Community shares a movie, begins a conversation

Warwick — The images were stark: Young adults, kids really, whose lives were devastated by drug abuse. Their families torn apart by the self-destructive, unpredictable behavior. Another segment showed a young man dying in the emergency room — a real death, a real person — not a character on TV. There was the couple in their early 20s trying to get off the drugs that had plagued them since their mid-teens. And, of course, the parents telling their stories about the beloved children they had buried thanks to the scourge of drugs. More than 200 community members came out to the six different sites throughout Warwick last month to view HBO’s “Addiction,” a full-length documentary dealing with different aspects of addiction. Showing it was the brainchild of Richard Linkens, director of English Language Arts, Social Studies and Academic Intervention Services at the Warwick Valley Central School District. Linkens hoped to get a dialogue started about alcohol and drugs, something beyond what kids learn in school. He wanted parents to be part of it, to discuss the possibilities with their kids. “There were teens, teens with parents, children with parents, adults in groups, and adults alone,” said Linkens after the screening. “I visited several sites and at times you could hear a pin drop.” Mike and Grace Davis along with their eighth-grade daughter, Deirdre, and sixth-grade son, Connor, went to St. Stephen’s School to view the documentary. While their views were varied, they all thought the message was clear and effective. “I thought it was wonderful,” said Grace, a health-care professional. “I felt it was effective and necessary.” Her husband Mike thought much of it hit the mark but some of it was too clinical. “I think it’s great that they want to get the message out there that drugs are bad,” said Mike Davis. “I thought they spent too much time on brain patterns and the deficits in the health care system. That probably went over the kids’ heads. People with medical backgrounds may see it differently. But I do think it hit home, especially when the parents talked about losing their kids. The humanness of that really hit home.” Probably the most important opinion comes from Deirdre, 13. “Kids our age should know about this,” she said. “I thought it was really informative, but some of it was too advanced, like the medical terms. The stories about kids affected me the most. It scared you. And I think that’s effective. The (16-year-old) boy’s story was eye-opening. It makes you think ‘can that really happen?’” It can and it does, all too often. Linkens said he received different comments from people who attended. Some thanked him for putting it together and going right to the core of the matter. Others thought it was a bit rough. What surprised him, though, were comments on the index cards that were distributed to attendees. Many parents commented they didn’t feel addiction needed to be addressed as much as recreational drug use. Dr. Lanre Somorin, an addiction specialist at Arden Hill campus of Orange Regional Medical Center in Goshen, attended the screening and offered his expertise for one of the next segments in the district’s evolving program. “Dr. Somorin suggested he could put together a continuum to show how it is connected,” said Linkens. “He will show how the early stages of drug use can lead to the later stages of addiction.” And Linkens would like to have people in the audience next time ready to participate — to say yes, this is how I started. Several former students have offered to talk to middle and high schoolers about the dangers of drugs and alcohol based on their first-hand experiences. A local pharmacist has offered to help in future efforts, a local youth group is on board, and more than 50 books on the subject were signed out. Representatives of the Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Council of Orange county were impressed with the turnout, Linkens said. What’s next? Linkens is looking toward the spring and a “battle of the bands,” this time showcasing songs written by artists who lost their lives to drugs. “I speak to many young people about these artists, and the kids always agree that it is such a ‘waste’ that such talented people are no longer among us contributing to the music scene,” said Linkens. “I see it as a way to make something positive out of the negative things these wasted lives represent.”