The Ghost of "Just Say No"
Putting Guilt to Rest
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Listen to Eleanor’s story as you read it (below).
Eleanor adjusted her reading glasses, the fine print of the newspaper blurring slightly. The headline screamed: "Youth Opioid Crisis Worsens: Experts Warn of Dire Consequences." A wave of dizziness washed over her, a familiar echo of the anxieties that had plagued her career as a school counselor.
Some 40 years ago, Eleanor had been a crusader in the "Just Say No" campaign. She had led assemblies, plastered the hallways with posters depicting the dangers of drugs, and counseled countless troubled teens. She'd believed, with unwavering conviction, that the solution to the drug problem lay in unwavering moral fortitude.
"Just Say No" had been her mantra, her battle cry against the insidious grip of addiction. She'd seen it work, or so she'd thought. Kids, initially resistant, would eventually succumb to the pressure, their resolve hardening against the temptations of drugs.
But the newspaper article shattered that illusion. The numbers were staggering. Overdose deaths skyrocketing. Young lives cut short. Families torn apart. Where had she gone wrong? Had "Just Say No" been nothing more than a simplistic slogan, a band-aid slapped on a gaping wound?
Eleanor remembered Mark, a bright-eyed boy with a mischievous grin. He'd been one of her success stories. "Just Say No," he declared, his voice firm, his eyes unwavering. He even created a rap song about the dangers of drugs, performing it with infectious enthusiasm at a school assembly.
But Mark, like so many others, eventually fell through the cracks. Years later, Eleanor had heard the tragic news: an overdose, another statistic in the grim tally of the opioid epidemic.
Guilt gnawed at her. Had she failed Mark? Had she failed all the other children she counseled, all the lives she had hoped to save? The "Just Say No" approach, she now realized, had been woefully inadequate. It had ignored the complexities of addiction, the physical underpinnings, the underlying traumas, the lack of evidence-based guidance that drove young people to self-destruct.
She remembered Dr. Ramirez, an older psychiatrist who had challenged her "Just Say No" dogma during a staff meeting. He had spoken of the importance of empathy, of understanding the root causes of addiction, of treating it as a physical condition instead of a moral failing.
Eleanor, in her youthful zeal, had dismissed him as an unrealistic academic. Now, his words echoed in her mind, a haunting reminder of her own blind spots.
Weeks of sadness washed over her. She continually returned to thinking about the countless young people struggling with addiction, their lives teetering on the brink. At 67, what could she do now?
Then, she remembered a conversation with Deon, a former student, now a social worker specializing in addiction treatment. "The most important thing," he'd said, "is to listen. To understand. To offer support with evidence-based options – not judgment."
Eleanor decided to act. She contacted a local youth center, offering her time and expertise. She volunteered to mentor at-risk youth, to listen to their stories, to offer a compassionate ear.
It wasn't about "Just Say No" anymore. It was about understanding, about empathy, about offering a lifeline from a variety of professionals to those in need. It was about acknowledging the limitations of her past approach and embracing a new path, one built on compassion and understanding as well as new medical insight.
The ghost of "Just Say No" still lingered, a reminder of her past convictions. But Eleanor was determined to move forward, to learn from her mistakes, and to make a difference, one young person at a time.
Eleanor still marks that day she contacted the youth center. It was January 15, 2015.
And she remembers drifting off to sleep that night with a sense of peace that was long absent. It wasn't too late to make amends – to use her experience to help others. The fight against addiction was far from over, but Eleanor, armed with new understanding, was ready to join the battle.
Also hear and read Eleanor’s “parent story” from 2024
Go to “Maggie Answers Bovine Belching Critics.”
Here’s to mature-adult living!
Jim Hasse, ABC, GCDF retired, author of “52 Shades of Graying”
Sharing our Insights Each Week as We Discover New Shades of Aging
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This is an excellent commentary on the old “Just say no” campaign. I’d been a counselor in an adolescent treatment center and I know these kids fall into drug use for many different reasons. Those reasons need to be addressed before recovery can begin and continue. The emergence of fentanyl is really scary. Friends of mine in a Nar-Anon group (for families affected by drug/alcohol use), report that, in their group of about 20 families, there have been five fentanyl related deaths in the past three years.
You write so well, Jim. Thank you for creating this site and allowing so many of us to experience your creativity.