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Menu FLIER (pdf)
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About The Program
"Teens Using Drugs: What To
Know and What To Do" is a free, ongoing, two-part series
targeted to parents and caretakers of teens but also inclusive of other family
members, teens, and people who work with teens and families. It is
designed to provide education on how to understand, identify and address
adolescent alcohol/other drug use and problems, create a positive attitude
towards obtaining help for adolescents with alcohol/other drug 
problems, and increase participants' readiness and ability to address
adolescent alcohol/other drug use. This program has made a difference to
families struggling with teen alcohol/other drug use, and to others who want to
help.
The program was developed and presented by Ronald E. Harrison until Ron’s death
in April 2011. Ron had asked Dawn Farm to continue this program should he ever
be unable to teach it himself. Dawn Farm is continuing this program in the
2011-2012 school-year. Programs will be presented by staff from Dawn Farm and Growth Works (an
adolescent treatment program in Plymouth that Ron had a long-standing
relationship with.)
The series is held at the St. Joseph Mercy Hospital
Education Center, 5305 Elliott Drive, Ypsilanti, Michigan; from 7:30 pm to 9:00
pm on the 1st (part 1) and 2nd (part 2) Tuesday evenings of October, November,
and January through June The part one presentation provides information on how
to understand the progression of teen substance abuse problems, recognize signs
and patterns of a teen substance abuse problem, and know when a teen's use of
alcohol/other drugs requires action. Part one includes a ten-minute video. The part two presentation provides information
on what should and should not be done when teen substance abuse is suspected or
recognized, and strategies for helping "teens using drugs." Part two
includes a recovering young person, who describes his or her experiences - how
it was before recovery, what happened, and how it is now.
All presentations are free and open to all. A
certificate of attendance can be provided on request. Free literature and
resource information is available. Refreshments are provided. Ample free
parking is available. The presenter will stay after the program to talk with
people who have further questions or concerns.
The series is co-sponsored by Dawn Farm, the Livingston
and Washtenaw Regional Coordinated School Health Program Council, and
the Saint Joseph Mercy Health System Greenbrook Recovery Center.
The "Teens Using Drugs: What To Know and What To Do" program
began with a presentation in March 1999 at Huron
Based on this response, regular presentations of
the workshops were organized. The Saint Joseph Mercy Health System provided a site. Ron Harrison
agreed to continue to present the program as a community service. Initially,
the program was a one-part presentation focused on understanding teen substance
abuse problems and identifying teens that need professional help for a
substance abuse problem. This was presented in October, November and December
of 1999. Based on further feedback from participants, a "part two"
was developed to help people learn about what to do and what not to do when
addressing a teen substance abuse problem. This two-part series has been
presented since January 2000. After Ron
Harrison’s death in April 2011, Dawn Farm stepped up to continue the series; Matt Statman, LLMSW, CADC; Dawn Farm
therapist and Education Series Coordinator, presented the series in June 2011
and is one of the 2011 – 2012 presenters along with other staff from Dawn Farm and Growth Works. The program will be presented on the first
(part one) and second (part two) Tuesdays of November, December, and January
through June.
The sponsors of this program are: Dawn Farm, a continuum of programs for treatment of and recovery from addiction;
the Livingston
and Washtenaw Regional Coordinated School Health Program Council; and the Saint Joseph Mercy Health System Greenbrook
Recovery Center, a department of the Saint Joseph Mercy Health System. (Please see "sponsor" section on the "About Us" page for further
information about the sponsors.)
Why Have A Program On "Teens Using Drugs?"
In the 1970's, when concern about the escalating prevalence and
consequences of substance abuse led to a nationwide effort to produce effective
prevention and treatment programs, an estimated ten percent of our population
was chemically dependent. Since then, research and experience have provided new
information about effective substance abuse prevention and treatment. Many
communities have implemented programs that have demonstrated success in
preventing and treating alcohol and drug problems. Yet still, today - an
estimated ten percent of our population is chemically dependent.
There are parenting techniques, prevention programs
and other protective factors that can reduce the risk of young people using
alcohol, tobacco and other drugs. However, even the most effective prevention
programs can not eliminate all substance use by all teens. No adolescent is immune from alcohol and other drug problems;
regardless of his or her experiences with alcohol and other drug education;
regardless of how involved his or her family may be; regardless of
socioeconomic status; and regardless of religious participation, school
achievement, extracurricular involvement or other assets and protective
factors. Some young people will "experiment" with alcohol and other drugs
despite our best prevention efforts. Some of these will continue to use, and
some who use will become addicted. Many will experience adverse consequences
whether they progress to addiction or not; those who progress to addiction will
most likely experience a spectrum of adverse consequences that will be
extremely painful to them and to their families. Young people who begin regular
use of substances have a significantly increased risk of becoming chemically
dependent as compared with young people who delay using substances until they
are older.
Alcohol and other drug use is a primary or
contributing factor to most of the serious problems faced by adolescents,
including the leading causes of adolescent mortality. Too many substance-involved young people suffer serious, sometimes
irreversible consequences. Early
intervention with substance-involved teens offers hope for preventing
irreparable damage and helping substance-involved teens recover their lives and
their futures. These young people urgently need help, and helpers need the
right knowledge and tools.
Although the initial decision to "try" alcohol, marijuana, or
other drugs is a choice, no one chooses to become addicted to these substances.
Addiction is a disease that develops in susceptible individuals who begin use
of alcohol/other drugs. There is no known absolute way to prevent addiction in
a person susceptible to addiction unless alcohol/other drug use is entirely
avoided. It is not the”fault” of a person with alcohol or other drug addictions
that he/she became addicted. It is not
the fault of the parents, or the school system, or society, or other external
factors. Addiction does not happen solely because of the type of drugs used,
the amount of drugs used, the manner in which drugs are used, or the
personality or social circumstances of the user. Bad parenting doesn’t cause it
and good parenting often can’t prevent it.
Substance abuse and addiction can happen to teens from "good"
families, to teens from "troubled" families, and to teens with no
families; to teens who excel in school and teens who struggle with school; to
teens with high self esteem and teens with low self esteem; to teens who are
happy and well-adjusted and teens troubled by depression, ADHD or other problems.
Addiction can happen regardless of prior determination about how drugs will and
will not be used or the conviction that "it won't happen to me."
Addiction is not a moral failing or a lack of willpower or a lack of better
things to do. It is a disease, and it is not anyone's fault. We do not know for
certain what causes addiction, but we do know how to
treat it once it has been identified.
Adolescent alcohol/other drug problems can be
difficult to identify and differentiate from other adolescent problems or even
from "normal" adolescent behavior, even for loving, attentive,
involved parents and caring, experienced professionals. When a young person experiences alcohol or
drug problems, often the LAST thing that parents and other concerned adults see
is the alcohol/other drug use. A teen won't usually tell a parent that he was
truant from school to smoke weed, or that she performed poorly on her SAT's
because she was hung over, or that he dropped sports and music to have more
time for getting high, or that the money she saved for college was consumed by
her escalating need for heroin, or that he is in love with “ecstasy” to the
exclusion of all other interests. Teens hide their alcohol/other drug use from
parents and others in authority, and teens with alcohol/other drug problems
employ various defense mechanisms to protect their substance use by confusing
parents and other caring people and pushing them away. Parents and others concerned about a young
person are often uncertain of what the problem is and of what can be done about
it.
However, there are signs and patterns of behaviors
that can alert people who care to the possibility that a teen may have an
alcohol/other drug problem. We do not have to see a teen using to see a
"using" teen. Once diagnosed, teen
alcohol and other drug problems are absolutely treatable!
The "Teens Using Drugs: What To Know and What
To Do" series was developed in response to the need in our community for
an ongoing, easily accessible, free education resource for people struggling
with teen substance abuse issues. It can be difficult and painful for family
members to explore the possibility that a young person they love may be using
alcohol/other drugs or may have an alcohol/other drug problem. Dealing with
adolescent substance abuse is often isolating, confusing, polarizing,
frightening, and extremely stressful for all involved. This program is designed
to help people learn about this issue. The workshops are informal, free, and
open to all. There is no registration, commitment or interactive participation
required. People can attend to listen, to learn, and to ask questions if they
wish to.
This series provides an access point for
information to help family members struggling with teen substance abuse issues;
for professionals, students and others seeking to better understand teen
substance abuse issues in order to assist affected adolescents and their
families; and for teens who would like to learn about adolescent alcohol/other
drug problems and solutions to alcohol/other drug problems.
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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 sources of information. |