Troubled Teens Resources

Troubled teenagers, unfortunately, are becoming just one of several categories of youth that are increasingly vulnerable to eventual teenage drug abuse. Where drug education was once directed primarily at junior and seniors in high school, it is now also encompassing kids from elementary school up.

One such program developed and offered by National Families in Action is Club HERO.

Club HERO, developed and tested under a 5-year grant from the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, provides a positive, nurturing atmosphere for middle-school children during the critical after-school hours.

Home Club HERO (Helping Everyone Reach Out) rewards students for
“doing their job” well with visible motivation. Students earn points for a variety of achievements and behaviors related to
school performance and participation in tasks at home. They then redeem the points for Club HERO incentives and gifts.

“The point collection system is fun and provides the incentive children need to make an extra effort,” says sixth-grade teacher Caitlin Sims.”

The program includes materials that demonstrate how the brain works with and without chemical influences, providing a sound basis for the warnings to avoid all temptations to get high, much like decades ago when pictures of smoke damaged lungs drove the anti-smoking movement into full gear. Seeing Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears perform as glamorous addicts do little to dissuade teens away from drug abuse but a vivid demonstration of how Oxycontin and alcohol are destroying their brains might.