my story

[Fr. Cassian]

Don't make the mistake of paying heed to these depraved druggies. You'll regret it while you helplessly watch your kids travel down the sordid path to JAIL, INSANITY or DEATH.

[Anonymous]

I find it ironic that I get confronted by you rtp --similar to the program- because I have a different opinion on a subject - you are doing what you proclaim to hate about one of the things that went on in the program - verbal abuse

I find it interesting that you feel I was abusive because I said "shame on you" and used the word "fuck" a few times, yet you disregarded the main points of my response to your post, which were:


1-Programs of the type to which you were subjected, and to which you are considering subjecting your child, are ineffective at best,  harmful at worst.  You should know this first hand, and again, you should be ashmed if you are considering sending your child to one,  for whatever reason.

2- People have to want to quit doing drugs in order for them to stop doing them Enforced abstinence does not work.  Those who want to quit doing drugs will quit doing them    Disagree with me if you wish, but these are facts.  You can believe that the world is flat if you are so inclined, but this does not make it so.  AA's own stats show that quitting on your own is just as effective as they are, and you don't have to go to all those goddamn cult indoctrination sessions, or "meetings" as they are referred to.

3-People who use drugs to the point of their own detriment generally have underlying issues that they are dealing with through self-medication.  Address those issues and they will not feel the need to get fucked up all the time.

I don't see where any of the things I said in my response to you could be considered "verbal abuse", and I think it is kind cheapens the word (abuse) when it gets thrown around casually, belittling real abuses that were suffered by you, me, and other kids at treatment centers just like the ones you are thinking about sending your child to.  

I understand that you are scared, and granted, smoking crack isn't the most desirable recreational activity for a fourteen year-old kid to be engaging in, but sending them to a Straight spinoff is not the solution.  It may sound like a quick , cheap fix, but that is the same delusion that our parents suffered from, and one that inevitably created far many more problems than it solved.

I think the underlying reasons for your child's drug use need to be addressed, and the drug issue will resolve itself.  I also bet you thinkikyour child is using drugs to a far greater extent than they actually are, not to say that any amount of crack smoking is appropriate behavior.

Whatever you do, I hope you do not send your child to one of the programs you have been considering.  

rtp

[Anonymous]

Let me clarify something cause I believe rtp you misinterpreted what I said - I do not have a 14yrold who is on crack - I was using that as an example

The discussion with you guys has been interesting - I wish everyone the best I think I need to take a step back and let all this sink in for awhile-

The fact that I am so conflicted and confused is a testament to how good they brainwash us I hadn;t thought about my experience for a long time I think I will be happier suppressing it all again

[Anonymous]

That's a relief, knowing that you aren't actually considering sending your kid to Straight-spinoff.  I was really kind of freaked out by that.

I really don't see where I was "abusive" in any of the statements I made, if you could point out anything specific, I'd be interested in seeing what you considered abusive in my statements.

The brainwashing runs deep---I was there for about 13 months, and for a month of that I was gone, hiding out at a "druggie friend"'s house, and for a very long time I was convinced--even though I had resisted the indoctrination as best I could--that the stepcult was effective and worked, that it was actually the best way to recovery from addiction.  I believed that I was doomed to be an addict because I would not work the program.  It amazes me now how I bought into that particualr aspect of the program when I resisted so much of it.  I knew it was a fucked up program, while I was there, and after getting out, but I thought they were somehow right about their beliefs about addiction and how to deal with it.  I wasted a lot of time and energy believing that crap.  I blame my own laziness for not being more thorough in researching other techniques for dealing with drug abuse, but I believe that Straight's indoctrination and the Stepcult's infestation of our culture and it's purposeful obscuration and attempt to conceal not only it's own flaws, but the effectiveness of (and even existence of) other methods and techniques for dealing with problem drug use.  That, to me, is the real crime of AA/NA/other forms of Stepcultism---intentionally or not, they have overshadowed other, more effective forms of treatment.  AA is not very good at helping people deal with problem drinking.  AA is extremely good at promoting AA.

The mindfuck they worked on us at Straight was first-rate, no doubt, but I believe it can be overcome.  You'rre right, the whole "loss of innocence" can be a real bitch, I've definitely had the same notion run through my mind after discovering these sites, wishing I could "re-repress" some of the memories.  That's not really an option, and ultimately, is just sweeping the shit under the rug.  You might not see any shit, but you can damn sure smell it.  I think the ordeal can be coped with, though, and although it ain't easy, I'm confident that it is possible to recover from our enforced teenaged "recovery".

Take care, grace, see you around.

rtp2k3