ESSAY CONTESTS
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"Through My Eyes" Essay Contest VI Winners

These top nine essays appeared in The Curry Coastal Pilot during April, 2011. The short-cut to this page is http://bit.ly/gfnhHv Check out all 25 essays here. Want to have a talk with your children but don't know how to start or what so say? Click here.

First Place - Stacie Osborn - 23

Second Place - Anonymous - 21

Third Place - Kassandra Rhodes - 25

Fourth Place - Emilee Bottoms - 12

Fifth Place - Jenna Flowers - 6

Sixth Place - Anonymous 14

Seventh Place - Anonymous 24

Eighth Place - Anonymous 19

Ninth Place - Anonymous 8

Background

 

First Place - Stacie Osborn - 23

He drank it all up, the silence engulfed him; it weighed heavy on his shoulders pressing him into the ground, molding him to the earth. He ran his hands over the soft green grass feeling the small pricks of each and every blade on his fingertips: it screamed in his ears, so loud but so quiet. The wind blew a hard gust and it wiped away his worries and every horrifying thought racing through his head; it filled his lungs with the sweet scented air fresh with his vodka burps; it felt like pure ecstasy. These feelings didn't last much longer; every time he closed his eyes he was swept back to last night. The screams echoed through his ears rattling him to the core, dry blood still on his hands, clothes, hair; hell, it was everywhere. He looked over at the totaled car, he saw Selina's slumped outline. If he stayed this far from the car he couldn't tell, couldn't see that her face was gone, but he knew. He knew as soon as it happened, as soon as her head hit the vinyl and slid, her face was ripped off, she was gone. It happened so fast but so slow all at the same time. Andy sat with his head on his knees, his left eyebrow hanging down the side of his face, a tooth and some blood in his hands; his smashed cell phone sat next to him. Patrick stood pacing, Lydia was no where to be found.

Patrick stood pacing until the sun came up, he then walked as well as he could towards town, fifteen or so miles away. He reached the first house he saw and called the authorities, he was arrested within the next hour. When the car and kids were reached Selina was officially pronounced dead, Lydia was found and hooked up to life support, and Andy stayed sitting; traumatized for the remainder of his life.

That night in 2007 I lost all of my friends, the friends I'd grown up with since preschool. I couldn't function anymore, I couldn't stand to drive down that road to head to school, or walk past the houses of my dead, incarcerated, and institutionalized friends. It was killing me slowly day by day, so we finally moved out of Washington and came to this little beach town my family believed would be safe, be clean, be clear of worry. A place where I could make friends and not have to be scared and worry constantly about losing them, but we were wrong; it's just as bad if not worse here. I've been here for three years now, watching nearly everyone I have come to know partake in drugs and alcohol. Due to the consumption there are accidents, fights, pregnancies, and someday there will be death. It's time for some serious change.

Second Place -. Anonymous - 21

 Everyone has that one family member they look forward to seeing at Thanksgiving and Christmas, the "cool" relative who always makes them smile. For me, this person is my uncle Larry. My dad's brother is always the life of the party. He is the relative I look forward to seeing at every get together.

Two months ago, my uncle was told he had six months to live. His constant drinking has ruined his liver. When I was too young to really understand what alcoholism was, he had a very bad drinking problem. He was hospitalized for alcohol related issues, and made a decision to abstain from alcohol. He stuck to this decision for many years. However, when his wife died a year and a half ago, he picked up a bottle and has hardly been sober since.

His constant drinking for eighteen months has put him in the hospital for Emergency Care twice. He now lives with his mother because he is too weak to take care of himself. He has stopped working and is collecting Social Security disability. He goes to the hospital once a week to have liquid siphoned out of his body because his body is no longer able to function properly.

Larry's drinking has affected not only me, but my entire family. My grandmother had to move to San Jose to be able to take care of him, even though at eighty years old she really needs someone to take care of her. His two older children, my cousins, are now dealing not only with the loss of their mom, but the impending death of their father. My dad has had to travel to San Jose to help his brother, and our entire family has had to pull together to support him emotionally and financially.

My uncle is no longer the life of the party. He is to sick to travel to family events, and when we visit him he doesn't even have the energy to talk with us. The gravity of his situation finally hit him, and he has again decided to stop drinking. Unfortunately, this choice came too late. His death will be the result of a lifestyle choice to drink excessively; just one more life claimed by alcohol.

Third Place - Kassandra Rhodes

Alcohol...Alcohol...Poison to our generation. Poison to our past generations. Poison to our future generations. It corrupts the minds of the ones who consume it. It also corrupts the minds of the ones that are tied to the ones that consume it. It's a kind of poison that destroys who we are as a person as well as physical deterioration to our body. It destroys us mentally yet we still do it. We might as well dig ourselves a deep dark hole to lie in and rot.

From the looks of it and from observing a little bit, there is an alcohol problem in this town. No doubt about that. From personal experience living in two totally different states, I kind of have an idea why we have an alcohol and drug problem here. Living in somewhat of a big city with a lot of things and activities to do, there was not that big of a drug and alcohol problem there. There was still a problem there tough. No denying that. Almost anywhere you look now days, there's some form of substance abuse problems. Being a teenager, we don't like being bored. This is a small town, and it definitely does not have that many things to do or activities to do to keep all of the teenagers occupied. So, therefore, some teenagers resort to alcohol and other drugs and some even partying.

"Going to parties and getting hammered is way more fun that going to Rock N' Bowl every weekend." A statement like that only shows more evidence to why we have an alcohol problem in this town. It is so small that teenagers get bored of doing things that they have done a few times. I know for a fact that I would not want to go bowling every time I go hang out with my friends. Teenagers feel threatened when or if they get in trouble. So, therefore, they rebel causing them to want to do more illegal things like drinking and doing drugs.

We need teenagers to get together to think up some activities to do in this town that are legal and don't involve substance abuse. Some teens are pressured to drink because their friends are doing it and don't want to be left out. A majority of the teenagers in this town drink because of straight out boredom.

Fourth Place - Emilee Bottoms - 12

Shelbie was the type of girl who had been Valedictorian of her class, was involved in every activity imaginable at her school, and had never been to the principal's office. Her parents had always been big influences on her; they taught her right from wrong and encouraged her to be the best she could be. Shelbie was also a great role model for her young sister Sarah. Shelbie was all of those things and more. That was until her parents and sister were killed in a car accident.

To deal with her loss she turned to alcohol. She started hanging with new friends and partying. At first it was a couple beers at a party, and then it turned into a couple beers a night. Pretty soon she was drinking from the moment she woke up until the moment she went to sleep. She couldn't stop. Shelbie had become an alcoholic. She let her family's death take over her life, and her only source of help was at the bottom of a beer bottle.

Shelbie had a best friend name Jamie whom she had been friends with since preschool. Jamie had been there through everything: the accident, the hospital, the final bad news, the funeral, and the weeks following. It hurt her to see Shelbie like this. She did everything she could to try and help her, but Jamie had been replaced by alcohol. Even though Shelbie no longer cared about Jamie, Jamie still didn't give up. She picked her up from parties, put her into bed and sobered her up in the morning. Jamie cared about her and knew that Shelbie would be herself again someday.

Shelbie had gone to another party and had drunk a lot. More than she normally did. She had been talking with a guy named Tyler that night and thought he was pretty cool. As the night continued, she began to fade in and out of consciousness. She remembered that Tyler had brought her another drink but after that everything was a blank. The following morning she was very confused. She was in her own bed, in pajamas and wrapped in a blanket. She had no memory of getting there. She looked up and saw Jamie sitting at her desk reading a magazine.

Jamie had saved her. She had shown up just as Tyler was carrying Shelbie to a bedroom. She called the police and saved her friend from something that would have destroyed her. After that night Shelbie realized how low she had fallen and went to rehab and sobered up. She enrolled in college with Jamie and was able to start a career and a new life. Even though she misses her family she deals with her pain in a new way. She helps teens who have lost loved ones come out of the dark place they are in and start new lives. She helps the type of people that she had once been.

Fifth Place - Jenna Flowers - 6

Looking through my eyes would see a completely different picture than when you're looking straight at me. Looking at me, you might catch the look of disappointment my eyes regrettably release, or maybe you would just see my hope for things to change. but no matter how long you scan my eyes, you'll never feel the emotions that come with the people, with their words, or with their actions. Through my eyes this is what you'll see.

You'll first see the red, orange, and yellow waves dance before you. Across you'll see what used to be delightful faces, faces that I love. But tonight their faces turn into an all too familiar dark face. You'll see their squinting eyes, gazing at whatever is most comfortable for them. And you'll hear their words slur as they try to say what they believe to be clever thoughts. As the night becomes colder, darker, their words become harsh. They begin to spit fire, they start to morph; they make decisions they will regret, if they remember, they begin to cause pain.

And it will begin to burn instantly. Everything they say, do and become, cuts you, bruises you, and weakens you. You can no longer stand to listen to their idiotic and so called "fun" time. But you'll know not to leave, not to let them out of your sight. With every hour that passes. You'll hear the empty bottle shatter, as they themselves fall onto the rocks. You can no longer stand to hear the voices that come from the ones you respect, love and admire the most. And although you feel you can't take this burn any longer, you know it will return, it always returns.

Now you'll feel anger, confusion, depression, disappointment and misery all at once. You won't understand why your guardians do this to you, to themselves. Do they not feel your pain, hear your fears? You'll see now that they can't. Do they not know that they deserve better, that you deserve better? With alcohol replacing their blood, they can't hear you, they can't see you. Why face your discomfort when they're trying to ignore their own? And for a few hours it works, they're numb. But now you catch the pain, you're responsible for it now. But you can't let this defeat you. You need to be there. You'll now hear the heaving, as the alcohol bits back. You'll now have to play guardian.

You'll pick them off the ground, you'll get them safely to bed. You'll stay up all night making sure they're okay, like they once did when you were an infant. Your heart will skip a beat when your ears don't catch the sound of their breath. And you'll wish and hope that tonight was your last night. But you'll know it'll return, it always returns.

Sixth Place - Anonymous 14

Liquid courage; a phase commonly associated with alcohol. Being intoxicated is not necessarily a bad thing, unless your underage or to the point of alcohol poisoning. Teenagers rebel against society especially in a small town such as Brookings for many reasons. Some of which includes the obvious, which is simply being drunk and knowing its illegal makes it that much more of a thrill. Another reason being the fact that there is very little activities such as bowling or the movies or any other nonalcoholic environmental spots to go and do stuff at on the weekends.

One night at a party there was this girl named Mia; bright funny, college bound girl. She decided that she'd like to relax and have fun by partying. So she started off the night by having a few beers. A few beers turned into more than twenty in the course of a few hours. As a result of drinking so much in such a short time period she collapsed; luckily Brennan was there to catch her. She then started puking up all of the alcohol her body couldn't handle. After throwing up she passed out and was unresponsive for a few hours, luckily there was Daniel, who happened to be an EMT. Daniel had encountered a few people in his lifetime that were on the brink of death from alcohol poisoning. When he came across Mia he realized how intoxicated she actually was and assured us that everything would be fine. We had to keep an eye on her though just to make sure she stayed on her side. The moment she woke up and was somewhat coherent everyone started asking questions to make sure she was all right. She drank so much that she blacked out and didn't recall anything of that night. She couldn't believe that she allowed herself to consume that much liquor and regretted ever doing it.

Everyone at the party, for once, realized the true dangers and the actual reality of drinking. They all witnessed someone that was unresponsive due to her binge drinking. If it wasn't for Brennan and Daniel, Mia wouldn't be alive this very minute. They paid attention in school and learned what is needed in a situation such as this to keep Mia on her side so she wouldn't kill herself with her own vomit. So if anyone wants to partake in teen drinking because they think its "cool" or "the thing to do", just be aware of the possible outcomes, such as vomiting, loss of memory of the night, possibly date raped, and even death. So just be aware of the dangers.

Seventh Place - Anonymous 24

It's dark. I can't see anything. My head hurts and my legs burn. Where am I? It's cold and I hear people breathing. Sleeping maybe? Am I in a sleeping bag? Then it hits me, well part of it anyway. I came up river with friends to a party. There was a lot of people and drinking. I'm starting to remember a little, but I still don't remember last night.

Think, I tell myself. Ok, I remember getting picked up by Eric, Lisa, Larson, Jessie and Jake. Eric was driving and we stopped somewhere for Jake to buy alcohol. Then we started to head up to the party, right? Yea, because that's when Jessie turned up the music and Larson jumped in the back. No, wait, we stopped at Eric's house first to grab the tent and stuff and then we headed up.

Someone starts to move around. I can't tell who it is. Where is everyone I came with? What time is it? Wait, where's my cell? I can't find it! Calm yourself, I try to tell myself. It has to be around here! I start feeling around for it. I found it! Where are the buttons? This isn't my phone. I open it up and it says it's 4:35 am. What time do I remember last...7pm? No, I think it was almost 8pm because it was getting dark and Larson got off work at 7pm.

When we first arrived, there were a bunch of people I didn't know. I introduced myself and they seemed nice. Jake comes up to me with a 40 oz. and tells me to loosen up. I think about it and take a sip. What could happen I tell myself.

So where's my cell? I'll call it! Of course, there's no service! Great, just like in horror films right before they die. No service, perfect.

I remember talking to someone in the dark. Someone I didn't recognize because his voice was raspy. I remember not being able to stand up and falling to the ground. Oh! That's when I hit my head. I tried to get up but he told me to just stay before I fell again. He started to move closer to me. I wanted to leave.

So what do I do now? It's starting to get lighter outside. The person to my left looks like Lisa and by my feet is Jessie and some guy? I hear people outside, so I slowly stand up. Wow, my leg really burns and so does my arm. I lift my sleeve up and there are scratches all over. Where did I get them from? I don't remember. I unzip the tent and step out.

He wouldn't let me leave. I remember him grabbing my arm.

Larson's out by a fire and he keeps ignoring me. Why is he mad at me? I go back inside the tent to look for my stuff. I see my purse in the corner; good my phone's in it! I walk out to the truck to Eric. I feel nausea and I just want to go home. I can't believe I blacked out last night, I think to myself feeling the pain of my legs. I'm scared of not knowing. I feel violated.

Eighth Place - Anonymous 19

Alcohol represents smart decisions and the willingness to live with consequences. I am neither for nor against alcohol, but I do believe alcohol is a factor that can help determine a person's strength of character. There are no magical steps to learning to say "no" to alcohol. It will always be a choice, and it is these choices that determine one's character.

I understand the negative consequences of alcohol; they have been preached to us for years at school. As an athlete, I have signed a contract that prohibits the use of alcohol. I have witnessed kids ruin their sport seasons for violating the contract. That was a choice. My commitment to my teammates is enough to steer me away from drinking. It also helps that I have surrounded myself with friends who think the same way. There is power in numbers, and I use that to my advantage.

Kids choose to be ignorant. We know, or can feel, when a party might get out of control. Even with that knowledge, kids choose to go to these parties and run the risk of drinking. I know I have gone to a couple parties knowing I will have a few drinks On the few occasions I have gone to parties, I have been with my family and I make sure I am with people I trust. I have never been drunk, or close to it. I know my limits and boundaries. Everyone does. There is some truth in the saying "drinking is fun" because it can loosen people up, but I completely disagree with people who abuse it. There are other ways to reach that "natural high" that are much safer.

As we grow up, we fill face the peer pressure of drinking. What will make us walk away are our morals and the value we put in commitments, such as athletic contracts. I have the confidence in myself to trust my instincts and choose not to drink in a way that will harm my future. Everyone can make that choice for themselves, and that is what it takes to say "no" to alcohol.

Ninth Place - Anonymous 8

Teenagers today seem more and more prone to drinking. I remember looking up to my two older brothers when I was in elementary school thinking I wanted to be just like them. Them and all their friends never drank, never smoked anything, and never did anything illegal. I bet it's because of the examples they had when they were young. Now, little kids already know what all those things are. They think it's cool. That's because of how the older kids act now and their parents. Kids tend to be just like their examples when they grow up. I've had too very opposite examples for as long as I can remember.

My parents have honestly never been drunk their whole lives, literally. I couldn't ask for a better example from both of them. My brother, Mark, is completely the opposite. He has told me that he really cannot think of a drug he hasn't done. For the past five years I don't even know if I've seen him without alcohol is his system.

Mark used to get really mad when he drank. I could completely stay out of his way and he would still find reasons to come find me and pick a fight. I can remember many times hiding in my parents' room with my sister while my dad had to hold Mark down so he couldn't get to my sister and me. The day I saw Mark hurt my mom was the day I decided alcohol was never going to be in my life. He has ruined every single birthday, wedding, anniversary and dance in my family. He gets drunk and gets jealous and mad if the attention isn't on him, so he causes a scene.

One New Year's Eve, he got so drunk he didn't know how to keep himself up. He tells everyone he just slipped on an icy deck, but really he was just drunk. He fell over and hit his head on a wooden planter. He had to go to the emergency room that night and get staples in his head.

Seeing Mark hurt himself, my family, and me has made me see what lengths a person can go to when their drunk. That, and my parents' way of living has helped me stay away from the whole "party scene." Mark, my friends, and even enemies have tried to make me drink with them. I've always told them no. I've had two very different examples in my life. Teens now need to think more about the examples their giving. Who knows who I'd be today without my parents' example?

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