By Karina Huerta
MOSAIC STAFF WRITER
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"I'm an alcoholic."
My friends would always make me say it. But I didn't care what they thought, as long as I had a Jack Daniel's bottle next to me. It was all good.
I was wrong.
My friends knew I had a problem. They would tell me so constantly, but I ignored them. They got tired of lecturing me about the danger I was putting myself in by drinking.
Many young people drink because of peer and school pressures, and family problems. I drank for the same reasons. Alcohol, for me, was like a gateway to a happy place. It helped me get away from it all - abuse, harrassment and family members who also drank.
I was 11 when I had my first drink.
I still remember the setting, a family wedding. Everyone was drinking, and my teen-age cousins offered me a shot of JD, whiskey.
"Come on, try it," they said.
"Wow!" I thought.
It was strong, but I liked the taste. It burned my throat like rubbing alcohol on a new wound, but the aftertaste was as sweet as candy. It made me feel good, relaxed and confident. I drank more, got a buzz, and relaxed enough to feel good about myself.
My cousins and friends would take me to parties. I got to do things I thought all cool teens did. I got invited to a lot of parties and met new people. This was the life, I thought.
Every sip boosted my self-esteem. I felt I could do anything - let loose, have fun, not worry about what others said. I never missed a party. Getting drunk with my friends was my life, and I thought that was the greatest thing in the world.
It wasn't until I turned 15, four years after I took my first shot, that I realized I had a drinking problem.
At my 15th birthday party, I was happy, surrounded by friends and family. There was no reason to drink, but I did. And I got drunk.
My parents found out I was drinking and scolded me. I didn't care. They would tell me to be careful and they would worry about me, but they were busy, and as immigrants, maybe they weren't too sure about what they should have done.
I took advantage of that.
I was having fun and I blamed my parents for most of my problems anyway. In reality, I was the one with issues.
Getting alcohol was easy. I would find older friends and strangers to buy it for me. I would save my allowance and use half my paycheck from working at a theme park to satisfy my craving. I would get alcohol from friends. I did whatever it took for a taste of that bittersweet liquor.
By the time I was 17, I was coming home drunk almost every day. My grades were dropping. My life was falling apart. I was unstable and losing touch with friends and family.
I had to stop before I ended up on the streets like the bums in my neighborhood. More importantly, I was not being a good role model for my younger sister, who is now 13. I did not want her to follow in my path.
So, one winter day after a weekend of drinking and hangovers when everything seemed to be going wrong, I woke up and said, "I have to stop this."
I have not taken a drink since then.
But, damn, it's hard. There were days I missed the feeling, the taste, the people, the bottles, the life. But I never gave in.
I avoided my friends who were a bad influence, making up excuses not to go out with them and drink. It was one of the hardest things I did, because they were my friends and they were like me: They drank to get away from their problems.
Eventually, my old friends returned and my life was back on track.
I thought drinking would make my problems go away, but it didn't. I only hurt myself and those I cared about.
I don't drink anymore. I haven't had a sip of alcohol for more than a year.
Alcohol should not be part of a teen's life.
I look back and realize I missed out on many things because of my drinking. I've learned my lesson.
I choose my friends more wisely, make better decisions and solve problems without drinking.
I got my life back. I learned from my mistakes.