04/30/2026
Thank you so much to Alcohol and Drug Awareness Council and The Coalition for an incredibly informative, sobering and hopeful Angelina County Townhall today! Folks, the stats are alarming when it comes to substance use in our region. Our youth have higher use rates than the state average. The county judge described a case load that has doubled in the last few years and the majority are mental health + substance use crises. The sheriff talked about the county jail as the largest mental health facility in the county, and how it’s overflowing and they’re running inmates all over the state to receive mental health treatment in other facilities. It’s expensive and time-consuming.
Parents, we owe it to our kids to model and teach healthy coping skills, avoiding substance use, setting clear limits and guidelines, and embodying loving mentorship and encouragement.
Our youth need responsibilities at home, quality family time, high expectations for school success, goal-setting and high values.
Teach them to know who they are and their capacity to handle challenges with resilience. Help them create a strong identity of courage, optimism and wisdom. Model and teach the identity mantra of “I don’t use substances.” Cultivate self-awareness and a clear vision of who they want to be 10 years from now. Don’t swear at them or hit them. Be firm and clear without demonstrating violence. Sit down and talk. Play games together. Cook together. Clean and care for your home together.
Parenting isn’t a “side car relationship” where you run your life how you want and your kids are hauled along for the ride and are incidental. Make their wellness, growth and development your top priority and very intentional; the way you treat them, interact with them, mentor them. They need your attention, your affection and intention.
Let’s make things better, one child at a time. Your child at a time! 💗