Op-ed: Speaker’s frank alcohol and drug abuse talk contains empowering message for parents

January 29, 2010
by Lisa Levinson

For the parents gathered in room K110 at Greeley on Tuesday, January 12 for a parent presentation co-hosted by Greeley’s Students Against Drunk Driving and Drugs (SADDD) and its student government, the fact that one isn’t seventeen forever is a given. But for many teens the challenges of the moment seem larger than life.

Approximately 30 parents took advantage of an opportunity to preview a presentation on the negative effects of alcohol and drug use planned for the entire student body on Wednesday, January 13. This event was part of a week long coordinated effort to increase awareness of the dangers of alcohol and drug use and to actively involve the community in improving safety and responsibility at Greeley.

The anchor for both the parent and student presentation was a short documentary created by Teen Truth (www.teentruthlive.com/drugs-alcohol/) with the assistance of teens from different locations across the country. It is a raw reality show of sorts including the perspective of teens as depicted by footage of their days intertwined with interviews from seven recovering addicts.

What made the presentation so powerful, however, was the speaker, Michael Sarich, and his harrowing account of his own life story, a story Erahm Johnson, creator of Teen Truth knew others would benefit from hearing.

It could be the story of any kid who, due to a series of unfortunate events, begins to make a habit of poor decision-making. He did not fit the stereotype of an addict. He was successful in school, popular, on his way to play Division I baseball. But being a teen provides limited life perspective and the adults in his life didn’t know the turmoil churning below his “cool” exterior.

His story might simply serve as a cautionary tale, but the true gift for parents was the wisdom he shared in his reflections. While not a parent himself, he spoke of the importance of really listening to what kids are saying and not being blind to what you don’t want to see.

Kids need to know it is okay to tell the truth, to share how they are feeling when they are confused, scared, angry, lonely, sad and, of course, happy. They need to know they have adults to turn to when life gets rough, and as a teen it can seem very rough.

To tell kids not to do drugs doesn’t help them learn to manage the very life challenges that can make them turn to drugs. They need practice at setting goals and strategies to reach them, getting over failures, managing competing expectations, finding ways to reduce stress and working through conflicts/breakups/relationship issues. In short, adults need to be guiding teens in developing these skills so that alcohol and other drugs aren’t the “feel better” short cut.

Lisa Levinson is the co-chair of the Chappaqua PTA’s R21K Coalition.  R21K (Raising 21st Century Kids) is a Pre-K to Grade 12 coalition of PTA members and school staff whose mission is to help all of us as we nurture resilience, self-confidence, compassion and commitment to others in our children. R21K collaborates with New Castle CARES, a coalition of community organizations, to provide a comprehensive approach that identifies where our strengths sustain positive youth development as well as where our attention must be focused on reducing negative influences that, over time, can result in young people acquiring destructive behaviors. As parents and caregivers, we have a collective responsibility to become educated about issues related to raising children in an increasingly complex world and involved in creating an environment where they will grow to be happy and productive adults.