I Sat down with some of the boys from the Youth YOU group on the weekend, we were talking and reflecting about how far we had come with our struggles, we also had some new people join the program and it was good to see the group helping each other out with tips and advice on how to live a happy healthy life and how they overcame drugs, addictions and for some depression. I Really loved what i was hearing so we decided to put together this article to help the people out there struggling with these issues right now. Below are 8 tips given from the team.
Ash: When things are getting tough and problems seem to be building up, don’t try to avoid or run from your problems through drugs because they don’t just go away. You just get into a cycle that gets harder and harder to break because its so easy to ignore your problems and get high but its not going to get you anywhere. STOP, be honest with yourself and others around you and you’ll be surprised with the amount of support you will get.
Justin: Dont steal because it will catch up to you and stay away from drugs and hanging around the wrong people and places.
Daniel: When you hang out with a lot of people and think you have a lot of friends who are doing a lot of drugs, you realise that there are no friends in that world. I’m glad I’ve changed my life around because life is so much better and i am grateful for everything.
Beau: My tip is to try your hardest in everything you do. Stay at school and always try your best, even if it is things you don’t like, or are not good at; do and give everything with your best.
Reid: If you feel yourself getting consumed in your thoughts , do something to get your mind off things, like go for a walk or do what i do and listen to good music. Also if you’ve improved your wellbeing don’t go back to old ways and always remember how far you have come.
Mark: No matter how shit your life gets or how much you just want to end it, there is always light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how small that light is, it is still there. It might take years to get back on track but losing your life is not worth it. Life is worth living for.
Jordan S: Make sure you be careful of the friends you choose and the crowd you hang around because you can get caught up in the wrong things, You also shouldn’t care about what people think of you and having an image of being this big tough guy and gangster who is ruthless and doesn’t care about anything isn’t worth it. Be YOU.
Nick: Dont give in to peer pressure of drugs and the people associated with it. It is ok to be curious but dont give in. If the people were the friends they say they are, then they wouldn’t want you around that stuff in the first place.Stay strong and be true to yourself. Always have self respect.
Big thanks to the team for putting this together and helping the next person. Much respect to you all.
-Glenn Munso
Youth YOU Program