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Last Wednesday’s drug and alcohol awareness program, lucid, was incredible. We estimate that 575 people were in attendance. Thanks goes to so many people, but undoubtedly, our audience would not have been so large without the support of Coach Reiland and his coaching staff, many who strongly encouraged their teams to attend, and to the teachers who offered extra credit to their students. Alpha Rev opened with their apropos song Phoenix Burn. They were awesome, as were all of the panelists, including Anderson students Devin Maynard and PJ Henderson.
I came away from the program with a few thoughts that I wanted to share with the Anderson community. First of all, addiction is a disease. Just as some bodies are genetically predisposed to cancer or diabetes, some brains are predisposed to addiction. But, researchers believe that the longer a person abstains from the first foray into addictive substances, then the better chance the person has staying sober. Since adolescent brains are still developing, teens who experiment with alcohol and drugs and who are predisposed to addiction are more likely to cross that line of self-control. When the panel was asked by a parent if it is o.k. to serve alcohol to your teen in a controlled environment (i.e. when they can’t drive), one of the panelists responded with the analogy of playing Russian Roulette. Do you really want to be responsible for encouraging your child - the one who could be predisposed to addiction – to take that chance? Second, it was our Anderson student panel members who suggested concrete ways to keep teens away from the temptation: provide them with coping skills, keep them busy with extracurricular activities, and encourage them to participate in service to others. And third, I liked the quote one of the panelists shared with the audience: “Children are the living messages we send to a time we shall not see” (John Whitehead).
Several parents have said they want to continue this very important conversation. If you’d like to be a part of the conversation at Anderson High School, let us know. Future editions of the Trojan Times will keep you updated on our progress and what’s coming next. Thanks for your support.
Julie Cowan
Jscowan@aol.com
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