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Comments from the
Audience Members
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: -
Very enlightening, all of it. -
I took lots of the handouts
– they look very informative. -
Extremely
professional, highly experienced lecturer conveyed practical information to
the group … - Real life examples and examples from presenter's experience helped my understanding … |
Part Two: - I am so glad I
came … - Very
compassionate, easy to listen to style … - Young speaker was excellent way to end the presentation. His talk was
very enlightening. - 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: - 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. - I now have
questions and checklists to work with for observing. Most important though
was the end, “totally treatable,” which gives me hope. - I feel more
knowledgeable about drug problems and how to identify the signs and symptoms.
I feel encouraged that the condition is treatable. - Not
"bad" behavior, a chronic illness…
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Part Two: - Practical ways
to confront drug use, with love … - List of things
my spouse and I have to do to help our son, and that we must agree on
consequences … -
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. -
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: - The talk about
values and feelings helped me to understand better what the drug addict feels
like. - Seeing so many
people here – we are not alone in this problem. - It was all helpful information. It will
help me take action to help my son before it is too late. - Chemical dependency is incredibly
treatable… - 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: - 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. - 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. - 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. - 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: - Valuable session,
very good information… - I appreciate
your direct, humorous approach. Stories of clients and family helped me
better understand drug problems… - 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: - The
information dispelled notions about a drug problem being a problem/fault of
the family/environment... - This has been
very enlightening and has very much changed how I think of and will deal with
teens with drug issues … - This is an
awesome accessible and free program … -
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: - 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… - I feel better
prepared to work helpfully with adolescent patients who are using
alcohol/other drugs … - 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 … - That the addiction
must be treated first - I always assumed that the psychological issues must
be addressed before the addiction ... |
Part Two: - 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. - It will better
help me deal with families in the church and community to better provide
support when it is needed. -
More awareness of resources for
teens with drug problems. - 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: - The list of
signs and symptoms that are seen and the descriptions. Also the values explanation
at the end. - The concept of
“primary illness.” The “love relationship.” The values description. - The process
you go through with parents. The distinction between drug user and abuser. - What to ask parents. What it (substance
abuse) may look like in adolescents. Also that chemical dependency is a primary
diagnosis. |
Part Two: - Understanding
and learning the characteristics needed to address the drug problem. The steps for dealing with the teen or
person using. - 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. - 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. - “Stopping is only the beginning …”
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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: - It taught me a
lot about drug problems - the usage and consequences of your actions … - It made me
want to help my friends more… - People with drug problems can get
treatment and get better. - He made me realize that my decisions now
will affect my future. - I see better why my parents are worried
about me. |
Part Two: - It showed me
how to get the help I need. - My perception of changing changed. I
realize that you can come from a really bad place and move on and start over.
- 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. - Just listening helped … - 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: - You can get
help for a drug problem. - If you use
drugs and have problems, the drugs are the problem. - I came into this thinking it was another
fact-based therapy, but this really was different, and a lot better than I
thought … - That drug
dependency can be treated… |
Part Two: - Hearing real
life stories from someone who has actually experienced a drug problem … - The "real life" approach,
instead of the usual BS we get from our parents and the school … - The teen speaker was GREAT! He was
informed and had his own story. He handled the questions well. - 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/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 other sources of information.
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