Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform > Teen Challenge
I personally escaped this Cult
TC_Saved_Me:
Well, I've been reading through some of these Discussion Boards, and thought that my input might carry some weight. Since I have actually been enrolled in Teen Challenge, and successfully completely both phases of the program, unlike some other people who are posting on here...
When I went into Teen Challenge, I was court ordered because I had been arrested three times in just under a year. All of the arrest were drug-related offenses. To make a long story short, I was raised in a church, and never even liked going to church when I was invited. But by the time I was arrested for the third time, I was completely addicted to drugs & alcohol, and was desperate to get myself clean, so I thought I'd try Teen Challenge.
The program had a very strict curriculum, and I wanted to leave the program several times (Once you are in the program, you are free to leave whenever you choose, but you cannot come back for a certain amount of time once you do). If I wasn't court-ordered to finish Teen Challenge, I probably would have left to be honest. But I stuck it out, and did my best to follow all of the rules that were enforced. The consequences for breaking the rules vary, but you normally will have to do extra chores, and memorize more scriptures out of the Bible.
The program is basically: very structured, work responsibilities, Bible classes, required church attendence, scripture memorization, etc. It was EXACTLY what I needed! I'm not going to claim to be an expert on cults, but I believe most cults brainwash you to believe that someone or something in the confines of that cult should be worshipped. Teen Challenge is not like that at all. You are required to attend church services, but that's about it. They don't strong-arm anyone to believe anything, they simply take an approach like most parents should when raising their children, "You're living under my roof, you will follow my rules. If you don't follow my rules, you will have to pay consequences. If you don't like the consequences, you are free to leave at any time." It's that simple!
Anyway, as I stuck with the program, I tried to give this "Christianity" thing a serious try, and started praying and reading my bible daily. Before I knew it, God had healed my body and my mind. I was a new person by the time I left that program. I never "worshipped" or "served" Teen Challenge while I was in the program, I was encouraged and learned how to "worhsip" and "serve" God. That's it.
If you're still reading this, I have long been removed from Teen Challenge. I am no longer affiliated with the program in any way. But because of that "Cult," I have now been sober for 6 years, and have a beautiful wife and two beautiful daughters. I'm a pretty decent husband, father, and man. I attend church every Sunday, and pay my taxes. I have a great job working for the US Army. Basically, I'm now a normal person, and my family - who couldn't trust me as far as they could throw me when I was addicted to drugs - loves me more than ever before. Teen Challenge did all of that for me. If that's what a "cult" is, then I encouraged anyone with a life-controlling addiction to find the nearest cult, and get involved as soon as possible! God Bless!
cmack:
--- Quote from: "TC_Saved_Me" ---Well, I've been reading through some of these Discussion Boards, and thought that my input might carry some weight. Since I have actually been enrolled in Teen Challenge, and successfully completely both phases of the program, unlike some other people who are posting on here...
When I went into Teen Challenge, I was court ordered because I had been arrested three times in just under a year. All of the arrest were drug-related offenses. To make a long story short, I was raised in a church, and never even liked going to church when I was invited. But by the time I was arrested for the third time, I was completely addicted to drugs & alcohol, and was desperate to get myself clean, so I thought I'd try Teen Challenge.
The program had a very strict curriculum, and I wanted to leave the program several times (Once you are in the program, you are free to leave whenever you choose, but you cannot come back for a certain amount of time once you do). If I wasn't court-ordered to finish Teen Challenge, I probably would have left to be honest. But I stuck it out, and did my best to follow all of the rules that were enforced. The consequences for breaking the rules vary, but you normally will have to do extra chores, and memorize more scriptures out of the Bible.
The program is basically: very structured, work responsibilities, Bible classes, required church attendence, scripture memorization, etc. It was EXACTLY what I needed! I'm not going to claim to be an expert on cults, but I believe most cults brainwash you to believe that someone or something in the confines of that cult should be worshipped. Teen Challenge is not like that at all. You are required to attend church services, but that's about it. They don't strong-arm anyone to believe anything, they simply take an approach like most parents should when raising their children, "You're living under my roof, you will follow my rules. If you don't follow my rules, you will have to pay consequences. If you don't like the consequences, you are free to leave at any time." It's that simple!
Anyway, as I stuck with the program, I tried to give this "Christianity" thing a serious try, and started praying and reading my bible daily. Before I knew it, God had healed my body and my mind. I was a new person by the time I left that program. I never "worshipped" or "served" Teen Challenge while I was in the program, I was encouraged and learned how to "worhsip" and "serve" God. That's it.
If you're still reading this, I have long been removed from Teen Challenge. I am no longer affiliated with the program in any way. But because of that "Cult," I have now been sober for 6 years, and have a beautiful wife and two beautiful daughters. I'm a pretty decent husband, father, and man. I attend church every Sunday, and pay my taxes. I have a great job working for the US Army. Basically, I'm now a normal person, and my family - who couldn't trust me as far as they could throw me when I was addicted to drugs - loves me more than ever before. Teen Challenge did all of that for me. If that's what a "cult" is, then I encouraged anyone with a life-controlling addiction to find the nearest cult, and get involved as soon as possible! God Bless!
--- End quote ---
Thanks for sharing your story, and congratulations on getting your life back on-track. You didn't say what your drug of choice was, but I'm assuming it was something more potent than marijuana. After three arrests in under a year it sounds like you were ready "desperate" to get clean and straighten your life out. I believe people change when they're ready to change. You found solace and redemption through faith. Others follow different paths to sobriety. But I don't think any program can be effective if the person isn't ready to change.
Are you willing to answer a few questions?
How much of your success do you attribute to the program, and how much to your own resolve and determination?
Do you believe all the rules and structures of Teen Challenge are necessary or are there changes you think could be made to make it a better program?
During your time with TC did you witness anything that think might be considered abusive?
Are you involved in any ongoing recovery work, 12-step, etc?
Thanks
TC_Saved_Me:
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
cmack:
--- Quote from: "TC_Saved_Me" ---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
--- End quote ---
Thanks so much for your thoughtful reply. I can see how a strict program might be beneficial for some people. I can also see how certain people could be emotionally damaged from such a program. Truly, there is no one-size-fits-all program. I'm glad TC worked for you. I only hope others who seek help will have the options available and sufficient information to be able to choose the path/program that best suits them. Unfortunately for too many, especially minors, they are forced into programs that do more harm than good.
I agree with you that temporary loss of phone use and a 'word fast' don't seem to be particularly abusive.
I'm also glad to hear that you aren't involved in any kind of aftercare support group. You shouldn't view yourself as broken or as a prisoner of your past addiction. You've found the strength and salvation you needed through your Christian faith, and as you said "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation". Your past is just that, your past. It's not something you have to be shackled to as you move forward in your life.
Congrats again, and best wishes for your future.
TC_Saved_Me:
Thank you Very much. It's very refreshing to get an open-minded and respectful response from someone on here.
I just cannot understand how people think they can argue with someone's personal experience. "No! That's not what you experienced! This is what you experienced!" :beat: It's hilarious! :seg:
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