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People who abuse alcohol and other drugs increase their chances of becoming a victim or a perpetrator of violence.

Nothing To Do?

"THERE'S Nothing TO DO."

Everybody gets bored now and then, but kids occasionally slip into a really dead-end kind of boredom that eats up precious time and energy like crazy.

There are many excuses for being bored. Here are just a few.
(You've probable heard them before. Heck, you've likely used most of them at least once or twice.)
There's nothing to do
There's no one to do it with
There's no one interesting to do it with

And one more:

There's too much to do, and I can't decide...

Yawn.

The list goes on . . . but we figure that there's not much point to it, because our theory is that boredom doesn't have much to do with the situation you're in at all.

What boredom is all about is the situation you could be in, and whatever it is that is keeping you from it.

Your parents, your friends, or maybe your teacher might be perfectly happy with the fact that you don't seem to be doing much that's new, but they're not the ones who are keeping you in your advanced state of boredom. That responsibility belongs to YOU!

You're not going to get un-bored without becoming a bit uncomfortable. For one thing, you're going to have to tell your parents, and your friends what you're up to and why, and the explanations won't be easy, because at this point you won't really know much about what you're getting into. All you'll know is that you've made a decision to make some changes in your life.

If you're bored, you can do what some kids do.

You can take the easy way out. Latch onto the old and familiar instead of taking a chance.

Most people who turn up with drug and alcohol problems have travelled along the route of boredom to get there. Booze and drugs are easy. If you can bend your elbow, swallow or snort, you can change your boring situation pretty radically and fairly quickly.

It will cost you though! Most of us know people who have paid a heavy price by counting on different substances to increase the "kick" quotient. In the long run drugs and alcohol create a boredom much deeper than what you may be feeling now, with lots of problems that you along with it.

Right now you're thinking that another lecture on alcohol and drugs would be REALLY boring, so we don't have anything more to say about that, but we will repeat . . .

Find a new interest. You can make it happen!

Well, why not now? If you really think about it, there's got to be something you're curious about. Something you'd like to be able to do or try.

Look at it this way: if you're feeling nervous and uncomfortable with the decision you've made to change the situation you're in, at least things are getting interesting right?

Think about it like getting into the swimming pool. You can tell yourself that the water will be too cold, or you can lean gently into the uncertainty of it all and ... wow! That big chill turns out to be a big thrill.

Bored No More

Let's go back to the beginning and take another look at those excuses for being bored and try to see how they stand up in the light of a real desire to change your present state of mind and matter for something a bit more intense.

"There's nothing to do."

This excuse is completely bogus. What "There's nothing to do" translates into is, " There's nothing I've got the guts to try because I'm afraid of being embarrassed if it doesn't work out."

"You can expect the trip from being bored to being interested to be a little uncomfortable."

"There's no one to do it with."

It's very likely that someone in your group is also keen to sample something different. They're just shy about saying no. As long as someone has to speak up and say, "guys, we're in a rut," why not you?

"There's nothing interesting to do."

Nothing is interesting until you know something about it. Don't knock it if you haven't tried it.

"There's no one interesting to do it with."

You can't know how interesting someone might be until you join them in the face of a new challenge. If you're bored with your situation and your friends, try changing your situation first.

"There's too much to do."

This is one of the last excuses teens use and one of the first real reasons for being bored. The fact is that it's easier to think of something new to do than it is to choose something from a lot of options. Getting un-bored means selecting and committing yourself to some (one or two) changes and you may wonder if you're making the right commitment. (Don't worry, there's no one right thing to try.)

You're Not Alone

Try to remember that boredom is a common teenage complaint and if you do decide to act on your own and do something positive about it, you'll probably find lots of people lining up to share your new interest and tell you what an exciting person you've turned out to be.

• What is a Drug?
• Why do Some Kids use Drugs?
• Drug Effects