Baking Is My Positive Substance

by Charley (Kailua), age 12

My positive substance is baking, specifically desserts. Baking is my positive substance because it gives me time to calm down and take as much time as I want. When I bake, it is a quiet time for myself. Baking also makes me adventurous and creative. Another reason it is important to me is because I get to spend quality time with my family or friends. When I was little, I remember baking with my sister and as I got older I started to bake with my friends. My family and friends also like desserts so that is a good thing because I like to bake a lot. I am probably better at baking than cooking because I like to stick to recipes and using more ingredients that I am familiar with. Baking helps me stay away from negative substances, such as alcohol or drugs by distracting me and keeping me busy. Baking calms me down and helps to relieve the stress that I am feeling at the moment instead of using negative harmful substances.