Dangers of Experimenting Highlighted

For years, the overused stereotype of teenagers loving nothing more than to go on a wild rampage by drinking their parents' entire wine collection, lighting a cigarette in their poorly ventilated bedrooms and losing all sight of their morales has all but become a similar face to ourselves as a society, many of whom are quicker than the speed of light (or a fibre optic broadband) when it comes to criticizing young people in general. The reason for this continues to baffle me like the unsolved mystery of the Loch Ness Monster's 'existence' and is more of a relevant matter to myself because I am indeed an adolescent, whom society expects to land myself into trouble - as if it isn't possible for anybody of any age to put a wrong foot in front of another from time to time - and display the most extreme lack of intelligence which the world has ever seen.

Yes, it is fair to say that I'm taking my descriptions - and noticeable exaggerations, if you failed to comprehend my sharp-as-a-Swiss-Army-knife sarcasm - much further than my docile self usually would, but stumbling out of bed whilst my head was still stuck in a dream has given me plenty of food for thought this sunny Sunday morning. According to my teen health guide, the time that we spend to catching some precious beauty sleep (or otherwise referred to as a means of working a chocolate-induced sugar rush out of my system) in bed is an opportunity for our minds to process decisions and be able to reflect on our inner thoughts which, despite sounding as bizarre as Lady Gaga's vocals on her dramatic track Aura, makes plenty of sense.

Ever wondered why your parents' stress over how important it is to sleep before making a potentially life-changing decision? Not only do we seemingly get eight hours or so of pure relaxation before a new day awaits us, our minds have done everything possible to smooth things out by the time that a particular choice - which requires plenty of contemplation in order to avoid making a regrettable mistake - needs to be made, so our brains amazingly figure out the hardest part without our having to lift a finger.

Although the recent events of this past week were not playing on my mind before I dozed off last night - finding a school which doesn't hold half of the population is proving more difficult than I even dared to imagine, to say the least - an article which I'd read the night before had not yet ceased to be a distant, yet fiery memory in the back of my mind. Usually, I find reading one of the two newspapers which my family gets - launched over three years ago, i has gathered a following from not only myself, but thousands of both young and older people who want a short, yet concise read - in the evening before my parents' have to herd my South Park-watching brother into bed who, since he morphed into a moody and loud-voiced teenager last year, has become somewhat of a night owl. To you, being glued to the education section in a newspaper typically read by adults is my idea of a pre-bedtime heaven, if such a thing makes sense!

Anyway, I was suddenly stopped in my tracks when an article written by a journalist grabbed my attention which, with hindsight, rather caught me off guard. A mother of two teenage children who were similar in age to my brother and indeed myself, this journalist discussed her beliefs that teenagers ought to delve into the typical rituals which take place before adulthood, such as having too much to drink, smoking cigarettes in your bedroom and whatever may result in a policeman knocking on your door. As soon as I finished reading the final paragraph, I felt as sick as an alcohol-influenced idiot would after downing one too many Martinis, my head swimming with the words which had just been processed by my taken-aback mind. Was I in a delirious state where anything could happen or did I just read the most ridiculous article ever featured in what I would call a respectable newspaper? Shortly afterwards, I brought the subject up with my mum who was also knocked for six; at least my fears of being heralded as the odd one out with a wide open mouth were quickly diminished.

And, for the first time since before I moved out of my old home, I did something which managed to contain, yet not cool down the fire beginning burn inside of me: I wrote an email to the newspaper. As long as a supermodel's legs it may have been (though it certainly wouldn't go amiss if I could have a pair of my own), but there was absolutely no way that I could ignore such a matter which was associated with people of my own generation, whose image was yet again under threat of being tarnished by a once-rebellious adult. As strange it seemed when I first read it, this journalist - and mother - was literally singing praises for getting tipsy at a pub which, unless a copy of the Law book wasn't on hand, is an illegal offence.

That's right: drinking alcohol which, as shops and hopefully pubs will remind you, can only be purchased by those aged eighteen or over, so encouraging youngsters to pick up a bottle of Stella Artois at Tesco will only lead to the law being broken and causing more hassle for the police who have enough on their hands. Reading this advice was sickening to say the least, especially as it was indeed being aimed towards my age group and could push vulnerable others into what the Law would regard as committing a crime - from smoking cigarettes, 'dabbling' in drugs and of course risking long-term damage due to early drink, the possibilities are endless and extremely worrying.

As parents of children who live in a world where trouble is more rife than ever, I could never imagine in a million years' that my mum and dad would give the green light towards my brother and I consuming as many glasses of wine as we wished, nor would I ever have the desire to be granted the opportunity to do so. The reason why? The consumption of alcohol, smoking cigarettes and taking drugs only represent one single thing in my eyes which, despite being short-sighted, are capable of seeing more than most people ever would: danger. If life-endangering damage or death is a small, yet potential possibility, I will go by all means to avoid being sucked in a culture which is costing the National Health Service (NHS) millions of pounds each year for which, as law-abiding taxpayers, we are funding.

It breaks my heart when I hear about devastated families' whose children lost their lives to popping a 'pill' at a party or getting swept into a dangerous drinking game because, if those children - which, even if they are deemed to be teenagers or whatever, are still the relatives and beloved children of their family - had been educated about potential dangers or, better still, forced to stay at home, the scenario could have been entirely different. Sure, many may not be worried by teenagers' indulging in their desire to give cocktails a go because many are believed to 'experiment' at this age, yet I strongly disagree with this practice: once intoxicated with drink or easily persuaded by their peers, are certain teenagers' minds capable of realizing the dangers standing in front of them? In other words, you can never take any chances as an adolescent because not all of us have the ability to sense a threat if under the influence of a substance which we may not necessarily control. If given a glimpse into the future and made aware of the dangers lurking around the corner, do you honestly believe that many of these teenagers would take drugs or drink alcohol?

Therefore, my blood pressure went through the roof when I read this article by a journalist, who stood by her beliefs that drinking was an ordinary part of being a teenager and is a way of having some fun. Considering that she is probably in her 40s or whatever, it must be noted that society has significantly changed and moved on from what we used to accept as 'normal', though I struggle to see how people - who, unlike nowadays, were brought up on stricter grounds - had no problem against it as the attitude appears to remain the same in this day and age. In my opinion, if it involves breaking the Law or puts your life at risk, there should be no questions asked about banning those under the age of eighteen from trying out what is aimed towards adults. As for illegal substances, better conversations which stress over the dangers of taking drugs need to take place, otherwise a life-destroying war will continue to go on for generations to come.

Considering that my entire life depends on achieving high grades when I take my GCSEs, it is easier than usual to lose sight of my sanity and fly into a strop whenever I struggle to relax. But, despite raising the risk of developing premature wrinkles, I would never contemplate pouring a glass of my dad's occasionally bought bottle of red wine in order to ease my anxiety - if anything, alcohol will only lead to unwanted weight gain which my health-aware self would never want! We, as a society who is desperate to lower the levels of crime and indeed health problems, ought to encourage our teenagers to participate in activities which steer their attention away from the temptation of drink, drugs, cigarettes and whatever is associated with the out-dated image of rock 'n' roll. Personally, taking an afternoon stroll in my new village wipes my mind off any troubles which harass me, which renders the 'need' for spending several hours in a pub absolutely useless. Or, if I'm experiencing a devil-like urge to overindulge, baking a batch of decadent cookies does the trick, but anything goes!

Above all, experimenting as a teenager should be limited to the likes of applying hair dye (albeit within the regulations of school), starting a new hobby or maintaining an attitude which will keep you on the straight and narrow for the duration of a lifetime. Whilst a sip of brandy or huff of a cigarette may take away anxiety for a little while, it doesn't destroy the bad feelings which continue to persist and also creates a problem in itself. As several readers criticized this journalist's views in yesterday's edition of i, I relieved that I'm not alone in fighting this battle against teenagers' experimenting which, as it ought to be realized, is a deadly form of self-inflicted abuse.

Having cleared all of which was adding a great weight to my chest, I'm glad to have made you aware of a problem which, although it only affects a small minority of our population, needs to be addressed and obviously by somebody who recognizes the dangers of giving something health-endangering a go. At this rate, I may get a page of my own in my favourite newspaper, though the negative responses would become a thing of a past...