NCADA
Recently, I had the honor of being the keynote speaker for the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (NCADA) in St. Louis, Missouri. I must first say that these folks are high class. The event planner had interns working the event and they really made the students who attended feel important.
The theme of the event was YOUth MVP and I told students that it’s time for them to stand out from all the other students by making right choices and staying away from drugs.
I made it a point to say that everyone tells students to just say no to drugs. This is good advice but I take it a step further and tell students what to say yes to. Let me explain. If you can get students to say yes to graduating high school, they will most likely say no to drugs. The mind of a human being is constantly competing to act a certain way and that’s why it’s important to help student know what they are saying yes to.
Try this, the next time you talk to a teenager, ask them what they say yes to in life, what are their goals. Then tell them that if they say yes to that goal, then what do they have to say no to and see what they say. Helping students understand their YES will keep them from the straight and narrow path.
I’d love to come to your school to help your students say YES to all their goals. Lately, I’ve been hired as a speaker for Indian tribal schools. Every time I speak to counselors in these communities, I hear about the amount of depression and drug usage among teens and parents alike. I’d love nothing more, than to go into these tribal communities and share a message of hope and prevention.
