ok, so i have this big research paper due like friday, so i finally decided to start it.
here's my intro and first paragraph, please give me some feedback and tell me what you think.
The Importance of Extracurricular Activities
Have you ever seen a group of high school teenagers smoking, doing drugs, or consuming alcohol? The next time you do, approach them and ask how many of them participate in extracurricular activities. I am willing to bet they will laugh, make jokes, and tell you how they go home after school and do not participate in any of these activities. I know this because I see it first hand everyday, being a high school student. Kids with no extracurricular activities will look for things to do; unfortunately, most of the time all they will find is trouble. Extracurricular activities can be anything from yearbook, to a sports team, to a scholastics team, you name it! Extracurricular activities keep kids away from drugs and alcohol, helps them stay interested in school, and even helps them socialize.
My first point is that extracurricular activities keep kids away from drugs and alcohol. Drugs are a very serious problem that are becoming more and more popular as the days pass. I say this because there are new drugs all the time, new ways to get high, and every high school kid has access to a substance they can abuse almost everyday. They can choose anything from a classic common teenage drug like weed, to something new like huffing axe, or robotripping. There are endless possiblities at the fingertips of our youth which is the terrible reality we live in today. Kids believe that they can just escape from their problems, and stressful lives by getting high once a month, a week, or even daily. These teens feel so overwhelmed with their everyday lives that they choose to harm their bodies just to feel relieved of stress and problems for a short amount of time. Alcohol is another destructive substance that many teens choose to abuse. Alcohol is popular because it is present in ninety percent of homes, and even if it isn't, it's not very difficult to obtain. Teens also feel that alcohol is more socially acceptable, mostly because once you are twenty one, it is legal to consume. Many kids will drink because they think it will make them cool, because all the older kids do it, similar to smoking cigarettes. Teens feel the need to be accpeted, especially by kids who are older. Teens don't always make the smartest decisions, and will sometimes do dumb things to get attention, or gain popularity with their peers, and older acquaintances. Extra Curricular activities immensely effect the kids that are involved in them, and help keep them far away from drugs and alcohol. "Idle hands are the devil's tool" is a very true saying that clearly and thoroughly proves my point. When kids keep busy with extracurricular activities they have no time, or desire to be out smoking, drinking, and making all of these destructive decisions. Kids keep an interest in whatever they're doing, whether it be learning about science, playing a sport, or taking pictures for photgraphy, and have no time to waste with these irresponsible ploys for attention, and short escapes from reality. Without extracurricular activities you would see an enormous rise in the percentage of kids who smoke, take recreation drugs, and drink alcohol. There is no doubt in my mind that extracurricular activities keep kids away from these harmful substances, and really enrich their lives.
