Boy Scout Troop 325

Scoutmaster Minute

October 28, 2003

Who Are You Going To Follow?

It Depends On Where You Want To End Up!

When I was middle school and high school age, I had a variety of friends. Jocks, nerds, surfers, and mostly just all around regular guys. My friends were important to me. I wanted to be liked, I wanted to be accepted, and I wanted to be "cool." Sometimes, however, they did things that I knew were wrong, and they wanted me to join them. Probably smoking was the first thing. Then stealing. Then drinking alcohol. Then sex – there were a few girls around who everyone knew were what we called "easy." Finally, drugs, first pot, and then other, stronger ones. Like I said, I wanted to be accepted, to be considered cool. I was given the impression that everyone did it, that I was the odd ball because I didn't or wouldn't. But here's the reality.

While approximately 22% of teenagers smoke, 78% do not.

34% of teenagers have tried alcohol at sometime in their life; 66% have not.

21% of teenagers have smoked pot at least once; 78% have not.

2.5% of teenagers have tried LSD; 97.5% have not.

2.0% of teenagers have tried cocaine; 98% have not.

Approximately 50% of teenagers have had sexual intercourse by age 17; 50% have not.

More telling, of the 50% of girls who had sexual intercourse by age 17, almost half of them were forced to, mostly by older males. 40% of them were first gotten drunk. That's called date rape. It is wrong, it is hurtful, and it is against the law. Not cool.

I had a best friend who I went all the way through school with, from kindergarten through college. He was my roommate in college. He was the one who should have succeeded. He was more popular, he got better grades. His parents were important in the community. He was supposed to major in political science, then go to law school. He had a promising career in politics waiting for him. But he got into drugs in college. He discovered he liked drugs a lot, and they liked him. Today, 35 years later, he is still hooked. He smokes heavily, drinks heavily, and abuses drugs. Fortunately, he inherited a trust fund, so he has a nice home. But in his mid-fifties, he talks with a heavy rasp, he has constant coughing fits, and he is dying of cancer.

By the way, of the 34% of teenagers who smoke, between a third and a half of them will get lung cancer. 15% of them will die within five years of contracting it.

It is also interesting to note that of those Americans who have only an eighth grade education, 42% smoke. Of those with a college education, only 13% smoke. Do you suppose there is an association between intelligence, education, and whether or not someone chooses to smoke? I'm guessing there is.

So, have friends. Join in activities with them. Be cool. Go along with the crowd. But make sure it is the right crowd. And don't let any body tell you "everybody does it" when you know they are wrong. These are the facts. Everybody doesn't do it. For the most part, only a few stupid ones do. Be smart, live long, and prosper.

Thank you, and God be with you!