All too often there is so much energy put into ensuring that kids don't use drugs without recognizing the other demons of life. There is no opposition to this mission as I think it's one that society for the most part collectively agrees. However, there seems to be too little energy helping our kids think about the addictive temptations that our society constantly puts before us on a regular basis. Some of these may seem harmless like television and coffee, yet its the idea of American addiction that spans from food, to retail, to media saturation, gambling, drug use, pornography and on and on that is equally dangerous. Helping kids take stock of their addictive tendencies can help them begin to see where they have experienced success. This opens the door to conversations that are typically experienced as "lectures" to young people. To be sure, there are times when a strong, no-nonsense approach is useful and necessary. However, it is important to not only share the opposition of undesireable behavior but to also create the possibilty for conversations about society's desire to get people addicted at our expense.
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