CARES Program Teaches About the Consequences of Addiction and How Stigma Prevents Recovery

Immaculate High School (IHS) recently hosted two presentations of Dare to Discuss, sponsored by Community Addiction & Recovery Education & Support (C.A.R.E.S.), a Connecticut-based organization that educates the public on the consequences of substance abuse and provides free support services. One presentation was for IHS students, and a second one was for the benefit of parents and the general community.

Aaron Cooksey, keynote speaker and creator of Drop Your Pride (dropyourpride.org) spoke to the students about how he went from a successful student athlete to prisoner in 18 months due to abusing substances and killing his best friend while driving drunk. "Your actions can destroy your own personal values, and can affect not just you, but also the people you love as well as hundreds of people you don't even know," Mr. Cooksey told the silent audience, referring to the "parents, teachers and coaches who believed in you, and the young kids who looked up to you, as well as the families of the people you hurt." Mr. Cooksey said that he started drinking to cope with sports injuries that threatened his ability to play college sports, and he was prescribed oxycontin by doctors at the same time.

Sharon Davidson and her surviving daughter Emma, an Immaculate High School graduate, spoke about the pain and consequences of both living with and losing a loved one to addiction. They lost their beloved daughter and sister Katie to substance abuse; Katie seemed to be winning the battle for recovery, but died after a relapse and trying heroin for the first time. "Katie wrote in her journal that her addiction wanted her dead, and she fought and struggled to become sober, until the end," said Mrs. Davidson. She pointed out that the stresses of trying to succeed in high school increased her anxiety, and combined with depression, led her daughter to use substances to try to cope and self-heal.

Matthew DeLuca, a young man from Newtown who was first arrested on his 16th birthday for drug use, spoke to the audience about how he "let drugs and alcohol become my identity; after a short while, I didn't know how to operate without drugs," and worked up to a "thousands of dollars a day drug habit." Mr. DeLuca told them about how he cried himself to sleep at night knowing what he would have to do the next day to get his drugs. But in 2014, he "dropped his pride" and asked for help; now in recovery, he works to end the stigma and start conversations regarding substance abuse. "People who abuse substances come from all walks of life and are not people with moral deficiencies, and due to the stigma of using, will stay silent and not seek the help they need," Mr. DeLuca said.

Based in Botsford, CT, C.A.R.E.S. is a mental health service organization that works to end the stigma of addiction and provides support groups in various Connecticut communities so that people using or abusing substances can receive the help they need. The C.A.R.E.S. Group offers free, weekly support groups that provide ongoing education, support services and treatment resources for parents, families and community members addressing issues related to substance abuse and addiction. To learn more about C.A.R.E.S., visit
https://www.facebook.com/thecaresgroup

Immaculate High School is a private Catholic college-preparatory institution serving students from 28 communities in Connecticut and New York. Founded in 1962, Immaculate High School also allows students to focus on their spiritual development, personal moral commitments and service to others. Located in Danbury, CT, Immaculate High School is part of the Diocese of Bridgeport's parochial school system.