“We’re tired of being yelled at about drugs.”

“We’re tired of being blamed for things we can’t control.”

“We’re tired of hearing the consequences, give us something more.”

Lehighton Area High School students were candid when asked why current drug education methods aren’t hitting home.

Their answers struck a chord with Lehighton’s administration and helped lead to the school’s first drug and alcohol education symposium.

Wednesday’s event featured a keynote presentation from Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro and a personal reflection from recovered drug addict and Lehighton alumnus Brandon Williams.

Changing the conversation

One of the driving forces behind Wednesday’s symposium was Lehighton Assistant Principal David Hauser.

He and other Lehighton officials acknowledge that the current high school dialogue surrounding drugs and alcohol may not be having the intended impact.

“In 2018, ‘just say no’ just doesn’t work,” he said. “To fight substance abuse, we need more than a catchphrase. There are standard lines we’re supposed to say about drugs and alcohol, but sometimes the reality of the situation differs from that language. High school students today face pressures that nobody in our building have faced.”

Students also participated in a panel discussion with officials from Carbon Monroe Pike Drug and Alcohol Commission and Carbon County Judge Joseph J. Matika.

State attorney general talks opioid issue

Shapiro got right to the heart of the matter, addressing the opioid epidemic sweeping the nation.

The state’s top prosecutor laid the hammer down on doctors and pharmaceutical companies.

“Doctors, for a long time, have been irresponsible in prescribing these drugs,” Shapiro said. “We have been working with doctors to reduce their prescribing. We’ve been arresting doctors at an alarming rate for the illegal things they are doing when giving pills out. They have a responsibility to deal with this crisis.”

Over the past year, the attorney general’s office has increased arrests for the illegal diversion of prescription drugs by 72 percent.

The power over what one puts in their bodies, however, lies with the individual.

“Nothing can substitute for the smart choices of the individual,” Shapiro added. “Look at these pills and think, why do I need this when I can take Tylenol or something like that? Yeah my knee or arm hurts, but I’m not sure I need to take this and run the risk of getting addicted to something that will be very hard to get off. Studies show that after just three days of taking a pill, some 16-year-olds can get addicted.”

Shapiro is at the forefront of a national investigation with 41 of his colleagues of the pharmaceutical industry for its role in fueling the opioid crisis in the country.

The investigation, he said, has eight targets, including five manufacturers and three distributors.

Other topics Wednesday included the potential legalization of recreational marijuana, something Shapiro opposes, noting how using the drug can lead to subsequent bad choices.

He also addressed social media and how one post now, at 14 or 15 years old, can stay with someone for the rest of their lives and hold them back from a dream job or career path.

Though it was a quick trip into town, Shapiro said he hopes his words resonate with the student body, who deal with these issues on a regular basis.

“Lehighton School District is committed to these issues,” he said. “I want to appeal directly to students. They can actually be our most effective agents out in the community helping others to make smart choices.”

Lehighton alumnus details his own battle

Brandon Williams smoked marijuana and drank hard liquor for the first time as a Lehighton freshman. From there, it spiraled to the use of heroin, cocaine and heavier drug use.

“I was going through some relationship issues, and when things went bad for me, I wanted to tank and run away from the situation,” he said.

As a senior and the starting quarterback on Lehighton’s football team, Williams set many individual records and led the squad to a district playoff appearance.

Shortly after, however, he fell into a deep depression and tried to take his own life as an 18-year-old. Though he fired the shotgun, Williams survived, but he was far from the awakening that would come.

After getting out of the hospital on a Wednesday, he was back to drug use the next weekend.

There are so many people in this room with so much potential. Potential is nothing unless it is maximized, and it’s unfortunate how many people fall prey to chemical dependency before they have a chance to do that.

After hitting another rock-bottom moment, Williams did reach out for help and landed at a rehabilitation facility.

“It was nice to be able to tell people what was going on,” Williams said. “They didn’t judge me, and I thought, wow, maybe I should have done this a long time ago.”

Williams went on to earn a master’s degree and is now employed as a chemical dependency counselor at Carbon Monroe Pike Drug and Alcohol Commission. He works at the Carbon County prison as a counselor, where he interacts with a lot of the people he previously ran with.

“If I would have continued down the path I was on, I would have been lucky to end up in jail,” Williams said. “It’s amazing once you start moving in the right direction, the motivation you can have to better your life. It’s about being proactive, not reactive. I hope I impacted at least one life today.”