I was an average teenager who wanted to be more 'fun'

"I started to drink and go to parties to make myself feel 'cooler' and impress friends."

After a while it all got out of control. Eventually I made things worse for myself because I was getting so drunk I had no control over what I was doing. I was making mistakes that made me feel worse about myself. My silly solution to make things better and give me confidence to handle social situations was to drink more. Everyone began to know me as a 'party animal’, and 'getting messy' was my thing. Of course the drinking didn't fix anything and when my problems remained I got even more down on myself. I stopped eating because 'being skinny' would make people like and accept me more.

Eventually my doctor and parents intervened.

People always tell me they drink because they are shy or because they don't fit in. If you have a problem with your self image, talk to someone before it gets out of control! It can happen to anyone but alcohol never solves your problems, it usually makes them worse.