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Oct 10 2006 5:50PM
Subject:	Thank You HEART
Body:	I am a testimony as to how well your dedication to this program works...even to outsiders. Joe used his knowledge and dedication to this group to make me aware of the dangers I was placing not only myself, but also others, by my addiction to alcohol. It is one thing to hear all the public announcements on television, see it on billboards, and fear the tough drinking laws, but to have your child walk up to you and tell you that he has made a committment not to be like his father, then suddenly, the light goes on. Joe simply stated that he was dedicated to stay sober and drug free throughout high school, and was mentoring to his peers, yet here was his father, drinking and carrying on into the wee hours of the morning. I have never been to a TI meeting, nor have i heard its content. What I do know is through this organization and the good students involved, I have dramatically changed my lifestyle since December 2005. Thank you HEART for what you have instilled into my child, and thank you members for being a positive role model to Joe, and allowing him to have the courage to gently confront me on my addiction, and help me stand for the same principles as he. You are the youth that gets no credit, because only the negatives are accentuated. I am here to tell you, you are making a difference. God Bless each of you! Mr. Monty

Ode to the Alcoholic

Dedicated to my brother, Jeremy

Standing on the podium,
Scarred and scared,
Take a deep breath and lay your thoughts out there.

Starting with the words, you never thought you''d say,
Admitting you''re an alcoholic to finally change your ways
Like a little boy stuck under a light all alone,
Sweating and crying as you build your backbone.

Others applaud and pat you on your back,
You''ve started to remove the emotional stack.
Your family is proud that you''ve changed your ways,
And that they finally see the boy they raised.

Like a lost little boy, finding his way home,
You''ve found your way out of the catacombs.
Alcoholic, your title will always be,
But you''ve changed your life and found freedoms key.

Katie A. McCullough