Show Posts
46
Teen Challenge / Re: I personally escaped this Cult
« on: December 09, 2011, 03:31:35 PM »
I agree with you about the "prerequisite" of change being that you have to hit "rock bottom" first. And I believe that "rock bottom" is very different for everybody. I personally would have never entered the program if I hadn't been court ordered. Like any rehab, Teen Challenge does not work for people who are not ready to change. I have personally seen alot of men enter the program who hadn't hit rock bottom, only to leave the program and start using again.
To answer your questions:
I attribute my success to both myself and the program. But mostly, as a Christian, I attribute all the credit of my sobriety to God. Through faith, I believe that God gave me the strenght to endure the difficult curriculum of Teen Challenge, and He used that curriculum to change the way I think about things - the way I approach my life.
I'm really pumped that you asked me about the necessity of the rules, and I think I'm a great person to answer that question because I've actually been involved with about four difference Teen Challenge facilities, and each of them is run just a little bit different than the next. The TC in San Diego, for example, is ALOT tougher than the one in Pittsburgh. For me, I lean toward the importance of the rules and the structure because I believe that if it weren't for the rules enforced in San Diego (where I completed the first phase of the program), I wouldn't have been humbled to the point where I needed to pray for God's strength to endure it. I do believe that some people are different than me though, and respond better for grace and love. I personally needed tough love.
In the 20 months that I was in Teen Challenge (2 weeks in Philly, 4 months in San Diego, 8 months in Riverside, CA and 6 months as an Intern in Pittsburgh, PA), I never witnessed anything that could have been considered abusive. Although, there were times when I was too prideful to accept responsibility for my own behavior, and tried to construe my discipline as being abusive.
To give some examples of times I was disciplined:
1) I lost phone privledges, and could not call home.
2) I once was put on a "word fast" for talking back to staff and was not aloud to speak to other students for a week.
In my mind, I tried to convince myself that they didn't have the right to do these things, so I could justify my own pride. The fact is, I still had food to eat, I still had clothes to wear, I still had a bed to sleep in. I had medical care available if I ever needed it for whatever reason, and I still have all the essentials I needed - not to mention that I could have left at any time without any repercussions.
It wasn't abusive. It was strict, and it was designed to teach me to lean on God for strength, and proved to be VERY effective.
As someone who has been through Navy bootcamp, I used to explain it like this to people: Navy bootcamp is designed to break you down mentally and physically, so you learn to rely on the rest of your division - Teen Challenge is designed to break you down spiritually, so you learn to rely on your faith in God.
I have never been involved in any kind of on-going treatment since I left Teen Challenge (in March of 2008). I could not, with good conscience, stand in front of a bunch of people every week and say, "Hi, my name is Barry and I'm a drug addict." That is contrary to everything that I have come to believe while studying the Bible. What I believe is that, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away, and all things have become new." 2 Corinthians 5: 17
To answer your questions:
I attribute my success to both myself and the program. But mostly, as a Christian, I attribute all the credit of my sobriety to God. Through faith, I believe that God gave me the strenght to endure the difficult curriculum of Teen Challenge, and He used that curriculum to change the way I think about things - the way I approach my life.
I'm really pumped that you asked me about the necessity of the rules, and I think I'm a great person to answer that question because I've actually been involved with about four difference Teen Challenge facilities, and each of them is run just a little bit different than the next. The TC in San Diego, for example, is ALOT tougher than the one in Pittsburgh. For me, I lean toward the importance of the rules and the structure because I believe that if it weren't for the rules enforced in San Diego (where I completed the first phase of the program), I wouldn't have been humbled to the point where I needed to pray for God's strength to endure it. I do believe that some people are different than me though, and respond better for grace and love. I personally needed tough love.
In the 20 months that I was in Teen Challenge (2 weeks in Philly, 4 months in San Diego, 8 months in Riverside, CA and 6 months as an Intern in Pittsburgh, PA), I never witnessed anything that could have been considered abusive. Although, there were times when I was too prideful to accept responsibility for my own behavior, and tried to construe my discipline as being abusive.
To give some examples of times I was disciplined:
1) I lost phone privledges, and could not call home.
2) I once was put on a "word fast" for talking back to staff and was not aloud to speak to other students for a week.
In my mind, I tried to convince myself that they didn't have the right to do these things, so I could justify my own pride. The fact is, I still had food to eat, I still had clothes to wear, I still had a bed to sleep in. I had medical care available if I ever needed it for whatever reason, and I still have all the essentials I needed - not to mention that I could have left at any time without any repercussions.
It wasn't abusive. It was strict, and it was designed to teach me to lean on God for strength, and proved to be VERY effective.
As someone who has been through Navy bootcamp, I used to explain it like this to people: Navy bootcamp is designed to break you down mentally and physically, so you learn to rely on the rest of your division - Teen Challenge is designed to break you down spiritually, so you learn to rely on your faith in God.
I have never been involved in any kind of on-going treatment since I left Teen Challenge (in March of 2008). I could not, with good conscience, stand in front of a bunch of people every week and say, "Hi, my name is Barry and I'm a drug addict." That is contrary to everything that I have come to believe while studying the Bible. What I believe is that, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away, and all things have become new." 2 Corinthians 5: 17