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Teens Using Drugs: What To Know and What To Do
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About The Program
"Teens Using Drugs: What To
Know and What To Do" is a free, ongoing, two-part series
targeted to parents and caretakers of teens but also inclusive of other family
members, teens, and people who work with teens and families. It is
designed to provide education on how to understand, identify and address
adolescent alcohol/other drug use and problems, create a positive attitude
towards obtaining help for adolescents with alcohol/other drug problems, and
increase participants' readiness and ability to address adolescent
alcohol/other drug use. These workshops have made a difference to families
struggling with teen substance abuse, and to others who want to help.
The program is presented by Ronald
E. Harrison. Ron has over 35
years of experience working in diverse settings with substance-involved teens
and their families. He has presented numerous education and training programs
on teen substance abuse, addiction, recovery, and family issues.
The series is held at the St. Joseph Mercy Hospital
Education Center, 5305 Elliott Drive, Ypsilanti, Michigan; from 7:30 pm to 9:00
pm on the 1st (part 1) and 2nd (part 2) Tuesday evenings of each month from
October through June. The part one presentation provides information on how to
understand the progression of teen substance abuse problems, recognize signs
and patterns of a teen substance abuse problem, and know when a teen's use of
alcohol/other drugs requires action. Part one includes a ten-minute video.
The part two presentation provides information on what should and should not be
done when teen substance abuse is suspected or recognized, and strategies for
helping "teens using drugs." Part two includes a recovering young
person, who describes his or her experiences - how it was before recovery, what
happened, and how it is now.
All presentations are free and open to all. A
certificate of attendance can be provided on request. Free literature and
resource information is available. Refreshments are provided. Ample free
parking is available. The presenter will stay after the workshop to talk with
people who have further questions or concerns.
The workshops are co-sponsored by Dawn Farm,
the Livingston/Washtenaw Safe and Drug
Free Schools and Communities Act Consortium, and Saint Joseph Mercy Health System
Mission Services. The series
is currently funded with a grant from the Wal-Mart Foundation,
courtesy of the
The "Teens Using Drugs: What To Know and What
To Do" program began with a presentation in March 1999 at Huron
Based on this response, regular presentations of
the workshops were organized. The Saint
Joseph Mercy Health System provided a site. Ron Harrison was asked and agreed to continue to present the
program as a community service. Initially, the program was a one-part
presentation focused on understanding teen substance abuse problems and
identifying teens that need professional help for a substance abuse problem.
This was presented in October, November and December of 1999. Based on further
feedback from participants, a "part 2" was developed to help people
learn about what to do and what not to do when addressing a teen substance
abuse problem. This 2-part series has been presented since January 2000, on the
first and second Tuesdays of each month from October through June.
The sponsors of this program are: Dawn Farm,
a continuum of programs for treatment of and recovery from addiction; the Livingston/Washtenaw Safe and Drug
Free Schools and Communities Act Consortium, a consortium
of Safe and Drug Free School representatives from public and private schools
and agencies in Livingston and Washtenaw Counties, Michigan, that provides
staff development, program activities, consultation and technical assistance to
school districts in order to meet the requirements of the Principles of
Effectiveness for Safe and Drug-Free Schools; and the Saint Joseph Mercy Health System
Mission Services, a department of the Saint Joseph Mercy Health System.
(Please see "sponsor"
section on the "About Us" page for further
information about the sponsors.)
Why Have A Program On "Teens Using Drugs?"
In the 1970's, when concern about the escalating
prevalence and consequences of substance abuse led to a nationwide effort to
produce effective prevention and treatment programs, an estimated ten percent
of our population was chemically dependent. Since then, research and experience
have provided new information about effective substance abuse prevention and
treatment. Many communities have implemented programs that have demonstrated
success in preventing and treating alcohol and drug problems. Yet still, today
- an estimated ten percent of our population is chemically dependent.
No
adolescent is immune from alcohol and other drug problems; regardless
of his or her experiences with alcohol and other drug education; regardless of
how involved his or her family may be; regardless of socioeconomic status; and
regardless of religious participation, school achievement, extracurricular
involvement or other assets and protective factors. Even the most effective
prevention programs do not eliminate all substance use by all teens. Some young
people will "experiment" with alcohol and drugs despite our best
prevention efforts. Some of these will continue to use, and some who use will
become addicted. An estimated 10% of our overall population will become
addicted if they use alcohol/other drugs. Young people who begin regular use of
substances before age fifteen have about a 40% incidence of chemical
dependency.
Substance abuse is a primary or contributing factor
to most of the serious problems faced by adolescents, including the leading
causes of adolescent mortality. Too many
substance-involved young people suffer serious, sometimes irreversible
consequences. Early intervention with
substance-involved teens offers hope for preventing irreparable damage and
helping using teens recover their lives and their futures. These young people
urgently need help, and helpers need the right knowledge and tools.
Although the initial decision to "try"
alcohol, marijuana, or other drugs is a choice, no one chooses to become
addicted to these substances. Addiction is a “brain” disease that develops in
susceptible individuals who begin use alcohol/other drugs. There is no known
absolute way to prevent addiction in a person susceptible to addiction unless
alcohol/other drug use is entirely avoided. It is not an addict/alcoholic’s
”fault” that he/she became addicted. It
is not the fault of the parents, or the school system, or society, or other
external factors. Addiction does not happen solely because of the type of drugs
used, the amount of drugs used, the manner in which drugs are used, or the
personality or social circumstances of the user. Bad parenting doesn’t cause it
and good parenting often can’t prevent it.
Substance abuse and addiction can happen to teens from "good"
families, to teens from "troubled" families, and to teens with no
families; to teens who excel in school and teens who struggle with school; to
teens with high self esteem and teens with low self esteem; to teens who are
happy and well-adjusted and teens troubled by depression, ADHD or other
problems. Addiction can happen regardless of prior determination about how
drugs will and will not be used or the conviction that "it won't happen to
me." Addiction is not a moral failing or a lack of willpower or a lack of
better things to do. It is a disease, and it is not anyone's fault. We do not
know for certain what causes addiction, but we do
know how to treat it once it has been identified.
Adolescent alcohol/other drug problems can be
difficult to identify and differentiate from other adolescent problems or even
from "normal" adolescent behavior, even for loving, attentive,
involved parents and caring, experienced professionals. When a young person experiences alcohol or
drug problems, often the LAST thing that parents and other concerned adults see
is the alcohol/other drug use. A teen won't usually tell us that he was truant
from school to smoke weed, or that she performed poorly on her SAT's because
she was hung over, or that he dropped sports and music to have more time for
getting high, or that the money she saved for college was consumed by her
escalating need for heroin, or that he is in love with “ecstasy” to the exclusion
of all other interests. Teens hide their alcohol/other drug use from parents
and others in authority, and teens with alcohol/other drug problems employ
hostility, diversion, manipulation, and other defenses to effectively protect
their substance use by diverting attention away from it. Future use is
protected when the teen confuses parents and other caring people and pushes
them away. Parents and others concerned
about a young person are often uncertain of what the primary problem is and of
what can be done about it.
However, there are signs and patterns of behaviors
that can alert us to the possibility that a teen we care about may have an
alcohol/other drug problem. We do not have to see a teen using to see a
"using" teen. Once diagnosed, teen
alcohol and other drug problems are absolutely treatable!
The "Teens Using Drugs: What To Know and What
To Do" series was developed in response to the need in our community for
an ongoing, easily accessible, free education resource for people struggling
with teen substance abuse issues. It can be difficult and painful for family
members to explore the possibility that a young person they love may be using
alcohol/other drugs or may have an alcohol/other drug problem. Dealing with
adolescent substance abuse is often isolating, confusing, polarizing,
frightening, and extremely stressful for all involved. This program is designed
to help people learn more about this issue. The workshops are informal, free,
and open to all. There is no registration, commitment or interactive
participation required. People can attend to listen, to learn, and to ask
questions if they wish to.
This series provides an access point for
information to help family members struggling with teen substance abuse issues;
for professionals, students and others seeking to better understand teen
substance abuse issues in order to assist affected adolescents and their
families; and for teens who would like to learn about adolescent alcohol/other
drug problems and solutions to alcohol/other drug problems.
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"TEENS USING DRUGS: WHAT TO KNOW and WHAT TO
DO" Disclaimer PLEASE NOTE: this site is
not a counseling or treatment service. We welcome comments and requests for
information about the "Teens Using Drugs: What To Know and What To
Do" program and/or about this Web site, but the people who maintain the
Web site are not substance abuse professionals and cannot provide advice
about substance abuse problems.
Parents, family members, teens, professionals, and concerned community
members are all welcome to attend the free "Teens Using Drugs: What To
Know and What To Do" program to learn more about adolescent substance
abuse problems and what can be done to help adolescents with alcohol/other drug
problems. If you are not able to attend this program, you can click on the
"referrals" section
to find suggestions for other options, and check the "information/links" section
for sources of help and information. |