Re: Teen Challenge
Date: August 04, 2008 04:03PM
Teen Challange is a pretty good program but I think it's Karismatic. Maybe not all of the Teen Challange centers are but some of them are so anyone thinking of getting into that, who isn't into the Karismatic scene, might want to reconsider.
It's a long day at Teen Challange. I've talked to people who have been through the program.
You get up early, early, early.
Time to be alone and pray a little bit.
Eat breakfast
Do chores
Group prayer and meditation - everyone gets on their knees in the living room
and has silent prayer for about an hour.
Then you have about 2 hours of somewhat boring Bible studies and it's drilled
out to you the way it is. I'm told there's not any room for debate about anything.
Next, it's free time but Teen Challange believes that most drug addicts come
from an unstructured life and need alot of structure so they don't want you to have alot of free time to be thinking about your old drug life too much.
More chores.
Time to eat lunch
Time to go outside and maybe take a walk around the block to get out of the facility a bit but noone is allowed to go wandering off by themselves. (Not even after you've been there awhile). Time to yourself away from the facility might lead you to temptation so they don't want that for you.
More Bible Study, About 2 hours of it.
It's getting close to 4 pm now so you get another hour to yourself, but not really to yourself, because everyone is told to stick together yanno.
Dinner Time. YAY!
Ok, it's time to pack up and get in the van for a ride into what ever town can be found and give your TESTIMONY.
It's volitional. If you don't want to you don't have to.
There's alot of singing and praising the Lord to and from the churches.
Get home, no later than 10 pm
Lights out.
Weekends are a little less stressful but there's more traveling around and going to the churches to give your TESTIMONY.
If you complete ONE FULL YEAR of this craziness without banging your head against the wall, you are PROMOTED.
TEEN CHALLANGE will allow you to move into a 3/4 or 1/2 way house where you are allowed to go into the community and you are required to work.
You pay for your rent now but the first stage is pretty much paid for you.
Most of the 3/4 or 1/2 way houses allow you to stay on as a tenant for up to 3 years, I think.
NO drugs
NO booze
NO profanity
NO sex
NO no and NO
BUT . . . if you gut it out you'll make it.
The sucess rate for drug addicts getting off drugs and STAYING off drugs through the Teen Challange program is quite high.
I, personally, think the AA and/or NA programs serve a better purpose but that's only because I'm not into all that Karismatic crap.
I respect Teen Challange though, for those who are into the Karismatic scene.
I'd recommend it.
Carly Benson
Montana