double trouble

      One thing that I've learned about SADD is that there is always something going on. Most months have an overall theme, and some go even further and add events for each week. November is one of those months. The overall theme for this month is Wipe Out Smoking Month. This week happens to be Drowsy Driving Prevention week, and I happen to be celebrating this with pajama day

    Since I like to work in the present, I will start by discussing Drowsy Driving Prevention Week. According to drowsydriving.org, the recommended amount of sleep for teens is 8.5-9.5 hours of sleep. However, according to a poll they took, only 8.21% of those polled got the recommended amount of sleep. Approximately 11 million drivers admit they have had a crash or near crash because they have dozed off or were too tired. 24 hours of "sustained wakefulness" is equivalent to being legally drunk in every state. Now, as a teen, I understand how hard it can be to attain the recommended amount of sleep. It seems like teachers sometimes work together to overload you on homework. However, overworking yourself just to finish might have worse results than a low score. If you're getting too tired, just go to sleep. The math lesson can wait.

     Now onto the gross stuff. Did you know that cigarettes contain many harmful poisons? They also contain Methanol, a substitute for gasoline, Acetone, nail polish remover, and Formaldehyde, a preservative for edad animals. Would you drink these things on a normal day? I hope not. If you're not going to drink them, than why would you want to inhale them? According to SADD.org, 80% of adult smokers began to smoke when they were teens. 95% of them think that they'll stop smoking by 25, but 75% of smokers who began in high school are still smoking 7 to 9 years later. According to SADD.org, the perfect looking models that try to sell us cigarettes are all a lie. Here are some examples of what cigarettes really do to your:

        Brain: migraine headaches and strokes

        Face: speeds up development of facial wrinkles

        Mouth: bad breath, triples cavities, tooth loss, oral cancer
        Lungs: kills tissue, causes bronchitis, emphysema, & lung cancer

My advice, and SADD's: If you don't smoke- don't start. If you do- STOP!

until next time,

make good choices, lead good lives

Also, November 17 is the Great American Smokeout, a day to quit smoking and create a healthier life.
Sources/For More Information:
http://www.sadd.org/campaign/tobacco.htm
http://drowsydriving.org/resources/drowsy-driving-prevention-week-toolkit/