My personal philosophy concerning alcohol, tobacco, illicit drugs, and medications resolves around the influence put upon me by my two older brothers. I have always looked up to my older brothers, and their viewpoints with respect to these substances have shaped my own decision in many ways. Alcohol has always been fairly common in my family, but it wasn't until high school that I chose to try a beer for the first time. I was at a social event at my oldest brother's fraternity house in college, and my brother and his friends decided that it would be fun to give me a few drinks even though I was underage. The only reason I even thought about it was because I respected my brother enough to know that he would not put me in a position that could put my life in danger. It was this trust with my older brothers that allowed me to explore alcohol just as they had when they were my age.
             I choose to have a couple drinks at that time feeling confident that my brothers were looking out for me. From that point on, my guidelines for using the above drugs closely mirrored the opinions of my two brothers. Neither of them chose to use tobacco, illicit drugs, or anything other than alcohol, so I chose to follow in their footsteps. My rule concerning alcohol has changed since then because I am now 21 years old, but I choose to remain smart when dealing with substances such as beer, liquor, and wine. I know my own limit with respect to each of these substances and I try to never do anything that would put me or anyone else at risk.
             When talking about how I relate to others whose choices differ with mine, I let them mind their own business for the most part. Unless I see that a particular person is behaving in an extremely risky manner, I usually chose not to interfere with him or her. Nevertheless, if one of my close friends is being foolish in the decisions that he or she makes, then I will usually confront him or her and ...