In Healthy Living for Teens, young writers show that it's possible to overcome badhabits and lead healthy lives in a time when substance abuse,junk food, and low self-esteem and self-worth are major social problems. Inspire teen and preteen readers to take responsibility for and make wiser decisions about their lives with the essays in this bookeach written by a teenager. Within these pages, Edwin Mercado, Evelyn Gofman, Antwaun Garcia, and many others describe how they got on the right path toward healthy habits, breaking unhealthy ones like smoking, taking drugs, abusing alcohol, or seeking comfort in foods they know are unhealthy. Essays include: Tales of a 17-Year-Old SmokerHow I Quit Fast FoodClean and Kind of SoberWhat Drugs Do to YouStarving for AcceptanceShapin Up!Dear Food DiaryGuttony GetawayI Desperately Needed Cooking 101What is Bad Food so Good?Why Should Teens Care About Nutrition?My Hood is Bad for My HealthMale on the ScaleScaling BackThe Would-Be VegetarianBreathing EasierHow Exercise Relieves StressPoetry Keeps Me CalmDo for YouNature is My SalvationMy Life with OCDArthritis at ThirteenAddled on Adderaland more Through these essays, teen readersas well as their parents, teachers, and caregiverswill pick up new tricks to beating bad habits but will also be provided a much-needed glimpse into how the world looks to our younger generations.