Growing Kids Against Drugs Issue #1.2
November 16, 2001 Pride of Belonging:
Thank you for recently subscribing to our new e-zine to help parents ‘GROW’ their kids into Kids Against Drugs, or you may have been subscribed by a friend or family member. It’s part of the Kids Against Drugs Campaign For Drug-Free Families. You have been subscribed and will receive it weekly. If for some reason you wish to unsubscribe you may do so at any time. Instructions to unsubscribe are at the end of this newsletter.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
IMPORTANT NOTICE: In order for us to spread our message to the world we are doing a couple of things here. First we are asking you to forward this e-zine to someone (don’t spam) you know who you think would be interested in receiving it. With this issue we have 450 subscribers and if everyone sent it to ten others we would increase our mailing list very fast. Second we have joined a program designed to increase our distribution. This involves swapping advertising with other e-zines. We have included some of those ads here today. Third we have our own affiliate program, which you can join.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“Tell me what company you keep and I’ll tell you what you are.” Miguel de Cervantes
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
A couple of days ago I was returning home from a road trip and I was cruising across the southern Nevada desert. It was late afternoon and as is the custom when you drive through Nevada you look at the various vehicles that are on the road with you. (This is because there is nothing else to look at.) I pulled up behind an auto that had a ‘Semper Fi’ window sticker in it. Now, my stepson Jerome is a Marine and he has this same window sticker in the rear window of his car. I was curious to see this proud marine and maybe give him a wave and a hi-five.
As I cruised along side I looked over and was surprised to see an older gray haired gentleman (he might have even been older than I) who was obviously very tired driving his car. He was driving alone as I was. I beeped my horn and when he looked over to see I sat tall and saluted him. He immediately sat erect and returned the salute with a big grin attached.
We both laughed and waved and I drove on. I have thought about that chance meeting quite a bit since then. I am in awe about we human beings. We have tremendous capacities of thought, self-expression, communication, motivation and the list of our attributes and capabilities that make each of us unique goes on and on. One thing we all share is the need to belong.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Family Action Tip of the week: Hold regular family council meetings weekly. Discuss the everyday issues facing your family. Get all family members to participate and require everyone to be present at every family council meeting.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Most of the time we choose to belong to good things, school, church, sports groups, band, choir, military units, credible social organizations and so forth. It seems when we belong to one of these groups it gives a sense of purpose, a drive and the satisfaction and pride of being part of something that is bigger than we are without it. Various employers understand this feeling of the pride of belonging and they oftentimes require uniforms or the corporate look in dress while at work as a way to build and develop this pride.
Probably the most powerful need to belong is the need for family. Ten years ago when my wife decided to divorce me I was sitting on our front porch looking at the beautiful sunset. I was quietly contemplating what it was going to be like. I did not like this and was hurt and angry. My six-year-old son walked up behind me and put his arm around my neck and asked me if we were divorcing. I choked up and said, “It sure looks like it.” He then asked, “What is going to happen to our family?” I said, “I don’t know.” We then sat there and cried together. We have struggled to keep the family unity together in spite of split homes and find great pride in being part of a wonderful family.
Family is where it’s at. Everything that is good or praiseworthy can find its roots in family. Are you proud of your family? Each individual member of your family? What do you do to create the pride of belonging in your family? Do your kids want to be part of your family or are they quick to head out at a moments notice?
When addressing the drug scene we find that young people are usually trying to find something to fill a big empty need. The story always boils down to something wrong with the family relationship. (Today we call it a dysfunctional family.) The friendly drug pushers know this and use the siren song, “go ahead, try this, it’ll make you feel good.” The target young person is thinking, “this is my friend, he/she won’t lie to me, they just want to help me.” Oftentimes they succumb and try the drugs.
Today there are parties where drugs and loud bad music seem to put a sense of excitement into young people and they easily succumb to the temptation to try drugs. Some literally die on their first try, some get hung over, some pass out and just lay on the floor where they dropped. The other kids casually walk by looking through drug-glazed eyes at the passed out young person on the floor. Going to these ‘parties’ seems to have powerful impact and always changes the young person forever. The fact is everyone in that room walks out a changed person. Recreational drug use is a horrible thing to do just to satisfy the need to belong.
Parents should be proud of their kids. They should be teaching their children about their heritage, their family history and always give them real reasons to be proud of their family. Children learn from the activities that go on in the home. It’s their training ground. Ask yourself about this. What are you doing to make you child proud of his or her family and heritage. Know what your child’s sense of belonging is. Kids go where they feel wanted and feel like they belong. It’s an important part of life and growing up.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Help kids stay off drugs and GROW them into Kids Against Drugs. Get our New, Unique Home Study Workshop. Become an affiliate. It’s Free to Join. Go to Click Here and join the Campaign Today.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
We have learned from this and other experiences from the drug scene that lives are always affected by the use of drugs and alcohol. We continually emphasize that a person, young or old never walks away unchanged when he/she just experiments with the demon substance. Once inside the body, drugs and alcohol always have a negative affect. ALWAYS. The person who tells you to “just try it, it won’t hurt, it just makes you feel good”, is lying to you. CAUTION: In this world you can’t ever trust a liar, about anything. We always counsel the safest thing a person can do is avoid drug use at all cost. Make the firm unchangeable decision to never, ever try drugs and alcohol.
I am sounding a warning call to any and all that will listen. I’m suggesting everyone read, study and ponder the evidence against recreational drug use and abuse because these horrible substances will negatively affect everyone who plays with them. I have spent many years studying this issue and have personally developed the web site www.kidsagainstdrugs.com and this e-zine to tell the story. I intend to teach and motivate people to avoid the terrible scourge of drugs and alcohol and to tell about our wonderful new Family Action Training Plan and the Campaign For Drug-Free Families.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
News Flash: President Bush Tells Students Taliban is Funded By Drug Dealing!
November 15, 2001. At the Crawford Texas High School News Conference President George W. Bush told the students that the Taliban received their funds to operate terrorism throughout the world by being the major supplier of illegal drugs. “By destroying the Taliban we are destroying a major supplier of drugs and you kids will benefit directly,” he said. He then went on to explain how we were destroying large supplies of Opium based drugs with some of our bombing. He told them “This will prevent these drugs from reaching markets throughout the world.”
Next week this e-zine will have more on the link between terrorism and drugs.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
We have organized and launched the Kids Against Drugs Campaign For Drug-Free Families to warn people about the evil of recreational drug use and to spread the word about our new home study workshop. We’re offering to our subscribers the opportunity to belong to the largest grassroots movement ever to warn against recreational drug use. Families are invited to join us to learn about drugs, how to avoid using them, how to turn homes and communities into Drug-Free Zones and how to enroll family and friends to help us do this. It’s easy to join. To find out more about this exciting new grassroots program come to our web site at www.kidsagainstdrugs.com/ and you will discover the many exciting things we are doing to warn everyone about recreational drugs and their use and abuse.
Our goal is to help parents teach their kids about drugs and GROW them into ‘Kids Against Drugs’. By doing this we hope to enroll One Million Families into the Campaign For Drug-Free Families and have a huge celebration when we reach it. I promise you the plans for the Million Family Celebration are big and this e-zine will keep you informed about it as it comes together. You’ll want to be part of this, believe me.
Will you join us in this exciting new grassroots movement to prevent drug abuse? Will you share it with your kids, your friends and family members? You will be helping others become aware of this valuable life-saving service for their family. You will literally belong to a huge group of families who want to be real families working out real problems everyday one-day-at-a-time. What a powerful support group this is.
In our e-zine you will receive regular up-to-date information, tips and training about drugs and what they do. You will read real stories of those hero’s that have overcome drug use and the tragic stories of the victims of various drug use and abuses and it’s lurid lifestyle. You will read of new programs and publications to help you learn and become aware of ways you can protect your family members. You will be notified of workshops available nationally, regionally, locally and on the Internet.
When you visit our web site www.kidsagainstdrugs.com/ you will find several areas of interest. The young people will find information for school reports, our kids club and its programs and how to organize a chapter at their school, church or home school neighborhood. Parents and grandparents will find valuable educational resources and reports to learn about the drug issue. Soon the site will feature an e-store where purchases of books, video and audio programs for information purposes and family training and gift items which are affixed with our anti-drug and pro-family slogans in embroidery and silkscreen processes.
Of course we will archive all issues of our e-zine for future reference and study so if you have recently joined and missed a few issues you may find them at: www.kidsagainstdrugs.com/e-zinearchive/
If you have suggestions or want to contribute articles and stories please submit them to us by sending e-mail to: articles@kidsagainstdrugs.com
Thank you for subscribing and we welcome you. I promise I will use every tool and my total effort to make this e-zine a valuable and informative publication.
Sincerely, Michael J. Meredith, Publisher.
If you received this e-zine as a forward from a friend and would like to subscribe go to Click Here and you will be able to subscribe to this new weekly FREE e-zine “Growing Kids Against Drugs”. You can unsubscribe at any time.