00:00:18.380 - 00:00:43.190

now today we will be discussing alcohol and drugs. I mean alcohol and drugs, there seems to be little argument over a period of time, excessive use of alcohol and have a very harmful effect on a person's behavior. For instance, heroin for example, not another film on

00:00:43.190 - 00:01:02.850

drugs or alcohol. The old scare stuff doesn't reach me. Their honest reactions. Hi, I'm chris George thanks to the advice of people like these and people who have had drug or alcohol problems. This won't be another film on drugs or alcohol. So first I promise no

00:01:02.850 - 00:01:21.650

charts, statistics, scary scenes, Everyone has probably seen or heard the facts before. So what we're going to get into instead is exploring other ideas, ideas that just might help you. So first we have to draw a line because some people drink or tried drugs occasionally and

00:01:21.650 - 00:01:36.090

they will never have any problem handling it. So I have a little wine, which makes me a little bit more easier. I can rap to this person and acknowledge something that I want to say. I drink too Sometimes with the family sometimes at parties. It's really

00:01:36.090 - 00:01:51.020

no big thing. Yeah. Every now and then I have a drink. It relaxes me too, but I don't really need it. It's fun every now and then my parents usually warn us about drugs and everything and uh, you know, they take a drink here and there

00:01:51.030 - 00:02:06.390

like there's no tomorrow. And what bugs me is that they warn us about drugs, but they're drinking when I do, it's usually at parties or I enjoy it when I go to concerts. What about you? I don't know why analyze it. It's just like people, people

00:02:06.390 - 00:02:19.340

do it for fun and it's people trying to get into heavy discussions on why people do it and what goes through their minds and what they're thinking about. But there are other people who use drugs and alcohol in a much different way. They actually depend on

00:02:19.340 - 00:02:33.710

it to get along. They feel it adds something important to their everyday lives. Use drugs for about three years. It was the only thing that in my life that made me feel good and that was you know what matters more than that. I was only concerned

00:02:33.710 - 00:02:48.270

about feeling good about myself and I didn't particularly care which way it was or how I got it. I never got high by myself, I got high around other people and it made me, made me feel a little bit better temporarily. Got rid of the depressions

00:02:48.270 - 00:03:06.330

and anxieties. I used drugs or alcohol, whatever I could find to escape with for years for about 10 years. I destroyed my teenage years and I see a lot of these kids talking about just using it temporarily now and I think it would be terrible if

00:03:06.330 - 00:03:20.590

that had to happen to them, especially if I knew I was going to be talking to a lot of girls, you know the old sweat on the palms get loaded and it would be no problem. So all I did was spend my time either getting loaded

00:03:20.600 - 00:03:37.090

or looking for drugs to get loaded as the problem problems kept coming up and instead of finding the solutions, I just found the exit away from it. So the problems kept getting bigger and bigger. To the point where uh I was in a in a lot

00:03:37.090 - 00:03:58.240

of trouble is the problem with drugs or alcohol or with people. It becomes a problem when it's used to try to cover up feelings of anger, frustration, wanting to escape bad feelings we have about ourselves, loneliness, inferiority, ease. But drugs are alcohol. Things seem to be

00:03:58.240 - 00:04:23.040

better and the key word is seen to be better. So let's start by looking at these bad feelings. People are trying to cover up first who suffers from them. These painful feelings, practically everyone, even me. Little secret feelings of thinking you're inadequate. Not measuring up to

00:04:23.040 - 00:04:41.550

others. Very authorities self doubts. Bad feelings. Talk about bad feelings. I don't want to bore you. But you know where they come from? You wanna know? Well it all started when I was a baby. I can I can remember I'd be I'd be crying about something.

00:04:41.560 - 00:04:56.000

My mom would come over and be all mad and he'll knock it off, dummy. That's the first thing I remember I was a dummy and why? Then when I was growing up, I guess I was about seven or eight, she'd come in and see my room

00:04:56.000 - 00:05:09.880

was all messed up and then she'd yell again, look at this mess. You're not like your brother, you're not even, you're never gonna learn. You can't do anything right? I'm a dummy. I'm never gonna learn. I'm not like my brother. I'll never do anything. Right then

00:05:09.880 - 00:05:27.670

in school. I hated to ask questions because I knew it was coming. It seemed like every time I raised my hand the teacher would say speak up. What is it now? That's a stupid question. You haven't even been listening. Stupid dummy. Haven't been listening. I'm not

00:05:27.670 - 00:05:41.720

like my brother. And to add to that my father, he said he wanted me to be good in sports, so he always wanted me to play catch, okay, I've never played before. But I said I play and he threw me the ball and I was afraid.

00:05:41.720 - 00:05:56.550

I dropped, I dropped the ball, I dropped it, he threw it, I dropped it. He'd say don't drop the ball, can't you do anything right? He'd yelled that at me pretty soon. I was walking around the street and I'd expect people out of the corner of

00:05:56.550 - 00:06:09.260

my eye to yell across the street and say, hey stupid, don't drop the ball, you can't even play catch, don't drop the ball pretty soon. I had this long list of things. I was feeling about myself, I began to believe that I was really stupid. A

00:06:09.260 - 00:06:26.760

dummy, haven't got any sense, you'll never learn. I guess I'm just gonna go up and be some of us are formed by our early input and sometimes it doesn't take much if we continue to only remember the negative comments. It's very hard for some of us

00:06:26.760 - 00:06:45.230

to begin thinking positively about ourselves. Even when someone does give us a nice compliment, we're conditioned so much that we can't even accept it. Hey, you know, I've noticed you and you're really nice. Who you talking you talking to me? Yes, I mean it you're nice.

00:06:48.000 - 00:07:02.010

I don't believe you. Why would I lie? I don't maybe you want to borrow something. Did my mom tell you to be nice to me? Oh come on with some of us. It's hard to accept one positive comment when you weigh it against all the negative

00:07:02.010 - 00:07:31.290

ones you've collected. I'm dumb. Unworthy of others. I'm not going to even try. I'm a failure a loser. I'm ugly fat gi stupid, crazy. Different when people start to carry around a bag full of bad feelings about themselves. They may choose a lot of ways to

00:07:31.290 - 00:07:50.170

lighten the burden. How many of you ever thought that way about yourself? Do bad feelings? Really have anything to do with someone depending on drugs or alcohol. Here are some people who have been there. I used to be so scared. I everybody else just looked like

00:07:50.170 - 00:08:05.480

they were so together I had this friend, She was beautiful. Didn't seem to have any problems at all. I mean I was really shocked. I found out she had the same problems I had. Well actually I started using because I wanted to get in with a

00:08:05.480 - 00:08:21.850

group because I want to have some kind of a point of identification uh, with, with some people. Uh, and I felt that my feelings that I had about myself and my situation, we're totally unique in the world and the universe and that no one else. Uh,

00:08:21.860 - 00:08:35.020

none of my peers had that kind of a situation happening with them. It felt the same way. Uh, we're going through the same problems. Uh, I went to this whole trip with myself where that's what really what I thought was that I was alone in that

00:08:35.020 - 00:08:50.160

sense after I was in the service for about four months or so I got right back into the same thing of drinking consistently and smoking more and more marijuana. And then like one thing led to another thing and I started feeling depressed because I was away

00:08:50.160 - 00:09:04.430

from my, my family and I didn't know too many people except for the people I had met while I was in the service. And I felt I found other people like that they felt the same way I did. Now I'm really surprised to find so many

00:09:04.430 - 00:09:25.860

guys that are insecure about so many things are inferior to other people and all this time. I thought that I was the only person like that. But you realize that you're not the only one. I think a lot of people are just embarrassed to admit to

00:09:25.860 - 00:09:48.170

having bad feelings, not me, not me. I admit it. See my sack is full of insecurity, dumb, stupid can't catch a ball. Well, I've got some to some insecurities. I've got big feet. See bad feelings don't always lead someone into drugs or alcohol, but it can

00:09:48.170 - 00:10:08.760

happen, especially when some people are under any kind of pressure. I'll tell you how I started. If you want to know, see I go to a party and I just take along my feelings. Just remind myself how insecure I felt, you know. And then then someone

00:10:08.760 - 00:10:28.610

would come up to me a big smile. A friend. I thought, hello there, have a bag. Put it over your head if you want to join the group here, you got to put on the bag bag. Put it on. Well, I thought, why not? Everyone else

00:10:28.610 - 00:10:52.340

has one on? Maybe I'll be accepted. Okay, great. I'll put that bag on. Hey, feel good. Nice. Huh? Now don't you feel better? All nice and secure. No one can see you. Hello, in there. That's not bad. I mean, I could go to like it I

00:10:52.350 - 00:11:28.720

think. Yes sir. Hi there. Beautiful. Yeah. Hi there. How it's happening? What a handsome bag do you realize how good I am catching baseballs? No. Really? How fascinating. Yeah. Well they could throw a baseball at me fast as a million miles an hour. Just catch it

00:11:28.720 - 00:11:40.210

like that. No matter where they throw it, even my dad threw it, my dad could throw it faster than lightning. I just reach out and catch it. A lot of people don't realize that probably a lot of people don't realize how good I could catch them

00:11:40.210 - 00:12:01.840

all. Wow. Here, have another bag boy. This guy's terrific. Thank you. How did I ever get into this anyway? I, I don't even like bags that much. Why don't I say no? Just just once. No, I looked and I looked in the mirror and it's still

00:12:01.840 - 00:12:21.820

the same old me. Nothing's really changed. I still have my bad feelings, but now I've got one more because see I wasn't honest, I can't really catch baseball. There's an old tradition that no one seems to question that says you have to get loaded to enjoy

00:12:21.820 - 00:12:37.250

yourself, do you? It's easy to think that when you see all those happy people in the beer and wine ads and when it looks like everyone around you is doing it including parents, but you're free to make a choice if you don't want drugs or booze,

00:12:37.260 - 00:12:54.880

say no thanks, That's honest. And acceptable. A lot of people say have a drink. It's a tradition. But think of all those traditions we just go along with, for instance, we're always saying, how are you? We just do it or look at shaking hands. Think about

00:12:54.880 - 00:13:13.470

how hot it looks for the tradition of adults getting drunk on New Year's Eve. We just accept them all. If your friends started putting carrots in their ears, would you do it? The point is, if you want to do something, that's one thing. If you don't,

00:13:13.480 - 00:13:29.920

don't do it, it's your choice. That's an alternative to drinking or drugs for you. Now, let me ask you here in this group three questions. How would you handle these situations? You think about him too? You see a friend backing toward a cliff little by little,

00:13:30.200 - 00:13:45.870

you can't see it. What would you do? I'd scream, I'd run over and I grabbed them and I wouldn't let them do it. I would yell, I would just tell them, hey, you're gonna you're gonna back off into a cliff. Well I suppose I'd yell or

00:13:45.870 - 00:14:02.260

interpose my body or whatever. I could do ideal stop now if a girlfriend you knew told you she was tired of it all and she was gonna kill herself, what would you do? Well, I think I would sit her down and talk to her about it

00:14:02.260 - 00:14:15.170

and find out why she wants to do it and then try to point out the good things that are around instead of, you know, dwelling on the things that are bad. Well, I think I'd have to sit down and talk to this person because I try

00:14:15.170 - 00:14:31.560

to make him realize that his life is worth more than just getting rid of it. You know, it's gotta be a better reason. I'd have to consider the circumstances. I think that people have a right to do whatever they want, so maybe that sounds a bit

00:14:31.560 - 00:14:44.720

harsh. However uh fever was just a depressing moment at the time. Maybe of course I do everything in my power to prevent him. Well I tried to convince them not to and tell them that that I would care if they kill themselves and I'm sure that

00:14:44.720 - 00:15:03.710

other people would hurt other people too, not just themselves. I'd really try and help her as hard as I could last. What about a friend who's depending more and more on drugs or alcohol? Well in that situation I don't think that I could really convince them

00:15:03.710 - 00:15:17.360

out of it because when someone's in that mind you don't they don't listen to somebody. I could tell them all I want and they're not gonna they're not gonna respond. They've got to find it out themselves and change. Well I think that's their hang up and

00:15:17.930 - 00:15:30.610

if they can't get off by themselves, I don't think anybody else could help them. It's up to them. Oh I'd uh try and discourage it. I've got a friend who's like that, I'd try and at least tell them to take it easy. Probably. I tell them

00:15:30.610 - 00:15:44.720

to knock it off completely if it were depressants or heroin or perhaps something to screw your body up. Um That's their own thing and I don't really think that you can help someone if they don't want help. The trouble is a lot of people don't help

00:15:44.720 - 00:16:02.110

other people that might need help. If someone, you know, is getting strung out on drugs or into alcohol, don't encourage it. If you think they need help, try to help, talk to them, be be a real friend, like you'd want someone to help or talk to

00:16:02.110 - 00:16:16.090

you when you need help. It isn't gonna be easy because people who get into drugs or alcohol and don't want to get away from it, do it because they're getting something out of it. They choose it because it's the easiest alternative to the way they feel

00:16:16.100 - 00:16:32.610

and nobody is going to change a habit until they find another alternative that makes them feel better. Okay, what's wrong with it? It makes me feel good. Besides I kind of like wearing a bag on my head, you have anything better? You know, wearing a bag

00:16:32.610 - 00:16:48.580

would be ok except for one thing. It's dumb. Do you really want to go through life wearing a bag? After I stopped using drugs and I had nowhere to go, I started then it was time to start thinking about my life and not thinking of it

00:16:48.590 - 00:17:02.950

in relation to drugs, like thinking of in relation to living 40 years and earning a living uh something I never did. Uh and I knew the only way to do that was going to be drug free. Well after I was in the service for about just

00:17:02.950 - 00:17:15.470

about four years, I got busted like 42 days before I was supposed to get out. And They locked me up, they put me five months in the brig and then they sent me to portsmouth New Hampshire and I spent 11 months in the prison there and

00:17:15.470 - 00:17:25.930

then I was going to 11 worth after that and no telling, you know, I was, I was all afraid and I didn't know what I was going to do after that while I was going to do that, I was gonna take it and I was real

00:17:25.930 - 00:17:44.330

scared about it. So I decided to change and my motivation for changing was that I had to get out of jail first. Well, I really didn't realize uh how deep I was into it until all of a sudden uh a situation happened where I ended up

00:17:44.340 - 00:17:59.300

falling out of a two story window into down into the concrete and I passed out the next thing I woke up in the hospital after getting my stomach pumped in an oxygen tent and I kind of looked around and said, wow, it was like, you know,

00:17:59.300 - 00:18:12.720

I had reached some kind of nirvana or something, just like, I just felt I couldn't go any farther that, you know, I had some kind of, you know, something happened to my head. Uh somebody just snapped and I said, you know what, I've got to do

00:18:12.720 - 00:18:29.870

something about the situation I'm in all, people aren't lucky enough to find themselves to discover what's bothering them. It was that easy. There wouldn't be so many people dependent on alcohol or drugs or people trying to have a good time by wearing bags. The answer is

00:18:29.870 - 00:18:47.570

inside you. People aren't going to stop using drugs or alcohol until they discover something better and they have to find that out for themselves. One of the best alternatives we can start with is breaking the old habits of thinking negative about ourselves or covering those bad

00:18:47.570 - 00:19:04.220

feelings with drugs or alcohol. I was sitting in prison and I was looking out through the bars one evening and it was the first time in many, many years that I realized I could think that I hadn't destroyed my brain and that I could probably make

00:19:04.220 - 00:19:20.790

some plans for my future and maybe not be totally successful, but put one ft in front of the other and accomplished some things when I found something that I was looking for and I found the answer which is jesus, it changed me completely in seven months.

00:19:20.790 - 00:19:36.510

I'm a completely different person. I have a love for myself, a real love. I finally had enough hard knocks, I think I was arrested enough. I had destroyed enough of myself so that I I came to the inside of the decision that I should do something

00:19:36.510 - 00:19:54.890

else with my life. It isn't easy, it takes time especially to think more positive about yourself. Look, did you ever learn anything overnight? Remember riding a bike the first time? At first you might have thought it would be impossible. But others did it and after some

00:19:54.890 - 00:20:14.080

practice you did it like anything. It takes practice playing a guitar, driving a car, getting an a practice and time make it a daily challenge. Work at it. Let's talk about the first thing you can work on, find out what you can do or would like

00:20:14.080 - 00:20:34.250

to do what really interests you. What would you really be good at? No, I can't do anything. Hey how do you know? Nothing's gonna help besides? Just as soon sit here with my sack of insecurities. You wanna look? Here's the one about that. I'm stupid. Here's

00:20:34.250 - 00:20:51.690

one that says I can't catch the ball. Come on whatever happened to the ones I gave you like you're nice and the one that I'm nice. It's in here somewhere. I know it's in his weight. Put your sack down for a minute. Did you ever try

00:20:51.690 - 00:21:21.320

to discover anything about yourself? Like what might interest you? Like? Like like what like I can I want to do if I could only find it in myself. Nobody else can get me high all night unless I make it my own way. I've got to search

00:21:21.320 - 00:21:58.560

my for that special art that I've been wanting to try something. I get behind way down inside. I've got a feeling there's something something I'd like to try on. Maybe once or twice just for me, not for you. Just like me. And I think the thing

00:21:58.560 - 00:22:16.640

that that that gets it for me is pursuing relationships. An automotive mechanic and that gives me a good feeling that I can do something that most people can't. But I can work with my hands and fix something. Car comes in. It's not running and I send

00:22:16.640 - 00:22:34.020

it out running perfect. As you find things you like and as you try new things and then become better at them, the more pleasure you get from them, the more confident you building yourself then the better your feelings. That's what alternatives are all about. Starting to

00:22:34.020 - 00:22:53.140

fill your sack with good feelings, good experiences to replace the bad feelings. Remember you're doing it for you easy for you to say. See, I don't know what I like. Get off your second try. But it gives me a good safe. Warm feeling. Try. It'll take

00:22:53.140 - 00:23:11.890

too long. Try. I don't want to bother. I'm happy with the bag I'm in. Okay, here's a proposition for you. Find out what may really interest you. How do you find out? Ask about vocational counseling or try asking at a local mental health or drug program

00:23:11.900 - 00:23:31.050

or ask that special teacher or clergyman or a friend. A lot of feelings of inadequacies are there because you've never really had a chance to perfect anything. You're still looking. You're trying to find yourself. Well, keep looking many professional people are there to help. You don't

00:23:31.050 - 00:23:46.920

get sidetracked into drugs and alcohol. Just give it a try. And I guarantee you, if you don't get any results, we'll give you all your old bad feelings back and no questions asked. Okay. Okay. But but in the meantime, what can I do right now? I

00:23:46.920 - 00:24:03.340

mean, today, not next year. Here's one thing you can do the next time you feel like a drink or that you need drugs. See if you have the curiosity to find out what will happen if you don't do it. That doesn't sound too hard. I think.

00:24:05.060 - 00:24:26.420

Okay, here's the experiment to get something out of it next time you feel the need, whatever. The reason a date party, a test, whatever. Don't take anything. Nothing. See what happens. Probably not much. Now comes the interesting part. You mean like, asking her out for a

00:24:26.420 - 00:24:45.490

date. I'd like to, but I'd feel better if I put on my bag. No. Okay, I'll try. But I really think I need my bag. Mhm. Would you like to go out on a date me? Never mind what you say. I just said, Would you like

00:24:45.490 - 00:25:03.720

to go on a date, saturday night. Sure, I didn't think so. Sometimes it works out. Sometimes not. You've got to try and you know, you may even enjoy discovering something new about yourself. You may find you're not as bad or as different as you thought. Try

00:25:03.720 - 00:25:32.320

some of the experiments we've talked about, seek help from others and help others who need it have fun. And even if you never have a drug or alcohol problem investing in your own good, positive feelings may be the most important thing you ever do presented by

00:25:32.320 - 00:25:54.960

Sandler institutional films in cooperation with the National Congress of Parents and Teachers, alcohol education project. Prince of the alcohol drugs or alternatives. Film are available for rental or purchase from Sandler Institutional Films 1001 Northpoint City, a place Hollywood California 90046.