I used to be very angry with one of my friends for doing things that would disappoint me, such as vaping or drinking. After my experience with mental health and how each of us copes with it differently, I understood that not all people’s hurt, fear, and emotions are the same.

I used to think people who would do those things were making up excuses for themselves, and maybe they were, but that is just a theory. It’s easy to make statements like that until you have a friend you’ve known your whole life destroyed. After talking to my friend who masked their mental health with substance use, I realized they needed a friend and not someone to judge them and distance themselves more. It was their cry for help, and they needed help.

I was afraid that I would lose that friend, because I did not want to see them on that path, and I thought turning them away would hurt them enough to stop using or doing what they were doing. I was wrong; they needed the most support and love to overcome those horrible thoughts and start believing in themselves that they were a good person and that we all make mistakes. My mom always says that it is okay to make mistakes because that's how we learn, it’s how we recover and make better decisions for ourselves, so we don’t continue hurting ourselves and the people around us.

I was mainly disappointed and hurt because when we were younger, he promised me he wouldn't do that, but he broke that promise. Now I'm very proud of him because he has quit everything, and he's been better as a person, and he's trying new things, and we just recently started to talk again, and things are better now. He is trying to change and wants to do things and be able to show everyone that he's changed.

Now he’s putting effort into so many things. This taught me that there is hope in people to recover from things like that, and even if you make the slightest move in saying hello or are you okay, it might just make someone feel cared about because they will be like “wow, they noticed me” or “they are checking in on me”, you can make positive changes in people's lives. It really makes people's days. It always made mine when I was struggling. It had a huge impact on me when people would check in with me. I felt important to people, so that's why I relate to this story, and this is why it matters to me, because I know how it feels.

© Sophia. All rights reserved. If you are interested in quoting this story, contact the national team and we can put you in touch with the author’s teacher.