Troubled Teens Resources

“I destroy homes, I tear families apart,
I take your children, and that’s just the start.
I’m more costly than diamonds, more precious than gold,
The sorrow I bring is a sight to behold.
If you need me, remember I’m easily found,
I live all around you - in schools and in town
I live with the rich, I live with the poor,
I live down the street, and maybe next door.
I’m made in a lab, but not like you think,
I can be made under the kitchen sink.
In your child’s closet, and even in the woods,
If this scares you to death, well it certainly should.
I have many names, but there’s one you know best,
I’m sure you’ve heard of me, my name is crystal meth.
My power is awesome, try me you’ll see,
But if you do, you may never break free.
Just try me once and I might let you go,
But try me twice, and I’ll own your soul.
When I possess you, you’ll steal and you’ll lie,
You do what you have to — just to get high.
[…]
I’ll own you completely, your soul will be mine.
The nightmares I’ll give you while lying in bed,
The voices you’ll hear, from inside your head.
The sweats, the shakes, the visions you’ll see,
I want you to know, these are all gifts from me.
But then it’s too late, and you’ll know in your heart,
That you are mine, and we shall not part.
You’ll regret that you tried me, they always do,
But you came to me, not I to you.
You knew this would happen, many times you were told,
But you challenged my power, and chose to be bold.
You could have said no, and just walked away,
If you could live that day over, now what would you say?
I’ll be your master, you will be my slave,
I’ll even go with you, when you go to your grave…”

The above are excerpts from a long poem written by a troubled teen. She wrote this while in jail on meth charges. Not long after her release she was found dead from an overdose, the needle still in her arm.

Her words attest to the fact that she knew her enemy well. Her death is testimony to th power of that enemy.

The website you will find this on is a result of one woman’s campaign to defeat this enemy. In 1996 she and her husband lost their 17 year old son to a heroin overdose. Out of that tragedy she built the “Courage to Speak Foundation”, making presentations to schools across the country, and as you can see from some of the letters from the teens that she features on her site, she is making an impact.

If your teenager’s school is ready for a teen crisis intervention, you can see about booking a presentation here.