Drug and alcohol awareness- education at Young Harris College

Each year Young Harris College provides students the opportunity to attend educational seminars on drug and alcohol awareness in an attempt to help stem the tide of teen deaths from drugs and alcohol across our nation. Randy Haverson spoke to students Tuesday night about drugs and alcohol, presenting his message in an unusual format. "I love alcohol! admit it! I love marijuana! I

love cocaine!" While this opening is not what one would expect at a drug and alcohol awareness seminar, Randy Haverson's confession brought cheers and applause from the audience of freshmen and sophomores at Young Harris College on Tuesday, August 29. Why? Because Haverson, an admitted recovering alcoholic and drug addict, caught students' attention and kept it for

90 minutes as he painstakingly described his downward spiral into addiction, recited a litany of friends who had died due to their addictions, and spoke about how he finally came to realize that he did not want to die from his addictions.

"Just say 'No' doesn't really work, does it?" Haverson asked students. "We hear that all the time. So let me give you some guidelines for survival, if

you HAVE to drink." Haverson also told students, "If you can't follow these guidelines, you have an alcohol problem. Don't wait as long as I did to get help."

Haverson, a professional speaker with an M.A. in Counseling, speaks to high school and college students across the United States.

Founded in 1886, Young Harris College is a private,

core liberal arts college focused on university preparation. Historically affiliated with The United Methodist Church, a primary goal of Young Harris College is to provide a quality education for the whole person: intellectually, socially, culturally, and spiritually. To learn more about Young Harris College, visit us at www.yhc.edu.