Saying no is important because I don't want to make bad decisions in my life. I learned how to say no in DARE. DARE has taught me eight ways to say no. Here are three: cold shoulder, say no, and avoid the situation.

Giving them the cold shoulder is where I pay no attention. For example, a kid in the hallway yells to me "Do you want a cigarette?" I just keep on walking and pretended I didn't hear him.

Another way to say no is like a broken record. For example, a kid comes up to me and says, "Have a beer," and I say, no! If he keeps asking I'll say no every time.

To avoiding the situation, I won't go places where people use drugs. For an example, I find out there's a cool party at someone's house, and I find out there are drugs there. So

I don't go to that party.
So as you can see, there are ways to say no and to not get in that kind of situation. That's what DARE taught me. By saying no, I'll be able to live happily and drug-free.

DARE Essay Index