I. Beginning Draft – “My Reason”
In my memories of my childhood are times when my father would come upstairs in the middle of the night screaming and breaking things. My mother and oldest sister Ann would often run out of their rooms to have a talk with him to try to calm him down. Sometimes he would go back downstairs into his room, but other times they would all just end up screaming at each other. My father is the reason I will never smoke, drink and do other drugs. I do not want to end up hated by everyone around me, especially by the ones I love. I also do not want people who love me to fear for my life every time I go out.
Because of my father’s problem with alcohol, even the people closest to him do not like him. Now that I am much older, my mother tells me how much she hates my father and the way he’s tearing our family apart. Each time he comes home drunk, he just creates more chaos. One time, my sister threatened to leave home because she did not want to live in the same house as a drunkard. My aunts and uncles are always talking to my mother about my father’s drinking problem and how they hate the way he acts when he drinks — not walking normally or making any sense when he talks but always trying to find some reason to yell at us just because he is drunk and not thinking straight. Although I understand now, why my father acts the way he does, even I hate him for putting the family — especially my mother — through so much and I want to tell him how much I want him to stop, but sometimes he says things that scare me, so I don’t know how to even begin to tell him.
Because I have experienced what alcohol can do to a family, I can understand the bigger problems that smoking and other drugs might cause. I have told people that I have gotten to know — both the young and the old — to stay away from drinking, smoking and other drugs. To my younger friends, I tell them that these are bad and can hurt them, and to my older friends, I tell them about the damages that any of these could do to them and to the people around them. I try to make it obvious that I will stay away from alcohol, smoking and drugs, and I believe that this is one of the best ways to help those around me do the same.
II. Develop an Outline
Thesis: (This is your opinion about what you’ll be writing. A good thesis statement will prepare the reader to ask why you feel the way you do.)
Supporting Idea #1: (This is where you tell your reason for why you hold the opinion you stated in the thesis.) In your supporting paragraphs, be sure to include examples (to SHOW what you mean) and explanations to connect the example back to your opinion)
Supporting Idea #2:
Conclusion: Here is where you answer “So What?”
III. Sample Outline
Thesis: My father is the reason I will never smoke, drink and do other drugs. I do not want to end up hated by everyone around me, especially by the ones I love. I also do not want people who love me to fear for my life every time I go out.
Supporting Idea #1: Because of my father’s problem with alcohol, even the people closest to him do not like him.
Supporting Idea #2: My father’s drinking really hurts me because we can’t be close when he is drunk
Conclusion: People don’t really realize all the bad effects that problem drinking has on the people who drink and their families, and they need to be made aware of it so they can prevent it from happening to them.
IV. Revised Draft – “My Reason”
When I was young my father would come upstairs in the middle of the night screaming and breaking things. My mother and oldest sister Ann would often run out of their rooms to have a talk with him. Sometimes he would go back downstairs into his room, other times they would all just start screaming.
As I grew up, I began to realize that the reason my father would wake up in the middle of the night, screaming and shouting was because he had drunk too much alcohol. Now that I am much older, my mother has been telling me how much she hates my father. The way he’s tearing our family apart, how he’s always trying to find some reason to yell at us, and how he lies constantly to seem important. My aunts and uncles are always discussing with my mother about my father’s drinking problem. The way they are always saying how they hate the way he acts when he drinks, it makes me want to tell my father how much I want him to stop. How much I love him and yet hate him for not stopping.
Through my life I have found traits about him that I love when he isn’t drunk, and traits I hate that he has only when he is drunk. During the few days in the week that he is drunk, he can’t walk correctly, or make any sense when he talks, sometimes he says things that scares me. Sometimes when he drinks and smokes, there is a nasty odor in his room and around him. When he isn’t drunk, he is funny although sometimes very strict. He will spend time with me and not disappear ever other minute to get a drink, and I can talk to him openly, the way father and daughter are supposed to. Like in those mushy family shows on TV sitcoms. Well not that openly or mushy.
He is the reason I will never smoke, drink and do other drugs. I do not want to end up hated by everyone around me. I have enough enemies; I don’t need my loved ones to hate me, and fear for my life every time I go out. I want better for my family. Especially my mother, I believe she has gone through enough in her lifetime.
Now that I really know what drugs and alcohol can do to a family, I have told the children that I have gotten to known, to stay away from them. Depending on their age I would tell them different things. The younger children I would just say that its bad and that I won’t be their friend if they ever start doing drugs. To the older ones I would tell them about the damage it would do to them and the people around them. Since I see to them often, I always remind them.
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