Kaitlyn Chow

812

Excerpt from: Crackback by John Coy

Social Issue: Steroids

        

         “I don’t know, Zach.”

         “Tyson’s taking ‘em. Lots of seniors. Gives you that edge.”

         I stare at the capsules. I’ve never taken anything for edge. I get out and shove them in my pocket.

         “Take the Blast before the game,” Zach says. “Be ready to kill ‘em.”

         “I’ll be ready.” I slap my hand on the door.

Reading Response

#4

         This is an example of peer pressure to taking steroids. As a football player, Miles wants to get ripped. He wants to be able to lift heavy weights and take down guys like they’re nothing. So Miles’ best friend Zach offers him Rip Blast, says that most of the team is taking them. And Miles isn’t sure because he hasn’t done any type of drugs before. Throughout the book, Zach encourages him about taking the pills, and he thinks that Miles takes it on a daily basis. However, Miles only took it once. Only because he was peer pressured and Zach was sitting right next to him, watching him.

         My thoughts on peer pressure are that we need to bring awareness to this because it’s something that is very hard to control. You can’t control people ganging up on a kid in the middle of the night, but you can encourage self-esteem. The people that get peer pressured go out of their way to do what others want because they either don’t want to get hurt, want to impress others or feel like it’ll turn out to be good for them. Unfortunately, that’s not true, you should do what you want to do, feel what you want to feel and believe what you want to believe, don’t let others do that for you. They aren’t to decide for you.

         I think that the message of this was to act and write out scenes that can actually happen inreal life, and being pressured to do something because your friend(s) are doing it happens a lot. In this case, Miles’ best friend has already started to take these steroids and expects Miles to as well because they’re best friends and they usually do everything together. However, Miles knows that steroids are drugs, and he isn’t sure about this. I think that it’s regular to feel that way. Miles knew that Zach and him were best friends and they don’t keep secrets from each other, but on this one, he didn’t want Zach to judge him for not taking the pills for football. Personally, I think that you should not do any type of drugs because in the end, they always end up negatively affecting you. It’s not good for your body or mind. No matter what it can do or make you feel.