High school is normally the time when teenagers begin to dabble in the world of alcohol, to discover their limits and develop habits, and this experimentation extends into college as well. This is the norm and not a bad thing, but of course there are some exceptions. In high school I never went to a single party, never got invited to one, and never heard of one. It was something that none of my closest friends were a part of and the thought of drinking never crossed my mind. I was so busy with schoolwork, work, and the cross country team that I didn't have much free time, and when I did I wanted to relax and hang out with my friends. My parents raised me in the faith of the Catholic Church and this background gave me a strong moral foundation. I'm always laughing and having fun doing the simplest things, so it's been easy for me to find activities to participate in besides drinking. It wasn't until the summer after I graduated high school that I started to feel peer pressure to drink, and being sober all the time started to make me feel a little isolated. When high school started, none of my closest friends had ever drank alcohol or alcohol. they had some interest, but as the years went by, more and more of them began to try alcohol. Drinking is a personal choice and I had no problem experimenting with it, but towards the end of my senior year some of my friends started trying to convince me to try it myself. Everyone knew that I'm conservative when it comes to this kind of thing and people joked that I went crazy once I got to college and was no longer governed by my parents' strict rules. Unknown to them, this kind of talk repeated over and over again, even though I always denied it, was starting to make me feel curious. However I managed... halfway through the paper... to resonate. So I always try to make everyone feel included, even though I'm still one of the quietest people in the world. Lastly, my parents taught me to work hard for the rewards I get. This has always been a determining factor in my desire to do well in my schoolwork and sports. I know that if I work hard enough I can do well and if I don't get the results I want, it's no one's fault but my own. As for drinking, I know my parents would have been disappointed in me if I had decided to start drinking in high school. When I take into consideration all the wonderful lessons they taught me and all the love they gave me, it never made sense to make them angry unnecessarily. As cliche as these things may sound, I honestly know that these morals have helped guide me in my life and helped me make the best decisions I could.