TEEN DRUG, ALCOHOL USE RESOURCE CENTER OPENS

MILFORD - Social Worker Mary Stanley has seen horror stories of drug and
alcohol abuse among teenagers on television, in newspapers and glorified on
the silver screen.

That's why she decided to offer Pike County teenagers - and their parents -
a place full of hope, the Pike County Teen Alcohol and Drug Resource
Center. The Center offers teenagers and parents a place to learn, talk to
others and express their feelings.

Recently, Stanley enjoyed the official Grand Opening of the Pike County
Teen Alcohol and Drug Resource Center, located inside Milford Health &
Wellness at 111 East Catharine Street. She also celebrated her membership
to the Pike County Chamber of Commerce.

Stanley has been working from the Center with Pike County Pike County
region for several months. She said communication, availability of drugs
and the media's propensity to glamorize drug and alcohol use are posing a
triple threat to today's youth.

"Kids really need to be listened to even if parents don't like what they're
saying," Stanley said. "Kids have got to go through phases and we kind of
have to let them - as long as they're not hurting themselves. Sometimes the
less we do is the best course."

Stanley said the Pike County Teen Alcohol and Drug Resource Center makes
referrals to, and sometimes works with therapists and psychiatrists. She
has hopes of adding other components to the center such as encouraging
children and their parents to exercise together, which, a 2003 study out of
the University of North Carolina shows reduces risky behavior among teens.

The center offers five groups: "Teen Advantage" for middle schoolers;
sessions exclusively for high school boys and another exclusively for high
school girls; and two "Coffee and Concern" groups for adults and parents.

"We want the Pike County community to know that help is here," Stanley said.

For more information about the Center, please call 570-409-8484, ext. 501
and ask for Mary Stanley.