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This equal opportunity destroyer claims the lives of thousands every year in the United States alone. Addiction’s hideous vice-like grip can actually be broken. Research confirms Teen Challenge’s remarkable record of success. According to Time magazine, “studies have found that Teen Challenge has a 70 percent success rate for those who finish the program, far better than secular treatments.” A study at Northwestern University found that “ex-abusers seem to lead normal lives after Teen Challenge, holding down full-time jobs and apparently very rarely needing to return to treatment.” Cami’s” Story
“Cami” began using drugs at the age of 12. After violent fights with her parents, she ran away from her small, hometown, and was eventually lured into prostitution. Cami witnessed gang rapes, and held her best friend in her arms as the girl died from a drug overdose. At 19, despite having attended 22 drug-related funerals in six months, Cami began shooting IV drugs. Her sojourn at a drug treatment facility ended in failure. After her release, Cami hit bottom. In desperation, she made her way to Minneapolis and checked into Teen Challenge, a year-long residential drug treatment program. Nine months later, Cami’s transformation seems almost miraculous. She is buoyant, self-possessed and full of hope. Recently, singing before a cheering college audience with the Teen Challenge choir, she peered from the stage with one wish: “I want to be sitting where they are.” Teen Challenge has helped thousands of men and women across the country since 1960 when it was founded by David Wilkerson. It is the world’s largest drug and alcohol treatment program, with more than 200 locations worldwide. The program’s extraordinary success with society’s hard-core “losers” has caught the attention of news media from ABC News to Time magazine. Addicts come to Teen Challenge from hospitals, detox centers and jails. Some are high school football stars; others are pimps or gang members. Like Cami, many have tried a variety of treatment programs without success. Research confirms Teen Challenge’s remarkable record of success. According to Time magazine, “studies have found that Teen Challenge has a 70 percent success rate for those who finish the program, far better than secular treatments.” A recent study at Northwestern University found that “ex-abusers seem to lead normal lives after Teen Challenge, holding down full-time jobs and apparently very rarely needing to return to treatment.” The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) presents the 2025 National Drug Threat Assessment (NDTA), a comprehensive report that provides a national-level perspective on the threats posed by deadly illicit drugs and the violent transnational criminal organizations responsible for producing the drugs poisoning our communities. This annual assessment provides valuable strategic drug-related intelligence to communities, health professionals, educators, and law enforcement agencies to help inform their response to this crisis.
DEA’s goal in publishing the NDTA is to put a spotlight on the immense harm being perpetrated against our country by Mexican cartels and their networks – and to help save lives by raising awareness about the drug crisis. The 2025 NDTA highlights the threat to public health, the rule of law, and national security in the United States posed by the trafficking of powerful synthetic drugs like fentanyl. Drug overdose deaths are finally decreasing across the country, but too many Americans, especially young Americans, are still dying from poisonings caused by drugs like fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine. Attachments www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2025-05/2025%20National%20Drug%20Threat%20Assessment_Web%205-12-2025.pdf Fentanyl, the most dangerous drug in the world, and the deadliest drug threat the United States is facing, killed nearly 38,000 Americans in the first six months of 2023 alone. Fentanyl and other synthetic drugs, like methamphetamine are the cause for nearly all fatal drug overdoses in our country. file:///C:/Users/User/Downloads/NDTA_2024(1).pdf; https://www.dea.gov/
According to the 2023 United States National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) 48.5 million (16.7%) Americans, ages 12 and older battled a substance use disorder in the past year. A 280% increase in overdose deaths from opioid abuse in the last decade. NSDUH is directed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), an agency in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Studies have found that using #cannabis may affect a person’s ability to drive, and it’s the drug most frequently found in drivers involved in motor vehicle crashes, including fatal ones. Learn more about the effects of cannabis here. https://go.nih.gov/9flT3N7 Studies year after year, report Teen Challenge consistently shows a 70%-86% success rate for participants to stay off drugs. (https://teenchallengemidamerica.com/success-rates/) Teen Challenge offers faith-based residential rehabilitation programs at safe and caring locations worldwide for men, women, and teens that provide the tools needed to overcome addiction and substance abuse. https://globaltc.org/global-locations/ |
Lord, You are sovereign.
You decide when, and where, and how. You are the Holy One, Who dwells in the midst of the praises of Your people. Let us bless the Lord, Who is worthy to receive all glory, and thank Him for His goodness! |