Kids at Risk from Meth

A story in today's St. Pete Times shows that kids are not only dangerously uninformed about the dangers of Meth, they are at risk from the false information they have gotten on the subject.

According the the survey released yesterday and reported on by the Associated Press, nearly a quarter of teens say it would be "very easy" or "somewhat easy" to get methamphetamine, and one in three teens also believes there is only a "slight risk" or "no risk" in trying meth once or twice.

Yet former Meth users uniformly speak of how they were addicted to the drug the first time they used it.

Case in point, in the Meth booklet that's part of the Truth about Drugs series published by the Foundation for a Drug Free World, a woman named Marie says:

“My life spun out of control after a simple 'girls night out' to alleviate boredom. After being introduced for the first time at age 40, within 3 years I was shooting meth. I left my husband and three children (10, 12 and 15) and ended up living on the street.”

The Church of Scientology of Tampa and the Flag Service Organization both sponsor Say No to Drugs groups that distribute these booklets and enlist the participation of other community groups to spread the word about drugs like Meth. For copies of the booklet or information on how to start your own group, contact the Foundation for a Drug Free World.

Clearwater Volunteers use the Scientology Handbook

There are so many Scientologists in Clearwater, and among the activities they do is the Volunteer Ministers program.

Scientology Volunteer Ministers are probably best known for their work in times of disaster, but there are just as many who simply volunteer in their communities to reach out and help their neighbors.

Volunteer Ministers have the advantage of having, studying and using the Scientology Handbook, based on the works of L. Ron Hubbard. It's actually a compendium of skills LRH developed for the various areas that trouble people most in life, such as being able to cope with their own and others' emotional reactions, being able to communicate even if the other person doesn't want to cooperate, being able to study any subject, smoothly, simply, easily.

It's a great book. The online version is not the complete text of the handbook but it has a lot of very helpful information and you can not only use it yourself, you can send your friends to it to help them if they need something to get them over a hard spot.

Auditors Day

Tonight, Auditors day was celebrated in Clearwater, the spiritual "headquarters" of the Scientology religion.

I've been reading the basic books of Scientology (released in late June in Clearwater by David Miscavige and although I've been a Scientologist for many years, I am getting a much much better understanding of what it means to be an auditor.

L. Ron Hubbard used the word "auditor" instead of counselor or therapist or whatever because the word itself explains what a person who is an auditor does and what his attitude is toward the people he/she helps. Auditor means "one who listens" and that is one of the most important skills and functions he/she learns and performs.

When I was new to Scientology a friend of mine, who introduced me to it, sat down with me and just listened to me for about three hours. I felt much better at the end of that. Just having someone listen to me and let me vent without feeling compelled to tell me what he thought I should think about myself was so helpful.

From there I read the Dianetics book and that's when I realized how much this subject had to offer.

Anyway, tonight was Auditors Day in Clearwater, as I said, and auditors who train in Clearwater from around the world (literally) were acknowledged and thanked for their help. And boy do they help!

People are making huge life-changing gains from study of the Basic Books and Lectures, the fundamentals of the Scientology religion. Knowing these materials results in 100% understanding of the technology of life. Mr. David Miscavige has done a tremendous job making these materials available to everyone.