By Eva Tooley
Round Table Reporter

The freshman class was warned of the dangers of drug use on Dec. 5 when three young men with personal knowledge of the subject came to Middletown High School to discuss the issue.

These boys, all under the age of 17, were in a residential treatment facility called Catoctin Summit, a substance abuse rehabilitation center located in Sabillasville, Md.

From Catoctin Summit, all three of them were sent to the Jackson Unit in Cumberland, Md., a 60-day residential treatment program for teens ages 13 through 18.

They spoke about how and why they began using drugs, why some treatment didn’t work for them and what life is like at the Jackson Unit.

“I was using drugs to cover my emotions, and once I began to have to deal with them, my treatment was over anyways, so [after I was released from treatment] I didn’t change anything about my life,” said one of the presenters, whose names were withheld to protect their identities.

Altogether, some of the drugs that the boys used included marijuana, ecstasy, cocaine, mushrooms, acid, 2CI, tranquilizers, K2, and PCP.

When using these drugs, the boys said that in retrospect, the greatest things they lost were opportunity, freedom, potential, self-respect, education and family.

Among a list of their favorite things being sober, one of the boys said that he “found both God and a purpose” to help him along without using drugs.

“I can deal with my emotions on my own now, and I have a better, healthy relationship with the rest of my family,” added another.

To leave the MHS freshman classes with a final thought, one of the presenters gave some words of wisdom:

“Don’t think just because a certain drug isn’t physically addictive that it can’t ruin your life,” he said.