1. STOP DRUG AND ALCOHOL ABUSE IN YOUTHS
So, my youths, have we decided to be a nation of drunkards and a bunch of unproductive
fools who wait for the Messiah to save us? I say NO to this, l believe we as youths are the
future leaders of tomorrow, thus we have to make hay while the sun still shines. I see them in
the corners of the street, I see them at school, l see them in dark places, they say we smoke,
do drugs and drink alcohol to be cool among peers, while others say because am stressed and
others, just for the fun of it. But l think smoking, neither drinking is cool or fun but rather
hazardous to human health for example it causes lung cancer, one of the deadliest disease
prevalent in this time. Alcoholic drinks like wine and beer contains alcohol which gets into
one’s bloodstream and affects the way one behave and feel. Alcohol slows down one’s heart
rate and numbs the brain. If one drink’s too much alcohol, it will affect the way one behave.
One’s speech becomes slurred and your legs and arms won’t work so well. People do not
think straight when they drink too much alcohol and then they do stupid things.
Young people are affected by alcohol more easily than grown- ups. This is why it is illegal
for young people under 18 to buy alcohol. Smoking, drug and alcohol abuse also
impoverishes the youth by encouraging laziness and also it has removed that passion to
become better in life. We no longer have visions, we live for the now without looking at the
future. We want the latest fashion wear, latest phones, ipads but do not want to work for it.
The reason for all this, is because we have lost our self esteem. Self esteem comes from
having respect and the courage to have your own thoughts and feelings. Self-esteem is
something that needs to be watered and fed- like a plant. One especially needs to feed self
esteem when in a new place and situation because one’s character is seen through the way
they handle difficult situations. For example, at a new school, one has to critically observe
the surroundings’, think and decide on the friends to choose, because they say birds of the
same feathers flock together. One’s behaviour and character attracts the friends you want
and, one’s friends portrays a lot about one’s self. So, when one justifies his or her abuse of
drugs and alcohol by saying they were stressed, that person needs help like counselling or
find something constructive to do that would keep him or her mind off the problems. Abusing
drugs and alcohol just for the fun of it think it is just lame, one should really consider if it is
necessary, is it worth it or is it justified because l do not see the reason why one would want
to endanger their lives, just for the fun of it.

2. Substance abuse is a growing problem in Zimbabwe. Recent research shows that there has
been a significant increase in substance abuse amongst youth. What is most disturbing is that
the age of first experimentation has gone down and many primary school children are now
abusing substances. As youths, we really have to learn from other people’s mistakes because
we cannot live long enough to make them all ourselves. Sick people lying in hospitals,
struggling for their lives, begging for another day to redo the things they did wrong, should
be a lesson that life is important and at the same time very fragile because if not handled with
care, we lose it in the blink of an eye. A very wise person once said, “Be the change you
want to see in the society.” Change begins with us as youths and is the only permanent thing
in life because after we have drunk all the alcohol and consumed all the drugs, one still find
themselves feeling empty and unfulfilled showing that there is more to life than abusing
drugs.