Editor’s Note: Student Union’s weekly columns are a joint effort of the region’s high schools, the Bangor Daily News and Acadia Hospital. This week’s column was written by Stearns High School students. Their advisers are Sue Buzzell and Eric Steeves.

The Peer Counselors at Stearns High School wanted to provide education about drugs to other students. We decided the best way to do this was to invite someone who had experienced addiction and recovery.

Our faculty adviser told us about the Drug Court program, so we invited John Turner, a drug court alumnus, to speak with us. John introduced us to the program, and explained that Drug Court is a second chance for addicts to get help rather than spending time in prison. Some facts about Maine’s Drug Court compiled from its brochure:

. On average, 87 percent of crime is committed by those who have a severe level of substance abuse.

. A 1999 study of Maine’s prison population showed that 95 percent of the inmates needed substance abuse service.

When John told us the story of his addiction and recovery, we felt this was something other students should hear. John suggested that a classroom format might work best, so we decided to present this to our sophomore English classes.

During the presentations, Drug Court members talked about their addictions and recovery. Our guest speakers included: John, Pat, Henry, Katie, and Nicole. Many of the students noticed that our guests did not fit the stereotypical image of a drug addict.

One of the females was an A student in school and popular. She started with alcohol and later started using marijuana. After using marijuana, she became addicted to heroin. Female students in the class realized drug abuse was not just a male problem.

When the guests talked about their addictions to the class, the students were astounded by their stories. The speakers explained what they would do for their addiction, including stealing money from their parents and their businesses. At the end of the presentations, the teachers left the room so the students could talk freely. At first the students had a hard time opening up, but the panel helped them to relax and feel more comfortable. The panel stayed in guidance during their free time to talk to students one-on-one. Everything brought up was confidential.

The student response to this presentation was very positive. In essays that the students wrote, it was obvious that the speakers’ message had gotten through. Students who already use drugs had second thoughts about doing so, and those who don’t use drugs are even more confident that they won’t start. Students also talked about how much courage it took for the speakers to share their stories.

The Peer Counselors are very pleased with the results of this presentation and would highly recommend it to other schools. We feel it would make a big difference in the lives of other high school students. Thank you so much John, Pat, Nicole, Katie, and Henry for coming to Stearns High School.

Schools participating in Student Union include Hampden Academy, Brewer High School, John Bapst Memorial High School, Old Town High School, Mount Desert Island Regional High School, Stearns High School in Millinocket, Nokomis Regional High School, Hermon High School, and Schenck High School in East Millinocket.