by Gregg Fischer | Feb 20, 2020 | Slider, Uncategorized
We are happy to announce that the iTeenchallenge.org website now has a language-translation tool. This means you can choose to view the website in 20 different languages. Just go to the language bar in the upper right to choose the language you would like to use to navigate the website. iTeenchallenge.org, our staff training, curriculum and resource website, has well over 3,000 items available for free download. We currently have items available in 19 different languages. One of the most popular items on our website is the GSNL Group Studies curriculum translations. The most recent course available is the Growing Through Failure course in Vietnamese. Take a few minutes and check out the amazing content on our website. If you have any questions or suggestions, contact our Curriculum Director, Gregg Fischer at...
by Gregg Fischer | Feb 18, 2019 | Slider, Uncategorized
By Gregg Fischer, Curriculum Director, Global Teen Challenge It can be very distressing to hear of students that did not complete the program, or one that completed, graduated and then relapsed. What could we have done differently? I want to address the importance of having Training Phase Group Studies (months 5-12) to prepare our students for success after graduating from the program.A Little HistoryWhen I first started working with Teen Challenge, most centers operated as induction centers where they would receive students and disciple them for 4-6 months before sending them to a training center where they would continue another 8-10 months to complete the program. The first 4-6 months, the induction phase, is where the students would go through the 14 GSNC/GSNL classes as well as several basic contracts of the PSNC/PSNL material. In the training center, they had a strong, developed curriculum to continue the discipleship process and prepare the students for a successful life after the program. What Happened?As new centers opened and others transitioned to a one-year program model, the training phase curriculum has not always transitioned as well or has been phased out altogether. As a result, students are missing much of the valuable training they need before they reenter society. Develop your own training phase/Level 2 Group StudiesSince the Teen Challenge does not have a curriculum for level 2 Group Studies, you get the opportunity to create and personalize your own. Since discipleship is part of our DNA, we need to keep in mind that we are not a Bible school, so we want to keep the courses relevant and practical for the...
by dericcain | Jun 18, 2018 | Slider
What can you do for your loved one when they don’t want help? A father came to me recently with great concern for his daughter. “She is 23, living in our home, working a job, and using drugs. She has refused our advice and rejected our offer to get help with her drug use problem. What can we do?” I’d like to share with you what I told this father. Many others have asked me the same question. Call this my open letter to all family members that are faced with the challenge of a loved one who is using drugs, but doesn’t want help. Personalize the letter to your own situation as you read my response to this family. Let me say first of all, that you and your wife are possibly the two most influential people in your daughter’s life today. Even though she is unwilling to seek the help you believe she needs, you can be part of feeding her problem, or you can be a key part in bringing positive change into her life. You cannot make her change. You cannot change her attitude toward drug use, nor can you change her behavior. One of the most basic steps for anyone to get help is to admit that they have a problem and they need help to change. So if your daughter does not want help, and does not believe she has a problem, what can you do? First, you can determine to communicate your love to her whether she changes or not. Second, you must continue to speak the truth into her life. Third, you must carefully plan your actions to create an atmosphere where she will be more willing to change....
by Gregg Fischer | Jan 5, 2015 | addiction, alcoholism, Slider
MYTH 1: Overcoming addiction is a simply a matter of willpower. You can stop using drugs if you really want to. Prolonged exposure to drugs alters the brain in ways that result in powerful cravings and a compulsion to use. These brain changes make it extremely difficult to quit by sheer force of will. It takes something supernatural to help empower people to overcome addictions. People need help from God and from people around them in order to get off drugs successfully. MYTH 2: Addiction is a disease; there’s nothing you can do about it. Most experts agree that addiction is a brain disease, but that doesn’t mean you’re a helpless victim. The brain changes associated with addiction can be treated and reversed through therapy, medication, exercise, and other treatments. God can help people overcome any addiction and any disease. Jesus came to heal our diseases and people can overcome addiction by coming to Jesus Christ! MYTH 3: Addicts have to hit rock bottom before they can get better. Recovery can begin at any point in the addiction process—and the earlier, the better. The longer drug abuse continues, the stronger the addiction becomes and the harder it is to treat. Don’t wait to intervene until the addict has lost it all. MYTH 4: You can’t force someone into treatment; they have to want help. Treatment doesn’t have to be voluntary to be successful. People who are pressured into treatment by their family, employer, or the legal system are just as likely to benefit as those who choose to enter treatment on their own. As they sober up and their...
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