Next Tuesday and Wednesday I will make presentations at our local high school about drug addiction and its effects on a person and family. It started off to be a few presentations in the classroom to students in the class at that time. Now it has grown to multiple classes over multiple class periods and it is now being held in the school auditorium. I am excited for the opportunity to reach so many kids. They are also sending invites out by e-mail to parents to attend.
I am still going to try and make it as informal as possible and most of the time is going to be devoted to Q & A. The teachers are going to hand out note cards on Monday for students to write anonymous questions they may have. I hope to get some that have the nerve to stand up and ask outright. I hope for a decent dialogue. The principal has ask, to be sure and cover pharm parties and huffing.
Does anyone else out there have any special suggestions.
Answering a comment:
A pharm party is where the kids raid the medicine cabinet at home and all go to a party and put all the pills in a bag and you reach in and pull out a couple like candy and you have to take what you grab. Pharm is short for pharmaceutical.
Huffing is breathing in fumes. Lots or potential highs but paint is one that is used and many other materials such as aerosol glues, carburetor cleaner and nail polish remover. For us old folks it is equivalent to "sniffing glue" that was popular in the '70's before they begin adding things to make it hurt to "sniff".
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8 comments:
Yes, please tell ME what pharm parties and huffing are.
Good luck with this, I'm sure you'll be touching someone's heart out there.
great dad...
i have found when i am speaking to groups over a hundred it helps me to divide the auditorium into sections, three works well. then play a 7-10 minute game..
who can yell the loudest or jump the best or whatever, be creative.
cuts stress and gets endorphines going.. the natural high!!!!! it sounds so dang corny, but if you do it right it works like a charm..
i have been speaking in public for years, kids, bikers, small, large... always do a break the ice thingy..
NOTE- dont forget to mention just handing an opiate or benzo to someone is considered a felony sale in most states.
you are loved
brother frankie
(went on a 50 mile 50 degree ride today, im back!!!)
Good luck with it. I am really glad that you are talking to them. Not all will get the message but if even one does, then it will be worth it.
Ron - this is AWESOME. I am so jazzed up about it and hope that other school's get a clue and follow this example. Here is my suggestion, not sure how to phrase it so I will just do my best:
Back when Kev got his first ticket ever for "public intoxication" he was 15 years old. It seems like a lifetime ago. Anyhow he was sent to a diversion program which involved both of us attending extensive meetings about various topics related to drug and alcohol abuse. It was there that I learned about pharm parties, all the latest drugs, this, that and the other thing. They had an ER nurse speak, a cop, a guy from a morgue. But the ones I remember were the other parents. A mom who lost her daughter, a father who was similar to you in many ways. They said something that stuck out in my mind but even then, I did too little too late to prevent the ouctome of heroin addiction. What they said was something like "I know many of you are sitting there because your child had a minor offense. You are thinking this is extreme, or scare tactics, that your child knows better than to do something as stupid as attend a pharm party of try heroin. If you are thinking that (I was) then you need to pay attention the most because your children are at the highest risk because of your denial".
Holy crap, just writing that makes me want to cry because it did shake me up and think about it. But I still didn't SEE THE SIGNS till he was deep into it, not because I didn't know, but because I chose to pretend I didn't know (aka denial).
So please, if you can get the point to the parents that denial is dangerous BUT that its normal for parents to feel that way - maybe that will allow them to step up and away from it and intervene before their kid becomes addicted.
Thanks
Barbara brings up a key point to be investigated, how can you get the school to encourage parents to attend your talk? One person I know who speaks at high schools got the principle to award 50 points to any students who brought a parent. The points could be used toward any subject they choose. Attendance by the parents more than doubled!
Pat N has an excellent idea - gosh, it would be so great if there was a good parent turnout. I am so excited about your talks, what a great opportunity to have the students hear about drugs "real-life". Even though I am not in KC, Thank you for doing this!!!
I don't know if it would make any difference, but prescription drugs are so common now (like the "pharm parties")... Two things my daughter said to me 1) that she thought since her doctor had prescribed them originally they would be ok (Um, yeah, the dr didn't say "smoke it"!) 2) she had no idea about the physical withdrawals, how severe they would be and how quickly (oxy is a physical addiction)... don't know if this would be helpful to include?
Thank you again :) one person can do so much, and it takes someone with the talent you have, the knowledge and the willingness... THANKS!
God bless!!!
This is so so great! Good for you. I hope you let us know how it all goes.
I'll be thinking of you especially, as you give the talks. If you reach even one student, or one parent who is able to have an "aha" moment and recognize/reach out to their own child who may be headed down this road, it will be so worth it, won't it!!??
I look forward to hearing about how it goes for you. Thanks for "carrying the message"!
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