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Here are some examples of what people thought about
the "Teens Using Drugs" workshop series - the following comments are
from the written evaluations provided by people who attended "Teens Using
Drugs" workshops:
Comments from
parents/guardians/adult family members:
General
comments:
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Part One: w
Very enlightening, all of it. w I took lots of the handouts – they look very informative. w
Extremely
professional, highly experienced lecturer conveyed practical information to
the group … w Real life examples and examples from presenter's experience helped my understanding … |
Part Two: w I am so glad I
came … w Very
compassionate, easy to listen to style … w Young speaker was excellent way to end the presentation. His talk was
very enlightening. w The story by Steve was very powerful. It helped open my eyes to my
daughter’s situation and realistically to the long road ahead. It means so
much to hear a real story of how someone in addiction can turn their life
around … |
In
response to the question: "How did your participation tonight change your
knowledge, attitudes, or potential future actions?" parents/guardians/adult relatives said that:
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Part One: w
It has given me knowledge upon which I can act. I
know what to look for in the future and when to be alarmed and seek help. w
I now have questions and checklists to work with
for observing. Most important though was the end, “totally treatable,” which
gives me hope. w
I feel more knowledgeable about drug problems and
how to identify the signs and symptoms. I feel encouraged that the condition
is treatable. w
Not "bad" behavior, a chronic
illness… |
Part Two: w Practical ways
to confront drug use, with love … w List of things
my spouse and I have to do to help our son, and that we must agree on
consequences … w
I learned that stopping use of the drugs is just
the first thing to happen and much more must occur for the teen to be able to
recover. We must confront this problem directly and we must get help. w
I
have a better understanding of what I need to do to help my son. I see more
clearly the path that he is on and I don’t want him to have to go all the way
down it to get the help he needs. We must get help from outside of our
family. |
In response to the question: "What did you find most
helpful?" parents/guardians/adult
relatives said that:
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Part One: w
The talk about values and feelings helped me to
understand better what the drug addict feels like. w
Seeing so many people here – we are not alone in
this problem. w
It was
all helpful information. It will help me take action to help my son before it
is too late. w
Chemical
dependency is incredibly treatable… w
The
video was powerful - it's good to see that the faces of chemically dependent
young people are not of any particular
type … |
Part Two: w
It is all immensely helpful. I am going to change
how we have been dealing with this. The part about the parent has to take
charge hit home with me. Until now my son has been calling the shots and we
have been playing the parts he wants us to take. We must help him. w
Everything was very helpful. The stories provided
excellent real life examples that made it make sense when you talked about
how parenting a child with a drug problem differs from “normal” parenting. It
was particularly helpful to know how to confront the problem and what types
of resources are available. Stopping drugs is only the beginning. w
All
of Ron’s information is very helpful. The literature we took home last week
was very helpful also. The talk this evening by Mike was wonderful. I have
never heard such a story with a happy ending. It gives me hope. w
Mike’s
talk made me realize that no matter how afraid I am there is hope for my
child. |
Comments from
professionals and people who work with teens:
General
comments:
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Part One: w Valuable
session, very good information… w I appreciate
your direct, humorous approach. Stories of clients and family helped me
better understand drug problems… w We see so much
addiction in our patients, and we do not treat it as a primary problem. We tend to think that if we can relieve all
the other problems the drug problem will go away too, but that is thinking
like the addict thinks; that the drug use is the solution, not the cause … |
Part Two: w The
information dispelled notions about a drug problem being a problem/fault of
the family/environment... w This has been
very enlightening and has very much changed how I think of and will deal with
teens with drug issues … w This is an
awesome accessible and free program … w This is an excellent series. |
In
response to the question: "How did your participation tonight change your
knowledge, attitudes, or potential future actions?" professionals in the audience said that:
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Part One: w My concept of
teen chemical dependency has been changed. The concept of addiction as a
primary disease is very different from the theories I have seen our practices
based on, and makes much more sense, especially with the teens that do not get
better with therapy… w I feel better
prepared to work helpfully with adolescent patients who are using
alcohol/drugs … w It make me
look at drugs as more of a problem for which an adolescent needs help,
instead of a problem for which they need to be disciplined … w That the
addiction must be treated first - I always assumed that the psychological
issues must be addressed before the addiction ... |
Part Two: w
I have a new awareness of the need to address a
drug problem directly. My attitude before was to try to address the
surrounding problems with the idea that improving these would reduce the drug
use. I now know the drug problem must be addressed first. w
It will better help me deal with families in the
church and community to better provide support when it is needed. w More awareness of resources for teens with drug problems. w
This
gave me a new view of how to address the problem of addiction. I gained a new
perspective on the seriousness of addiction in teens. I learned how teens and
adults can recover from addiction and what they must do to become whole human
beings again. |
In
response to the question: "What did you find most helpful?"
professionals in the audience said that:
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Part One: w
The list of signs and symptoms that are seen and
the descriptions. Also the values explanation at the end. w
The concept of “primary illness.” The “love
relationship.” The values description. w
The process you go through with parents. The
distinction between drug user and abuser. w
What
to ask parents. What it (substance abuse) may look like in adolescents. Also
that chemical dependency is a primary diagnosis. |
Part Two: w
Understanding and learning the characteristics
needed to address the drug problem.
The steps for dealing with the teen or person using. w
The young speaker was compelling. He gave me a
new view of the meaning of recovery. Because of him I will have more respect
and compassion for “street people” and will never again presume someone’s addiction
is beyond hope. w
All the information was very helpful in educating
me about the realities of addiction and recovery. The information about
recovery was perhaps the most useful part. It was very surprising to me to
learn that there are many young people in the AA program and that AA provides
support for life changes besides not drinking. w
“Stopping
is only the beginning …” |
In
response to the question: "How did your participation tonight change your
knowledge, attitudes, or potential future actions?" teens in the audience said that:
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Part One: w It taught me a
lot about drug problems - the usage and consequences of your actions … w It made me
want to help my friends more… w People with drug problems can get
treatment and get better. w He made me realize that my decisions now
will affect my future. w I see better why my parents are worried
about me. |
Part Two: w
It showed me how to get the help I need. w
My
perception of changing changed. I realize that you can come from a really bad
place and move on and start over. w
I
learned some insight into my behavior. I learned you can recover from a drug
problem. I learned the things you have to do and the things that can help
you. w
Just
listening helped … w
It
made me realize that I have a lot more to live for, and that drugs do not
have to be part of my life… |
In response to the question: "What did
you find most helpful?" teens in the audience said that:
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Part One: w
You can get help for a drug problem. w
If you use drugs and have problems, the drugs are
the problem. w I came into this thinking it was another
fact-based therapy, but this really was different, and a lot better than I
thought … w That drug
dependency can be treated… |
Part Two: w Hearing real life
stories from someone who has actually experienced a drug problem … w The "real life" approach,
instead of the usual BS we get from our parents and the school … w The teen speaker was GREAT! He was
informed and had his own story. He handled the questions well. w Chris’ speech showed me that I am the
same way. I can make it. |
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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/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 other sources of information.
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