A favorite mantra for cult-members peddling AARC is "AARC takes the worst of the worst". According to the AARColytes, AARC is the last stop for the hardcore addict, when every other treatment method has been exhausted. So why do they have a parent questionnaire like this:
"DOES YOUR CHILD NEED AARC? - PARENT QUESTIONNAIRE
Yes No 1. Do you find their explanations for irresponsible behaviour or decreasing performance to be unbelievable or implausible?
Yes No 2. Are they frequently dishonest?
Yes No 3. Has their personality changed (i.e., are there inappropriate mood swings, hostility, giddiness or irritability?)
Yes No 4. Has anyone expressed concern about their alcohol/drug use?
Yes No 5. Are they less responsible re chores, schoolwork or being on time?
Yes No 6. Have you found obvious signs of drug/alcohol use such as bottles, drugs, or paraphernalia?
Yes No 7. Have they lied about their use of alcohol or drugs?
Yes No 8. Have their grades dropped or is there decreased interest in school activities?
Yes No 9. Do they have unexplained periods of depression, anxiety or difficulty with sleep?
Yes No 10. Have they become withdrawn and uncommunicative?
Yes No 11. Do they spend a lot of time alone?
Yes No 12. Do they show a lack of motivation or an apathetic attitude?
Yes No 13. Have you noticed alcohol or pills missing from your home?
Yes No 14. Are you missing money, credit cards or valuables that could be converted into cash?
Yes No 15. Do they seem to have difficulty remembering things?
Yes No 16. Is there a change in their personal hygiene, dress habits or sleeping and eating habits?
Yes No 17. Do you ever notice physical indicators of drug/alcohol abuse (i.e., red eyes, dilated pupils, and slurred speech)?
Yes No 18. Have you observed irrational or explosive behaviour?
Yes No 19. Are they increasingly secretive about their whereabouts?
Yes No 20. Are there signs of medical or emotional problems, such as depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, ulcers, or gastritis?
Yes No 21. Is there evidence they are involved with the occult?
Yes No 22. Has their peer group changed to include friends that are involved in drinking, using drugs and partying?
Yes No 23. Do they become belligerent, angry or defensive when others express concern about their drug use?
Yes No 24. Are they irresponsible drivers?
If you have answered "Yes" to:
four of these questions, it indicates that your child is exhibiting significant emotional or behavioural problems that may be related to substance abuse.
fiver of these questions, it indicates that your child probably has a significant emotional or behavioural and/or alcohol/drug problem.
six or more of these questions, it indicates that your child should abstain from all mood-altering chemicals. A professional assessment is suggested in order to determine the extent of the problem.
For a print version please click here.
development by: SAW Interactive
Copyright © 2006 - 2007 Alberta Adolescent Recovery Centre"
http://www.aarc.ab.ca/parent_quiz.htmlNumber 5 is the dead give-away. If your child is less responsible in their chores it might be because they have a $200 a day crack habit. They may not do as much homework when they're shooting heroin. They may also be late if they're handcuffed to a mattress in a trick pad.
Number 24 should terrify any parent. If your sixteen-year-old daughter speeds, it's more than likely because she's racing to pick up morphine.
Number 18 is pretty much the end of the line for most junkies. Once a teenager displays irrational behaviour, the next stop is smoking meth out of a lightbulb while selling themselves at a truck-stop.
Number 11 chills me to the bone. Nothing says dependence on vicodin like solitude.
Number 21 is the real smoking gun. Many people ignore the first goat sacrificed over a pentagram in the living room, but face the facts, your child is probably smoking marijuana too.
Number 10 is the yardstick of all addictions assessment. Any teenager who is withdrawn or uncommunicative is chemically dependant in my book, and faces a lifetime of 12-stepping to keep a lid on the disease.
That makes six, so it's off to AARC for another quiz from Gonewaydown Brown, Natalie Oldcomer, Morganna Anderson or Lyin' Campbell, all highly qualified, licensed psychologists, psychiatric nurses and exorcists. Send gonch. Please.
