| When sharing
information about Meth use with students, please be aware that some
research shows that stories, photos or movies about Meth use are strong
'triggers' for relapse. We suggest you notify your students and
their parents prior to providing material about Meth.
Also, while it may seem effective to have
recovering Meth addicts address students about their experiences, there
are some important issues to consider.
To protect your students and also to
protect your district from possible liability issues, before having a
recovering addict present information to students, be aware of:
1) We suggest that people be in
recovery for at least five to seven years before they are allowed or
invited to present information to students. This protects the
addict, since talking about Meth use may trigger a relapse. And,
since they are further along in their recovery, the content of their
message will usually be more sound.
2) If possible, ask the presenter
for a video of his/her presentation in order to preview content and make
sure it is appropriate for the age of your students. At the very
least, the presenter should be able to provide you with a detailed outline
of his/her presentation content for your review.
3) We suggest you notify your
students and their parents prior to scheduling a recovering Meth addict to
speak. Parents of any student in recovery may choose to have their
student excused from participating in class the day the information is
shared to lessen the chance of a relapse, so plan accordingly.
4) To increase the impact of the
presentation and also clear up any possible myths or misconceptions that
may come up, work with counselors and prevention staff to locate/develop
lessons that can be provided before the presentation and especially after
it has occurred.
5) If possible, have counselors
available during and immediately after the presentation to address issues
that might arise. Don't forget to announce to the students that
these counselors are available.
6) Make sure to provide
information to the students on local resources for seeking help for
themselves or if they are concerned about someone else's Meth use.
7) Make sure that all school staff
are aware of these resources and know how to refer someone for help.
8) If possible, invite a
prevention and/or treatment professional to co-present, or at least to be
around for the Q&A session. This is extremely important since the
addict will only be able to answer questions about their own experiences,
but often will not fully understand the effects the drug had on them, or
will not be familiar with key components of addiction, the recovery
process, etc. |
