Teens speak up to stop deaths

I was reading an editorial in a school newspaper recently (Stevenson High School Statesman, no link) and I thought I’d share a bit of it. I really liked it and I hope the students read it and take it to heart. (Someone recently suggested I should also get my message out in school newspapers, so this was a cool edition.)

The editorial’s head line is “Student silence on drug issue continues to create tragedies”. As is often the case with newspaper work, the first sentence and final paragraph sum up the editorial quite well:

As more students, families and communities become afflicted by the aftermath of excessive, and often uncontrolled, drug use, it’s time for Stevenson students to take a stand against future losses and a problem facing society right now.

Tell someone [about teen alcohol and/or drug use] before it is too late. Don’t lose a friend because you were worried about their reaction. Anger is temporary – death is not.

The editorial talks about friends being lost, death and tragedy, related to drug use and what a fellow student can do about it. Talk to the person, tell a counselor or faculty member personally or anonymously, use the “drop-in center”, talk to other friends, push to get them help. It is time we all did our part to stop this “death and tragedy”. Speak up. Speak out. It is not OK.

Anger is temporary – death is not.

(One last note: A talk I gave about teen drug and alcohol use and comments I made during an interview are featured in a front page article, the students involved in all this are to be commended.)