David Clayton, Families Against Narcotics
David Clayton came to talk to the Dryden High school seniors on September 1. He is associated with an organization called Families Against Narcotics. They are a community-based group that helps people with addiction take their first steps toward recovery. Their focus is not exclusively just to help people recover. Families Against Narcotics also help affected family members and work with people in the community to help spread awareness and try to erase the stigma against addicts and their struggles.
The environment as David spoke was watchful, everyone actively listened to what was being said and interacted with him when he asked questions. If nobody spoke up he would try to get something out of us, sometimes by explaining the question differently and sometimes he would slowly inch forward and throw more recognizable words out there so we could answer and he wouldn’t be talking to a quiet space. We know the entire presentation was to educate the class of 2023 about addiction. The speaker, David Clayton, went about it by telling his addiction story. He described how he felt emotionally from a young age and how the trauma of holding in his feelings affected him for years to come. He spoke about how he began getting bullied in middle school; it carried onto high school. He sought out people's approval rather than his own and then followed the influence of what we would call the “bad kids.” He explained how doing drugs was fun at first until it became something that took over his life before he knew it. He had to give up his dreams and accomplishments because of the struggle to stop. The many years his life was controlled by his addiction ruined many relationships for him, personally and socially. The presentation ended with David Clayton, who described his first-day drug-free and how far he has gotten on his journey of recovery.
One thing that stuck with me was his acknowledgment of his past actions and how he continues to own his mistakes and takes them with him as he grows and talks to other communities. It was very reassuring to hear another person’s story about addiction, for me, it was interesting because I have never heard a recovering story before, it helped me open my eyes a little more about the world of addiction.
Aubrie Miller
Aubrie Miller is a sophomore at Dryden High school. She has been at Dryden for two years. Aubrie says that her favorite part about Dryden is her friends. Aubrie is the second oldest out of five kids. Her hobbies are drawing and listening to music. In her free time, she loves to eat food (because it’s good), hang out with friends, take walks, and watch TikTok.
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Email: SCzerwinski@drydenschools.org
Website: https://www.drydenschools.org/
Location: Dryden High School, Rochester Road, Dryden, MI, USA
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