PHYSICALLY STRONG

COMMONSENSE SAFETY
It doesn't take much skill to cross a railroad track, but if a train is coming,
common sense tells you to wait. It is common sense to use a sturdy
stepladder instead of a wobbly chair when you have to reach high, It is
good judgment to stay away from strange dogs and to sweep up broken
glass before someone steps on it and gets hurt.
Be on the lookout for hazardous situations and do something to correCI
them, Is a campfire getting too large? Douse it. Is a sidewalk
crowded? Keep your skateboard under your ann,

PROTECTINGYOURSELF FROM TOBACCO, ALCOHOL, AND DRUGS

ON A HIKE, you trust your map and compass to show you the way,
When it comes to drugs, alcohol, and tobacco, you can trust that part of
the Scout Oath in which you promise to keep yourself physically strong
and mentally awake. Just as you trust your compass, trust what you
know is right.

Tobacco
Advertisements in magazines and newspapers often pretend that smoking
is very exciting. You might have friends who think smoking makes them
look grown up.
Don't be fooled. Smoking shortens your breath and makes it harder
for you to be good at sports. Smoke coats your lungs with sticky tars that
have been shown to cause cancer and emphysema, diseases that kill hundreds
of thousands of people every year. Chewing tobacco and snuff are
known causes of gum disease and cancer of the mouth.
Tobacco contains an addictive drug called nicotine that raises blood
pressure and increases the heart rate. A smoker gets in the habit of expecting
those changes, and becomes wlcomfonable without nicotine. Many
people lind that it's very hard to quit once they've begun using tobacco.
It's best never to start smoking in the lirst place. If you do smoke, stop
now. Your lungs will slowly heal, and you can look forward to a much
healthier and longer life.