Addictions: Men's and Women's Issues

Body image, sexual assault, and porn. All difficult issues to discuss yet everyone has experienced it somehow in some way. Things that are common in any environment in spite of its denial. I've had my own experience with a few of these subjects. Experiences anyone else would be able to relate to. In elementary school I began to get fat because of the carelessness of my eating habits. As as entered 7th grade I began to get depressed and I decided to workout as a solution. Since then I have been engaging myself in physical activities which has somewhat solved my self-image problems.
My friends introduced me to porn in 6th grade. They are the whole reason I got into it. The only thing I have to say about it is that it is just another way for satan to get a hold of you and rip you from the arms of God. Since I've been to APU, I haven't seen any porn and has been banished from my life. It has been another weakness I have shed.

Addictions: Alcohol

I remember the first time I had ever heard about alcohol was when I was about 7. It was in first grade in health class. They taught us about things we had no clue even existed. They kept telling that they were bad, bad, bad. We would hear so much about this mysterious evil thing called a drug and we didn't even know what they were. We didn't know what they even looked like. It's so ironic how much they emphasized that drugs were bad in relation to how many kids do it these days. They kept telling us to say "no" and we didn't even know what to say "no" too.
My issue with alcohol is a balanced one. I believe everything should be balanced. I believe it is okay to have a little of something as long as it is not "abused". Too much of anything is bad for you and can lead to future problems. Especially alcohol. My grandfather was an alcoholic. He has many brothers and they drink regularly too. It runs in the family. Anyways, alcohol messed up his life. I'm not sure about all the details but I know he had a rough life, and he had a lot of problems. I was able to see the final consequences of his earlier decisions with drinks. By the time he ended up in my house with my family taking care of him he was a mess. Barely able to move, he was reduced to practically living in a wheel chair. He also had a terribly hard time trying to speak, understand others, and processing thoughts. I don't know how much he had drank in his life to drag him down to this point but I do know that it was too much. After living with us for about 4 months, he passed away. He was about 68. Because of his drinking habits, he slowly corroded his life, leaving him with nothing but his family. I'm okay with people who drink, and I have done it a few times myself, but always keep in mind that too much of anything can kill you.

iWill

While I am at APU, I want to get as much out of my college experience as possible. I want to get an awesome education, I want to go on outdoor trips and missions trips, I want to enjoy my friends, and most of all I would like to grow in Christ. There's so many things I have to learn about the world and about myself. If there is anything I would like to accomplish at APU it would be to figure out where I am going in life. This means that I at least want to have an idea where God wants me to be and a general plan of how I'm going to get there. God can take care of the rest... he might even take care of the whole thing but I would be most comfortable with somewhat of a goal. I'd also like the chance to go on a mission's trip considering that I have never been on one. I truly believe a mission's trip will help open my eyes about world issues and will strike a spiritual fire in me.