This past week, at Rye Jr. High in the seventh grade we had Joe Flood come and talk to us about drugs and alcohol. Joe was very open with us about how he use to use  drugs and alcohol. Joe started using alcohol as a teenager and thought it was no big deal, no one had explained to him how bad it is for you and how it can harm you. Joe talked about how your brain has “six lights” and when you drink the light turn down or get shut off. When you sleep two of your lights shut off to give you a break, when this happens to you it is not a bad thing. When you drink however, and two of your lights shut off this is a bad thing. If all you light shut off this means you are dead. He told us several real life situations where kids were drinking and they were on their last light and their friends just thought they’re fine let’s just let them sleep it off. Then when they checked on them after they let them “sleep it off” their friend would be dead. This has happened to many teenagers and their friends or parents didn’t know what to do and they thought that letting them sleep would be the best thing. Joe told us how to deal with people when they are on one of their last lights and how to keep them alive.  

I thought Joe Flood was great! He taught us some great lifelong lesions and how drugs and alcohol can ruin your life. He also told us that they can change who you are and how you act around people. By having Joe come and talk to us I think it really taught us a lot of useful things.