interview2

How has alcoholism affected your life?

My grandma was an alcoholic. And my other grandma is an alcoholic. And many people on the Flathead Indian Reservation have died as a result of drinking and driving. When I go back I have to hear about all the deaths. It starts to get real depressing after a while. Every year, there are at least twenty deaths, twenty wakes (funeral), and even more mourners. When you drive down the only highway on the reservation, you can see all the crosses by the road where crashes took place. You can’t go more than a mile without seeing one. At least 3/5 is a result of alcohol or other drugs. Just this year, a childhood friend of mine named Heather died when she and her friends were drinking, and crashed into a tree while driving at speeds exceeding 90 mph. My cousin Robert Matt, who was only in his twenties, also died this summer. We are not sure if alcohol played a role, but it is quite apparent he was not in a normal mind set by the looks of the crash site.



	Justin Ashley
	How has alcoholism affected your life? My grandma was an alcoholic. And my other grandma is an alcoholic. And many people on the Flathead Indian Reservation have died as a result of drinking and driving. When I go back I have to hear about all the deaths. It starts to get real depressing after a while. Every year, there are at least twenty deaths, twenty wakes (funeral), and even more mourners. When you drive down the only highway on the reservation, you can see all the crosses by the road where crashes took place. You can’t go more than a mile without seeing one. At least 3/5 is a result of alcohol or other drugs. Just this year, a childhood friend of mine named Heather died when she and her friends were drinking, and crashed into a tree while driving at speeds exceeding 90 mph. My cousin Robert Matt, who was only in his twenties, also died this summer. We are not sure if alcohol played a role, but it is quite apparent he was not in a normal mind set by the looks of the crash site.	Ashley with her baby cousin Ashley Age: 17
	My mother also died after she had a long night of drinking. She used her loaded gun and decided to commit suicide in the moment. It was the first time she took a drink in her life, and in turn, it took away her life. She left behind my brother Kris and I, a good job, and a nice house. I can’t explain how things would be today, if she had just kept on never having a drop of alcohol in her life. Where Kris and I would be. How did this effect your view on teenagers and alcoholism? I saw it as a much bigger problem than people choose to acknowledge. I think that teens should be more aware of the causes and affect that alcohol and drugs can have on you. Some teenagers think that alcohol is something you always can use to have a good time, get away from problems, or an easy way to get girls. They see their parents either using alcohol or doing drugs for special occasions, parties, and on commercials. Teens get mixed messages all over the place. Have you ever tried alcohol or other drugs? I have tried them before. I fell into the wrong crowd in my first year of high school. I have done almost anything you can think of. I drank and did drugs because I was depressed and I thought it was a way to get away from problems in my own life. I have smoked weed, done ecstasy, snorted cocaine, eaten magic mushrooms, tripped on acid, and drunk any kind of alcohol. Are you currently doing drugs and drinking alcohol? I got help from my friend and parents and went to a rehab place. My parents tried to support me and be there for me. They started to ask where I was going and wanting to meet my friends. I also went to the doctor and got a prescription of anti-depressants. I feel much better in my life. I have all new friends, and I don’t talk to the ones that persuaded me to try drugs. They are still using, and now I have the love and support I need to stay clean.