Drug Lady

I am the drug lady. For the past decade I have served as the Substance Awareness Coordinator (SAC) at Seneca High School. My background is in addiction's studies, but the every day covers the spectrum of a to z. It can range from anxiety, depression, addiction, relationship issues, etc. It's all encompassing. Every kid that sits in my room brings another story and challenge waiting to be unravelled.

There are days the job knocks the wind out of me and it feels like there is nothing left to give. There are moments when that young person who has been struggling for so long finally takes that step that was so desperately needed to start a new chapter and I am there to witness it. That, my friend, is worth its weight in gold. Working with hearts wasn't intended to be easy.




After ten years of countless faces, stories and experiences it seemed appropriate to begin penning some of those moments where passing on the insights and lessons was fitting. Our kids are hurting, lessons are slipping through our finger tips and the precious nature of life is so often placed on the back burner.

Anytime I respond to someone asking what I do for a living I am inevitably bombarded with the standard questions: a) what are kids using b) where is it coming from c) what trends (substance and mental health related) are most common. I've come to realized most people in our communities are unaware of what's going on. This is what I do for a living and it's hard to keep up. Trends and forms of use is ever changing. Kids are quicker than us and when you get a term and you think that you've got it, you're really a step and a half behind.

I believe strongly that there is power in knowledge, change can happen in numbers and being pro active can shift the status quo. Good things can happen, that I am confident of. So my hope is to inform and hopefully transform individuals on what is going, what to look for and what to be aware of.

Let's do this!