As an early teen, Tim’s unyielding desire to be popular and liked by everyone he came in contact would set him on a collision course with addiction. Being the starting varsity quarterback on the football team, a lifeguard, a hero and even being cancer survivor could not keep him from the choking grip of addiction. Maybe those positions gave him a little strength to drop the gun he held in his hand and stumble for many city blocks in a dilapidated Philadelphia neighborhood and beg a police officer to arrest him. This solitary act prompted that officer to get Tim the help he needed.
One of the key thoughts to the message Tim conveyed was “to put a face on addiction”. The face that he puts on addiction is “gross”. Addiction lets you have fun and experiment, but never takes its eye off of you. Addiction just lurks in the shadows until it feels it is the right time to strike. Maybe it strikes after you beat one of the most feared diseases in the world, or when you finally have your dream job and are about to be married. Possibly it takes over your body then as it did to Tim, or perhaps at another time. Addiction does not discriminate by color, social class or religion, it can happen to anyone. He told the entire school assembly that “young people are particularly susceptible to addiction, because of the emotional setbacks they suffer when they lose a girlfriend or boyfriend, or if they get a bad grade on a test.”
Tim encouraged the students to have a plan of action, a “No Plan” if they are offered drugs. A plan of action could include an already-prepared excuse to not use the drugs, such as having to leave to study for a test, or if you are an athlete tell them you are going to be drug tested.
Following the school assembly, the ADLI students were able to ask questions and get to know Tim on a more personal level. They discussed more about his battle with addiction and how the leadership qualities he has allow him to do what he does today as a motivational speaker. The ADLI would like to thank Tim for taking the time to share his story. We would also like to thank all those in the school district that helped make the assembly possible.
Additional information can be found on Tim’s webpage at: http://www.timrader.org/
A full article of Tim’s visit, written by James Lowenstein, can be found in the Daily Review at http://thedailyreview.com/news/former-addict-comes-clean-with-towanda-students-1.1585503