Page 57 - Essence - 8

Anita was shocked to see all this and wanted to leave the party,

but Devisha did not allow her to leave so soon. Soon, many of
their friends tried to coax Anita also into trying alcohol and

cigarettes. When Anita showed reluctance to try either, they told
her that it was not a big deal and she was so ‘uncool’ and ruining

the party with her attitude.
She gathered the courage to say no to them. All her friends started

to laugh at her and called her ‘uncool’. Next day, Anita was quite
upset because of what had happened at the party. She dreaded

going to school because she thought that now no one would
speak to her. Anita’s mother noticed that she seemed a bit
disturbed and she asked Anita what was wrong. Anita, at

first, was scared to tell her mother what had
happened at the party, but eventually, she
told her. Her mother just gave Anita a hug

and told her that she was really proud of
how smartly she had handled the situation.

She explained to Anita that saying

no to drugs should not be seen
as something bad because it is
absolutely the right thing to do. She

told Anita that she should not be scared to voice her opinions and do what she feels is
right. Anita felt relieved that she had done the right thing and trusted her own instincts
rather than falling in with the crowd.

Do you know someone who has done substance abuse? Do you feel it is alright
to consume alcohol in parties? Why or why not?

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