The following is a letter from me to my grandson, William Palmer (age 19), a patient at Cumberland Heights, a nationally recognized alcohol and treatment center west of Nashville. He is being treated for prescription drug abuse. The accompanying photograph shows my son, Christopher, hugging his then two-year-old son, William. A far better life awaits William, and we intend to help him find it. Dear William: I just wanted you to know that I am proud of you for facing up to your problem … [Read more...]
The kids are after your prescription drugs
One in eight Arkansas adolescents has taken a prescription pain reliever medication illegally. One in 20 has done so in the past 30 days. And nearly seven percent admit to using an over-the- counter medication to get high, half of them within the past month. Surveys also show that teenagers are more likely to have abused prescription and over-the-counter drugs than street drugs like ecstasy, cocaine, crack and methamphetamines. Why is this important to know and deal with? Because … [Read more...]
Faced with five life sentences, inmate finds redemption
I used to be an over-the-road truck driver. Have you ever found yourself driving at night on a long unfamiliar stretch of highway in a place you’ve never been? After miles and miles, the reality that you’re lost sets in; by then, you’ve been lost for so long you can’t recall how many miles and how much time has passed. You start to wonder where you made your mistake, where you made your wrong turn. You ask yourself, “How can I turn around and find my way home? This is my story of a lost … [Read more...]
Memoirs of a Runaway
CEO looks back on his life as a troubled teen By Michael Kennon Outskirts Press $10. 95 Remembering vividly his own pain, shame and isolation as a runaway from age twelve to early adulthood, CEO Michael Kennon hopes his story will let the untold thousands of runaway children in the U.S. know that if he made it, they can too. Kennon said his recently published book, “Memoirs of a Runaway: A Story of Hope,” (www.memoirsofarunaway.com), will let teens who have run away or who are … [Read more...]
Texas Tech’s Recovery Program
An escape from Animal House, Texas Tech's innovative recovery program tackles collegiate alcohol and drug abuse. There are 50,000 college-eligible kids in America today who are too strung out on alcohol or other drugs to get in let alone make the grade. Unfortunately, the way things are now, it may be just as well. If some of these kids want to sober up, college is the last place they should go. Colleges and universities actually breed substance abuse. Think animal … [Read more...]
