Sixteen Year Old Adolescent Girl:

I remember being really happy in school and at home, but getting in a lot of trouble in the classroom. I always fell a little different than everyone else and felt bad because I thought I wasn’t in the popular crowd. My mom and dad loved me. My mom took me to a lot of classes, but she didn’t spend time with me playing games or things like that. My parents drank alcohol also and I grew up thinking that it was O.K. to do that. I hardly knew my biological father, so my step-dad was my dad. He and I had fun when I was little. When I got older, he didn’t talk to me much anymore.

When my sister was born, my mom spent a lot of time with her and I just figured she was too busy to spend time with me. I felt alone so I hung out with my friend and drank alcohol sometimes. As time went on, I felt more and more like my mom and dad didn’t care much about me, so I was mad at them for that.

We moved when I was in 7th grade and I started going with kids who were drinking (even at school). I started drinking at school with them and I started taking my mom's car to parties. I was only 12, but when we lived in the country my parents taught me how to drive a stick shift. One time I let another girl drive my mom's car and when a signal changed, she froze and we didn’t go. A cop pulled us over and we were arrested. My mom had to come and get the car and pick me up. She told me I couldn’t be with my friend anymore. l started feeling bad inside but didn’t know why exactly. 1 was going to parties and drinking a lot and sometimes I couldn’t remember how I got to certain places.

One day I ditched school and got caught and later that day my mom took me to a hospital. I hated her for making me go there and for not taking me out when I asked her to but now that I am older. I know that she was only trying to help me. I hated being in the hospital and it was really hard to get along while I was there. 1 refused to listen to my doctor and I kept losing privileges because I wouldn’t do what I was supposed to.

I finally went home after two and a half weeks and started using again. I knew I couldn’t drink alcohol so I smoked pot and eventually used crystal moth. My mom didn’t know I was using because I learned how to hide it better. I became real depressed and tried to commit suicide. I hated the charcoal stuff they made me drink at the hospital and I decided I wanted to be sober.

After that I asked my mom if I could meet my biological dad, so I went to Northern California to see him. He gave me pot while I was there but after I came back I became sober. I've never understood why parents have to get divorced. This will be the second divorce, but it still hurts and even though I've only seen my real dad once, I love him. He drinks too much, just like my step-dad. I feel that parents should set an example for their kids. My mom quit drinking for me.

I started going to a middle school after I came back from seeing my real dad. I worked very hard to stay clean and I went to a lot of AA meetings and PARTS I still kept taking dance and later started taking gymnastics so I am very busy. My mother and I became closer and we worked on the issues that had caused us problems. We still work on issues and probably always will.

I have been in a relationship for almost four years with the same person. We have broken it off twice but have gone back together. I met him at PARTS. after my hospital stay, but almost drove him away when I continued using. I manage my own life now that I am almost 17 and I work a lot and go to school. I want to go to college.