red Ribbon Week.

Talking about drugs can be confusing. We know we are supposed to “Just say NO” to drugs but sometimes we ask ourselves what they do to our bodies and why we hear about them so much in music. Ultimately we should always just say no because there are no good outcomes to using drugs. They can make your teeth fall out, make you sick and even make your hair fall out. These are not the things you want to do to your body.

First, let’s talk about music. I bet most of us listen to the radio as you are on your way to school. Sometimes there are fun and motivating songs that get you going in the morning and make you want to dance. But if you listen carefully, sometimes there is a lot of talk about how drinking alcohol and doing drugs can make you feel better, get over a boyfriend or girlfriend or just escape your troubles. Well if they say it on the radio and they are your role models it must be true, right?? If we look at the reality, it couldn’t be farther from the truth. Running away from your problems will never fix them. They will go away for now but eventually they will catch back up with you. Doing drugs or drinking your problems away is a weak and ineffective solutions to our daily challenges life can present to us. Instead, talk to someone you love who will support you. Do something fun with your friends and talk to them about how you feel. Enjoy your favorite hobby and think through for a solution to the problems you are facing, not just sweeping them under your bed to face later. Think about these problems like cleaning your room. We never really want to do it but if we put things in order we can be done with it. If you stuff things under your bed, hide them where they don’t belong, you are going to have to come back and fix it later.

Next, television and movies. Watching things in action seem to make them feel even more real. Watching your favorite actor or character in an action scene make you feel like you are right there. We look up to a lot of people in our life. Television has a big piece of the dream people we want to be. Superman, ninja turtles, all the princesses. We see what they have and we want to live the way they do. For that same reason, when we see things on television it can influence our choices. What if your favorite character drinks alcohol, smokes marijuana or is a bully? Would that make you want to be just like them? Do the things they do? We have to be careful to be able to see the difference between right and wrong. The choices they make on television end with the next episode. They decisions we make will last us our entire lifetime. Make sure the choice you make are the ones your family and friends would be proud of.

Peer Pressure. This is something that at times can be hard to say no to. We can practice saying no to drugs but we never may be faced with the actual situation to use it. Peer pressure, however, will be a guaranteed part of life. Its hard to say no to our friends even when it is something we know we shouldn’t do. But remember this, a true friend wouldn’t ask you to do something to your body that would hurt you or hurt another person. We have to be just as confident to saying no to peer pressure as we have to be saying no to drugs. How would you handle these situations? (This would be kids talking to kids)

***Let’s try a beer in the refrigerator. My dad drinks them. He drinks them every time his favorite team is on. He says it helps them win!

***My grandma smokes cigarettes everyday, let’s go and take one of her cigarettes and try them. I’ll get the cigarettes, she always leaves them on the counter and you go grab the lighter, its on the coffee table.

***I have a headache, can you grab me some aspirin? My mom always takes it when she has one and she’s outside right   now and I don’t want to bother her.

These are things that happen everyday make sure you make the right choice!