Teaching teenagers about substance abuse.

Teaching young adults about substance abuse is a tight rope walk- Give a long list of advice and they are sure to shrug it off. An autobiographical account from someone who experienced it first hand may feel like a looser to them. But if the speaker can make them see the destruction that can come ones way when people get addicted, they may listen and perhaps buy into it. This is what happened when Mr. Chris Harran, the founder of “project purple” talked to my high school students today- students listened attentively to what Chris had to say. The message was powerful and intense. He was able to make them think and look around for examples among themselves and by the end of his session, perhaps make a resolution in their mind to look after each other and talk to people when in trouble.

Here is a man who could have become a star NBA player, lost his career even before he began. Chris was one of the top and upcoming basketball player in in the country during his high school career and was highly sought after by colleges. Aspiring to stay local, he ended up at Boston college where he was expelled as he could not pass the drug test three times in the firs three months of the college. Peer pressure has pushed him to a drug addict by then. However, He was given a second chance at Fresno state college where he played for the college team. At the end of his senior year, He was drafted by NBA and was playing for teams like Denver Nuggets and Celtics. By that time, his addiction was his enemy. He was released by the Celtics due to couple of pending cases on drug usage. Eventually his fate became that of an addict loosing everything and shuttling between rehabilitation and short periods of work.

In his speech, he mentioned how he was dragged into this addiction and his long battles to come out of it. He urged the students to reflect on what it is that they think they don't have it that make them go to these parties on Friday nights and drink. Here is a man, so close to every basketball players dream and lost everything as he could not come out of addiction. Chris also eloquently talked about what starts as a peer pressure can lead to something that take over one's life. He challenged every students to help the friend who is in this situation. Peer pressure can be used positively to support each other- which is what project purple aims to do- To build a support net work for students.

He also talked about life of an addict and the hurt he inflicts to the people who love him. Such emotional stories can convey things we otherwise can not make the students understand. There are students who come from such back grounds and yet strive to be the best they can be every single day. Yet at times they get treated harshly by their schoolmates and get bullied. Stories such as this help other kids who act rudely understand that not everyone has the same background and each one fight their own battles.

Every man has a mission in life to fulfill, for Chris, it is to help and bring changes to students life across the country. Had he become a successful basketball player, he would not be able to have an impact on others as much as he has right now. His program has been helping teenagers around the country to deal with addiction and rehabilitation. I was also impressed by how Chris turned around his fate and made a mission for life. Everyone makes mistakes. When you shield kids from making mistakes, they become less and less resilient. The one thing that goes wrong, they tend to give up. His story was also an illustration that making a mistake is not the end of life, another shot in life is still possible in every stage! You just have to seek it out!

As I was listening to him, I thought a similar session for parents would be a great idea too. When kids come home drunk, parents should be ready to handle it effectively without panicking. According to Chris, instead of asking who you were with or who forced you to drink, why you drank would be a better question. This would put the spot light directly on the person and he probably can identify what it is that he thought he needed to drink that day for. He also urged the students to talk to parents or adults if they are in trouble. That open communication is something that parents can encourage in their children. Children should not be afraid to come and tell the parents that they have made a mistake.

Couple of my students broke in tears as the session progressed. At the end they hugged and supported students who come from challenging families. As I observed their interactions with each other after this session, I thought to myself that most people are inherently good. They learn mechanisms to defense themselves from their environment. When you give them a nurturing environment, a positive person emerge. They have in them the feeling of sympathy for their fellow beings. We only have to show them how to express it. The younger they are when learning it, the better. And together they can support and look after each other.

Here is a link to Chris Harren's TED Talk at U Mass Amherst.

Chris Harren's TED Talk