Just say, "no"! This is the often publicized response when teens are exposed to drugs and/or alcohol. Sounds simple, easy, but to may, peer pressure takes over.

This is the time of year when young people should be enjoying proms, graduation, and summer fun. A letter written by 20 year old Michael Knievel of Elgin and a Creighton University student, shortly after a local tragedy reinforced the "no" response. Our staff has received permission to print his words for the benefit of our student body.

Dear Editor:

An empty feeling rests inside of me as I contemplate the coming holidays. 'Tis the season to be celebrating. Nothing inherently wrong with that. It's what goes on afterwards, that ill-advised journey home that concerns me. No control. Lives at risk. Yet people refuse to take this issue seriously.

Why? My question is, why? What kind of tragedy will it take to make people wake up to the biggest problem among high school students? Must someone have to die unnecessarily before it hits home?

Better yet, why does it not strike us deeper? Why is it that week in and week out, kids will be out doing the same thing they do every weekend, despite the close calls and near-misses that they may have experienced the weekend before? This is the real question that must be addressed. Why doesn't' seeing a friend or relative have an accident, or finding a ditch on your own, strike a chord within?

This problem frustrates me, yet I hesitate in my attempt to expose this issue. Each time you step out of dark and into the light, you take a risk, and I feel I am taking one now. It is the anger, though, that puts the fear in submission and reigns in supremacy over my reservations.

As I write, I am 20 years old. I have been through the high school bit, and now I attend Creighton University. Between these two environments, I have seen a variety of responses to the issue of drinking and driving, and I feel well enough informed to set forth my views in a coherent fashion based on personal experience, hearsay, and what I have seen.

Alas, the fall from grace - a necessary shield to protect me from the sting of accusations of hypocrisy. Here it comes - I, Michael Knieval, have drank and proceeded to drive home in the past. There were times when I had no business being out on the road. I was a disaster waiting to happen the second I got behind the wheel. I did not do this once. I did it a number of times. Some people did it more, some less, but I was party to such a foolhardy at one time.

Why? What could motivate me to do such a thing? Well, fear comes to mind. What would the folks say if I called them up, completely intoxicated, and ask them to come pick me up from a party out in the middle of the road or at someone's house, someone they did not know? Would they not be mad? You bet they would have! Sure, Mom and Dad would have retrieved their polluted son, but the reprimand would have been harsh. Boy, I didn't need to deal with that. I couldn't afford to be grounded or held in low regard by my parents. Mom and Dad, I'm not trying to portray you as dictatorial rulers because you were not. My primary concern was not to disappoint you. There. I've said it. Sorry, Grandpa. Sorry, Grandma. Sorry, Mom and Dad. I'm sorry if there was anyone out there who thought I was smart enough to steer clear of such idiotic practice. I was not.

Secondly, a closer examination of the underlying problem must take place. "Everyone is doing it," right?

Is everyone doing it? No not everyone. But for those in the audience, who are blinded by naivety, I think it is time to wake up to the real world. Many people, both in high school and out of high school, are doing it, and when kids drink, it seems that the next logical step is to drive home when the evening is over.

Where does this come from? It seems to be a deeply ingrained tradition in our area, and it continues to permeate into the high school ranks today. I cannot tell you how sad it makes to overhear an eighth grader or freshman in high school talk about how they're going to get beer for the night. It sickens me. These are children. Granted, I am not old enough to look upon the situation with a veritable plethora of wisdom, but I do have some insight to offer. I have been there. I know the temptation. I know how important it is to fit in. I know that kids are willing to choke down rancid tasting beer in an effort to receive the peer acceptance they yearn for. Do parents and other members of the community reinforce this behavior? Could be. Do you condone it? Look yourself in the mirror and ask the face if it is doing all it can to keep drunk kids off the road. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that many people are not. I know kids who have had their parents buy beer for them. Boy, at the time I thought I was really something special. Talk about your cool parents. Nope. Maybe not.

What is cool about giving your child a case of beer and access to a car? I challenge anyone to suggest a positive result from such a scenario. Is it not more important to put your foot down? Is it not a greater expression of love to tell your primary concern? Although I have no children, I realize this is difficult, but I implore you to look at the alternative and make your own choice. You aren't the bad guy for protecting your child. Your child might not always be happy with you about it, but hey, love hurts sometimes. I think everyone knows that.

As I stated earlier, admitting that my own conscience is not exempt from guilt is my disclaimer to protect myself from allegations of hypocrisy. But I think that changing my views while still in college is in some ways worthy of merit. Alcohol is still a problem, still the biggest game in town; still an attraction at Creighton, but do you know something? I am aware of very few instances in which drunken driving was condones since I came here in the fall of 1991. The attitude here is quite different. I am not trying to take a "holier than thou" approach to this, but what takes place here is so much more practical. You just have their fun, but driving afterwards is out. It is not even considered. If parents were here to reprimand their children for drinking and driving, their harsh words would pale in comparison to the blue streak that most fellow students would inundate the offender's ears with. It has been startling to find that it is possible to have a good time without a single drink.

Being together with your friends is what is important, is it not? I realize now that you can have fun just sitting around watching a football game or a movie, or going out to eat. Just spending time with friends is very gratifying in itself. Sorry, Mom and Dad. I know you told me that from square one, but I had to find it out for myself.

There. I'll get my soapbox now and turn it over to all of you. Kids, I am sorry if I blew your cover. You just have to understand that I have said this out of a personal concern for your welfare. I know that sounds preachy, perhaps borderline parental, but you have to trust me. My friends, I hope you do not see me as a prude, a square who does not want to have a good time. I'm just like you. I want to have one once in awhile, too, but I don't want to deal with the pain anymore. I hope I have not stepped on anyone's toes. I mean no harm.

In a word that seems to offer pain and suffering at every turn, it seems only logical that we seek to minimize grief. Life's bright flame can be so quickly extinguished. As Dylan Thomas writes, "Do not go gentle into that good night: rage, rage against the dying of the light." I beg you to fight for the gift of life you and your friends and family have been endowed with.

Mike Knievel