STUFF YOU MAY NOT HAVE LEARNED IN MIDDLE SCHOOL: THE COCKROACH HAS A HIGH RESISTANCE TO RADIATION AND IS THE CREATURE MOST LIKELY TO SURVIVE A NUCLEAR WAR.
Have you heard this one? An ostrich walks into a bar...
No, sorry, we’re not going to tell a joke. Too bad, huh? It would be nice if we knew a good one!
We thought about combining the chapter on drugs with the chapter on drinking because, in many ways, what we have to say to you about the two topics is very similar:
• We know both drug use and drinking are common in middle school.
• We expect you’ll have to deal with one or both of them at some point, if you haven’t already.
• Neither one is what God wants for you, and they totally aren’t worth the risk of addiction or other problems.
But even so, there’s still enough to say about drinking (you know we’re talking about drinking alcohol, right?) that we thought we should keep the chapters separate.
Drug use in middle school isn’t quite as common as drinking is—not yet, anyway. The average age for boys to try their first taste of alcohol is 11 years old; the average age for girls is 13 years old. That means before they turn 12 years old, half of all boys will have tried alcohol; and by age 14, half of all girls will have done so. You’re about that age, aren’t you?
We’re not suggesting that if you haven’t tried alcohol yet, then you’d better get around to doing it quickly. Just the opposite—the longer you wait, the more likely it is that you WON’T have a problem with alcohol at any time in your life. So if you’re in the “haven’t tried it yet” category, that’s a really good thing.
People—even Christians—differ in their views of alcohol. You might live in a home where there’s no alcohol—ever. You might live in a home where alcohol is present in a moderate amount. Or you might live in a home where alcohol is abused. (If this is the case, you have to be extra-super-cautious because you’re a prime candidate to abuse alcohol also.) But one thing is very, very clear: Alcohol use by teenagers is never good, always harmful and risky, always against the law, and always to be avoided.
If you choose not to drink at all, you might get teased or pressured (depending on the kids you hang out with). But that doesn’t mean it’s not a good choice. People who make bad choices often tease people who make good choices—it helps them feel better about their bad choices.