Last week I was given the opportunity to teach a health class at the Aspen Middle School. The purpose of the class was drug awareness and my personal struggles with drugs and alcohol. Part of my recovery involves sharing my experience, strength and hope with other addicts. By telling my story, I help others, but more importantly, I help me. It is a great reminder of the life I don’t want to go back too.
I have become pretty comfortable telling my story to other alcoholics and addicts, but telling my story to a group of 8th graders was a whole different ball game. The main focus of the class was the idea of a natural high. A natural high is the high created from doing the things that we love, without the use of drugs and alcohol. When I got sober at the age of 22, I didn’t want a boring life. I wanted a life of abundance and meaning, which I found in the activities here in the Rocky Mountains. I emphasized the importance of following our dreams and falling in love with our lives. For 8th graders, following dreams can be difficult, but by committing to doing the things they love, they can hopefully find a natural high in their lives.
The students were given an assignment; to commit to three things that would help them follow their dreams and find their natural high. For most of them, this meant committing to their favorite sports, art, music, or their education, some of which were not important to me at their age.
This idea is something that we can all benefit from. Commit to what you love, follow you dreams, and do what you were put on this earth to do!
Donnie Hagenbart
Program Coordinator
Jaywalker U
