Since this incident, Kari has been receiving treatment for her alcoholism from the Multnomah county Youth Addictions Team at LifeWorks Northwest Mental Health & Addition Services. The agency collaborates with East County schools to provide drug and alcohol treatment to teens.
The supervisor of this agency, Phil Muir, is featured in a film by the Greater Gresham Area Prevention Partnership. The film, Community of Choice, is set to premier on November 1st. The Partnerships director, Cathy Sherick, summed up the films message, saying, Drug and alcohol prevention is not about drugs and alcohol&it is about people and the communities they live in. The films goal is to educate people that drugs and drug problems really do exist in the community, and to encourage everyone to get involved.
Mr. Muir, a recovering heroin addict who has been sober for over 23 years, works to reach kids with his voice of experience, and its not an easy job. Not only to teenagers tend to think they are invincible and live in the moment, but, Muir says, addiction is the type of disease that makes you believe you dont have a disease.
Kari Quinn, a client of Mr. Muirs program, didnt fully commit to treatment until she almost died. Muir continues to help kids like Kari because he feels it is a privilege to do so. Theyre our future&If they get the chance, theyll perform. Its seeing that they get that chance. & This is a community, this is an environment that we all live in. We have an obligation to protect our children, and if that means dealing with a part of life that wed rather not admit exists, so be it. (Source: TheOutlookOnline.com)
Posted By: Vee