In the second round of our introduction posts we want to give a warm welcome to Shayla from everyone here at CTO! Her perspective as a young woman impacted by substance misuse is incredibly valuable and we are very excited that she will be joining us in classrooms this year. Students across Minnesota will have the privilege of hearing her tell her story, including how she became the amazing person she is today! In her own words, she tells students, “no one chooses addiction– not in the way we think. They fall into it, often while trying to fix something else.”
Because of all of our connection to media, there is an unavoidable preconceived notion that we have about addiction and those who struggle with substance misuse. However, we rarely get the full picture online. One of our goals in the classroom is to expose students to real-life role models who have struggled with addiction personally. Our program facilitators get the opportunity to share what it was like for them and how they were able to find the help they needed. Thanks again for joining our team, Shayla!
