Above The Influence

This is the first in a series of photographs of me displaying what I believe in. With each one, you'll get a little paragraph about what it means to me, if you care to read it.

Drug and alcohol abuse is something I strongly oppose. If you're of the appropriate age to drink and do so responsibly, I've got no call to stop you, but drinking excessively, and/or abusing drugs, is something different. I've experienced the damage it can do through the people close to me. A family member suffered brain damage while driving drunk. He is not the same person I knew when I was a kid, and he's still having trouble putting his life back together, over five years later. Another person I knew, not a family member but still important to me began using illegal drugs when we were thirteen. I tried to get him help, but I don't talk to him anymore. I've made a promise to myself never to fall into the trap that they fell into.

This image, and likely the ones to follow, are rather personal. You may use them, but all I ask is that you do so respectfully.