Teenagers today feel that the only way to fit in with their peers is by doing what they think everyone else is doing: skipping school, doing drugs, having sex, attending wild parties, drinking, and anything else that may be considered reckless.

While these activities may sound like fun at the moment, teens don’t think about the consequences that may result from these things.

No one thinks they’ll be the one to get caught doing drugs, or get in trouble by the police at a wild party, or even be the one to have a child while still in high school.

Teens are under the impression that participation in these activities is normal. In reality, these activities are things that young people should not be doing at all. Living “that life” is only lived by a small percentage of teens, so how does that make it normal?

Drugs have serious consequences that most teens don’t take into consideration when doing reckless things.

Cocaine, for one, causes insomnia, retardation, and cartilage separating.

Ecstasy can cause diarrhea or constipation, depression, fatigue and paranoia.

Heroin can result in chronic constipation, the decrease in kidney function, and HIV from the insertion of needles.

All drugs can even result in death, no matter if it’s the first hit, or hundredth.

The peer pressure to get drunk at a party makes kids do things they would never do otherwise. When teens are drunk, they might fight, have their inhibitions lowered, have sex, drive while drunk, get sick and pass out, or even go to jail.

The popular term ‘you only live once’ or commonly known as ‘YOLO’ means to many people that you should do something stupid because you only live once.

In reality, the term should be referred to as the opposite of the original meaning- you should think twice before you do something stupid because you really do only live once and you could risk your life when you make regretful decisions.

Even though you should live life to the fullest, every time you do something wild, it could be the last time. It might sound like fun now, but a couple of years from now, the times you had partying could catch up to you- you could get in trouble by the police and get it on your permanent record, have a child at a really early age, making it hard for you to reach your original goals, or lose the trust you gained from important people in your life.

It is important to make the most of the life you have, which is exactly why you shouldn’t waste it. If you have to do drugs, drink, party to be happy your life is pretty sad, not great at all.

With a life built on these things, what kind of life are you really living? Are you really having fun when you’re high or drunk, even though you don’t remember anything from the experience at all?

Living once is no excuse to spend your time doing stupid things that you’ll later regret. Instead, make your life worthwhile and have fun without doing things that can possibly end the only life you have.