Comments on: State funding for Minnesota Teen Challenge questioned

By: Zachary Psick

Zachary Psick — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 21:44:52 +0000

I was a drug addict for eight years. I was born and raised around addiction. By the time I was 21 I had been convicted of ten felonies including burglaries, assault with a deadly weapon, and vehicular homicide.

My lawyer argued that I never had a chance in life, and the judge gave me the option of going to Teen Challenge instead of prison. March will be six years since I graduated.

I have held the same job (my first) since. I had to make up some high school classes, so it has taken me five years to complete my bachelors, but I will be graduating with honors from Hamline University in May. My GPA is over 3.9. I am currently in England for a semester studying Sociology. Needless to say, I have never relapsed. Neither do I smoke, swear, or drink. And yes, I am active in my church (gasp). From reading this article and comments, it seems some of you would prefer me to be back on the street, strung out on meth.

After graduation, I will be attending grad school for sociology. I plan to specialize in addiction. I am interested in the recent research which arises from a postmodernist philosophy about identity construction through symbolic interaction, mostly because that was my experience.

Teen Challenge provided a framework in which I was able to construct an identity in which I was not an addict. Although some of you consider faith in God to be a detriment, it was indispensable to my own recovery. It provided hope and meaning, two things that I never had. Whether or not there is a God, a belief in God saved my life.

I understand that many of you are so intolerant of other world views that you are incapable of accepting a philosophy that is contrary to your own, regardless of whether or not it is doing good in the world. I feel sorry for you.

But I am thankful for Teen Challenge and the work that is being done there. Many of the people I graduated with have also gone on to live good lives, be good parents, and enjoy the simple things in life apart from the chaos that is addiction.

I encourage you to google my name. Stories have been written about me and are available online. Also, listen to the stories of others who have gone through the program and continued on successfully. Don’t simply look for stories and viewpoints that confirm your beliefs, such as the one above. I don’t know their situation, so cannot comment on why they came away with such a negative opinion. But to look only at a liberal newspaper for information is to demonstrate your own close-mindedness.

I understand that a Christian program is not for everyone. But it saved my life. If such radical separation of church and state was implemented seven years ago, I would still be addicted to drugs, in prison, or dead.

By: DLuhtanen

DLuhtanen — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 15:50:08 +0000

I am a WMTC graduate western michigan teen challenge, I also worked on staff at Lansing Teen Challenge and I have personally seen hundreds of men and woman complete this program and are still clean and sober many years later. The government did a study of all TCs and discovered that 96 percent of all graduates recovered completely while the percentage of all secular programs was less than 2 percent and even with those programs (a.a n.a) without a personal relationship with God those people fail. I applaude the MN government for reconizing the great work that TC does for people, I have watched them stuggle for years for funding, when good money was paid to other programs that do not work, when TCs works but so many people are ignorant of what they do. They are not a cult, just a program that believes in people, believes in deliverance from drugs and alcohol and believes that God is still the only way to truly be free. Please continue to support this program the only one that can really change a persons life forever….it changed mine….Thank God….

By: SB

SB — Wed, 12 May 2010 15:53:52 +0000

Teen Challenge is NOT a joke . . . for some maybe, but overall, NOT. I am very offended by the comments by A.L. regarding repeatedly admitting people over the age of 30 and implying that they are all career criminals looking for an easier sentence than jail. Once again, there are probably a few like that. I for one am over 50 and am so thankful Teen Challenge isn’t just for teens or criminals. I lost everything basically because of cancer when I lost my job because of missing work when I was sick. Yes, I made the wrong choice to turn to alcohol, but praise God I’ve got my life back and alot of it is due to Teen Challenge. There were days I wanted to leave, but it wasn’t the program that made me feel that, it was dealing with all of the other people. But I am proud to say I stayed, I graduated and now I so enjoy going back to alumni events (NEVER thought I’d do that and enjoy it). It’s like an energy boost for me and I know the students who are still there are really encouraged by my coming back. I have already been asked to be a mentor someday when I can (after I have been a graduate for a year) and I probably will do that. I got my life back and I want others to be able to do the same.

By: A.L.

A.L. — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 01:54:16 +0000

This Place is an absolute joke taking taxpayer money to feed a bunch of career criminals religious, crap if it was for teens only i could see it making a difference but they repeatedly admit people over the age of 30. These are career criminals that are looking for an easier sentence than jail.

By: absolute fraud

absolute fraud — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 19:52:00 +0000

I am a former graduate of T.C. They are a fraud. We went to churches every Sunday to sing. Required. People bleed out there heart in telling there stories. If you see the living conditions of the Buildings it is horrible. Mice running around in the kitchen and dinning room. The building code is so outdated. We had to do work study where we did mantiance and building additions and fixing. The eletric is way out of code. Have people use power tools. I cannot believe the incorrect ways things were built. IE Fire stops, Using green treated wood for inside as window framing exposed inside the room as the plaster was chiped away. The use of windows that are sliders and put in as double hung. We got blaimed because the window was not working because it was put in as a double hung but a window that was a slidder. Work study went from 12:15 pm to 4:30 pm M.T TH FR. Everything we ever got was donated. The food we got was terrible. Toast and 1 bowl of cerial every morning 7 days a week. one cup of milk or juice m – Sunday. Everything was out of can. Fruits and veg. Much of what we got from package was already past the experation date. We would have to Sing at Christmas celebrations we would get there 4 hrs early reherse have a bag lunch 1 sandwich, apple, bag of chips (expired) and expired box fruit drink expired ganola bar. We all would be crammed into a room 2 3 hours waiting for the performance. Some Sundays we would travel 2 3 hrs to Churchs to sing. 15 of us packed in a van. Nothing to bring to eat or drink. 2 3 hrs there and 2 3 hrs back. We were treated like cattle. Talked down to. The brother of the founder of T.C. came and told us we are like the Lepers of Christ’s day. Everything we did was controled. I have been out now for 7 months. The biggest struggle for me was trying to apply what I learned at T.C. to what the real world is. This has created more anxiety then I have ever expected. T.C. could treat the individual with more dignaty and respect. You walk in and see T.C. from the waiting room it looks wonderful but you walk beyond the Chapel to our living area. Well you can call it a White Washed Tomb. T.C. lets you see what you want them to see, but reality is reality once you get passed the other doors.
In the Ministry School. They charge the same to GRH. The also tell the students to surrender the $100 they get a month for personal items such as soap, shampoo razor exc. Meds. underwear clothes. T.C. says that the $100 is the coast of tuision for the school. Students are having to get soap and exc from other students parents and exc.
All this money T.C. gets and what you get as a client does not match up.

By: HL

HL — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 05:58:36 +0000

As educated individuals with a relatively equal interest in seeing both appropriate fiscal responsibility balanced with the assurance that our next generation is not being left victim to the horrors of addiction, it remains imperative that we evaluate both sides of the issue. The reality is that despite this organizations religious affiliations, it provides a substantial number of addicts long term freedom from their dependency issues. In fact, an independent Wilder study evaluated outcome measures of this organization in 2009 and found their success rate to rank among the highest in the chemical dependency field (Over 70% as opposed to the average government success rate of 12-15%). In addition, they provide FREE admission to all adults who are unable to afford treatment-as one would imagine, the majority of the cliental cannot afford the exorbitant rates charged by other well known secular MN treatment programs (exp, Hazeldon). One must also consider the cost of the alternative to treatment: recurrent DWI’s; theft, incarceration, re-entry; drug trafficking and at its worst-promotion of these behaviors to the next generation. The reality is that despite America’s generalized hostilities to any form of religious idealism-at the end of the day, we as a community will be flipping the bill for something-effective drug rehab with Christian ideals, or meth-lab clean-ups and striped t-shirts. America’s leaders appear to have recognized this crucial dilemma, and have acted in what they, and many Minnesotans, consider to be in the best interest of our community. After analyzing many commentaries on this issue, I have found a rather disappointing appropriation of guarded and clearly un-educated opinions on this issue. I would encourage individuals truly interested in this topic to read Mr. Scherber’s rebuttal to a similar commentary made 2 years ago at:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rich-scherber/setting-the-record-straig_b_151091.html

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 03:48:58 +0000

What’s the success rate of the program?

By: Theresa

Theresa — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 20:42:22 +0000

Teen challenge demonstrates what is commonplace in this state and throughout the country. Government is in collusion with religion to establish a christocentric, patriarchal, homo/transphobic, government. This is not limited to teen challenge but also occurs with the salvation army and nearly every church in the state that has any sort of “charitable” program. These programs should only receive state and federal funds if they are secular. Evidently and disappointingly is that even so called progressives are involved in this effort to force christianity on those who need services because of poverty and disability. This is a flagrant violation of the separation of church and state. Religious organizations should be free to provide services paid for by their membership as long as they do not violate discrimination laws that should be applied to them the same way as they are applied to anyone else.

By: V

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 19:49:59 +0000

“Our purpose is to train individuals (students) in our program to be disciples of Jesus Christ.”

How can an organization with this purpose statement not be endorsing an establishment of religion? By funding this organization, the government is furthering this endorsement and is working in direct opposition to The Constitution.

By: outcome fan

outcome fan — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 18:58:30 +0000

It looks like the author put some time into research. Since I am a bang for the buck citizen… let’s hear the success rate of this program. I’ve known people over the years who have volunteered there and is sure seemed like they had far more success stories, and therefore a better outome percentage than the abysmally low success rates of ballyhooed programs like Hazeldon for example. (Look for all treatment programs under Obamacare to wither and die a slow death as measured successfull outcomes will be a stron component of dollars given for treatment.) Every 12 step program has a higher power component. I suppose one could call their pet ferret a higher power, but I suspect most people in recovery are turning to GOD. Teen challenge does wonderful things for these kids. Imagine the empowerment of regaining control of your life while still in your teens instead of your 40′s or 50′s in some prison recovery program.