While quarantining to my house with an alcoholic father every day at the age of 12, I was left in charge of my younger sister and helping her with her covid online schooling. My memories of being trapped in the house with him drinking all day still haunt me and I would do anything to shield my sister from seeing it. On nice, and even rainy, days we would go exploring outside for hours; hiking, riding our bikes, really anything just not to be home. We found it therapeutic, made us happy and forget about what was going on back at the house. The older I got and the more mature I became; I knew the life of drugs and alcohol was not for me. My father’s addiction had become worse after his sister, my aunt, overdosed in April 2019 and my grandparents’ addiction to opioids grew stronger. With addition being hereditary, I knew there was more to life than having a beer in my hand or popping pills to escape reality and emotions. I wanted to become someone one day so I refrained from drinking and doing drugs at high school parties, and giving into daily teenage peer pressures. I found hiking really cleared my mind and helped me temporarily disconnect from the world. I took our hiking and exploring obsession and started traveling to different National Parks throughout the United States with my mother and sister. The stunning beauty, amazing wildlife, rich in history, fun parks really increased my confidence from the challenges and independence and increased my self-awareness. National Park Yellowstone, Grand Canyons, Zion, Bryce and Acadia were a few of my favorites. I even got the opportunity to go to Japan with my class this year after saving my money from my two jobs. Japan was a once in a lifetime experience that really opened my mind and exposed me to new cultures and perspectives. “Addition is a family disease; one person may use both the whole family suffers.” (Shelly Lewis) Addiction is an epidemic that can spread through a family like wildfire and destroy everything in its path but I choose a different path. When I feel like giving up, I remember why I held on for so long and that my good decisions will get me closer to my dreams. I am not sure if it’s the fresh air and exercise or nature’s beauty that has made me a better person but I will continue on life’s adventure/journey. Going to College is a dream that I have had since I was a little girl and I will not allow addition to get in my way of my dreams.