Sobriety High School- www.sobrietyhigh.org
My useful contribution to the world today was finalizing the details of new student mentor program. I am a Director on the east campus board. (Yes, I volunteer, as all good liberals should!) Sobriety High consists of two schools (a third will be added in 2004, if the school budgets are not cut too severally) that serve up to 46 students per campus. Requirements for admission are successful completion of chemical/alcohol treatment program and a commitment to stay sober.
I guess I am ready to reveal via this website that my son (the Americorp-ite) graduated from SHS last year as the Valedictorian Student Body President, and he will have 3 years of Sobriety on June 1, 2003!
Without going into all the gory details - In fall of 1999 James went to a party with the kids from his AP physics class and had his first drink. Soon after his grades plunged and I was left trying to figure out where my star student and engaged young man had gone. I dragged him to a therapist within weeks because of his attitude change but it took all of us, nine months to figure out that it was more than teenage angst. On May 30 2000, the answer was revealed when James was rescued from drowning in the Mississippi River. He attempted to kill himself because all he wanted to do was drink and felt so desperate. He immediately entered Fairviews' teen treatment program. They told me during family week that less than 3 % of teens stay sober after completing treatment. In spite of those odds, James has been sober ever since! We enrolled him in Sobriety High School and as a family, we both are committed to the "program". He attends AA and sees his sponsor weekly and I attend Alanon. This is the same kid I mentioned previously, who whips out his Noam Chomsky (sp?) books to debate with me.....
When I can figure out how to activate the categories, I have already set up for this blogg - I will create a parenting teen alcoholics/addicts section....
Check out the Sobriety High site at www.sobrietyhigh.org
We still need to raise another 26 thousand dollars by the end of June, feel free to send us a check!
8:24:16 PM 
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