Event continues conversation about addiction

As levels of addiction, suicide and opioid overdose continue to rise, parents may feel greater anxiety about their child’s health and safety. “Teen Mental Health and Risky Behaviors,” an event planned for the Kent State University Tuscarawas Performing Arts Center, is specifically targeting those concerns and ways to get help.

Lindsey Tidrick, counselor at Strasburg Schools, said the evening event, scheduled for Tuesday, March 12 at 6:30 p.m., will provide the chance to begin an open dialog about some tough issues as well as access to numerous agencies that are in place to offer help.

“The tagline for the evening is ‘What to do when they don’t want help,’” Tidrick said. “Being able to talk about it is an important first step.”

Tidrick, who is from Stark County, said the number of suicides she saw there among young people resulted in the first such event last year. “The number of suicides there just broke my heart, and I wanted to be more proactive in addressing the problem.”

The 2018 evening drew out more than 600 people.

This year the focus is on getting help for a young person with addiction and recognizing the signs of problems. A featured speaker will be the step mother of 23-year-old Canaan Callentine, who went missing for more than a month last year until his body was discovered.

He had suffered an overdose alone. Jennifer Callentine will speak about her stepson’s story. “It is particularly difficult because once a person passes age 18, there’s not a lot you can force to happen in the way of treatment,” Tidrick said.

Also speaking will be Tuscarawas County Sheriff Orvis Campbell, who will present an overview of the state of drug use in Tuscarawas County and what is being done to address the problem.

Natalie Bollon, director of the Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services board also will speak that evening.

“There are so many people who struggle with addictions,” Tidrick said, “and it develops so early in a person’s life. There are many things you can do early in that process to help, and we want to make sure people know where to seek that kind of help.”

She said it is important to get young people to come to the event at the PAC, and area school systems have responded with incentives to do so. Some are offering extra credit, pizza parties and other methods to encourage attendance.

The United Way of Tuscarawas County, Big Brothers Big Sisters and other organizations will be on hand to offer information about services available to those who need help.

“We have to be prepared to have these kinds of hard conversations as parents,” Tidrick said. “As school counselors we have these conversations every day.”

Tidrick said if the community starts to talk about these things by attending an event where some open and frank information is available, then they have done their job.

“Drug and alcohol addiction, depression, anxiety, and other serious difficulties are everywhere and affect all of society,” Tidrick said. “The question becomes who is willing to talk about it.”

The key is getting the conversation started. “No one wants to have these kinds of hard conversations,” Tidrick said. “We hate having to start those talks and often don’t know how. We want to help parents and children understand that those conversations are necessary. If your child is complaining of being tired all the time, of not wanting to go to school, of having no friends, those are important clues. If they seem to be evasive or are hiding things, we need to recognize those symptoms and know where to turn for help.”

The event is free, and the public is encouraged to attend.