From as early as he can remember, Sean had lived with extreme anxiety. As the years went by, he couldn’t connect with other students. He was bullied and could never understand why. A darkness of alienation grew within him and his parents sought help. After years of searching, finally, a doctor pinpointed Sean’s mental health issues. He had Asperger’s. Armed with this knowledge and treatment, Sean found his way back in the world and learned how to control his disorder. He now helps younger kids who struggle with this mental health disorder.
Languages: English
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I’m Not Addicted: Will’s Story
You can become addicted to just about anything. It becomes a serious problem when it takes you away from the things you normally do. Some people have a predisposition to addiction and Will’s story shows that anyone can fall dangerously into addiction. It started with video games addiction which was the beginning of the slippery slope that almost cost him his life. As a child, he dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player. He could never imagine that, at the age of 17, he would be living on the streets, addicted to crack cocaine and near death. His remarkable story now brings so much hope to those that struggle with addiction and he now dedicates his life to helping youth.
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Don’t Diss My Abilities: Michelle’s Story
As a child and teenager, Michelle endured a series of events that was nothing short of soul crushing. She faced sexual abuse as a child and kept it a secret for years. At the age of sixteen she acquired a brain disease that rendered her blind. Her so-called friends bullied her at school. She fell into a deep depression and turned to drugs, alcohol, and self-harm to numb her pain, but nothing seemed to help. She felt her only option was suicide. Thankfully, a miraculous turn of events saved her life and now this remarkable young woman faces all her adversity with such positive energy that it has become infectious and humbling to all that know and love her.
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Breaking Poverty: Billionaire PA’s Story
Poverty, drugs, violence, abuse, family deaths… Demitrius experienced all of it as a child and young teenager. He became a great salesman. The only problem is he sold drugs on the street, landing him in jail. What else you can you do when you live in such poverty? His grandmother planted a thought in his head, “If you could use the focused energy you have in selling drugs and channel it into something good, you will be unstoppable.” Taking her advice, he not only turned his life around but is now saving so many others from the hardships that he endured as a teenager. He is a true inspiration to so many and his goal is to reach a billion people.
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Broken Families: Lydia’s Story
Lydia’s life as a child was filled with family dysfunction, drugs, abuse, and the death of her mother. She ended up in the foster care system before the age of 10 and would endure moving between 36 different foster homes. Lydia was left with a lack of identity, belonging, and self-worth. The longing for her family and her loneliness created a cycle of destruction or “acting out.” Nothing or no one could fill the void she felt. Somehow, she found an incredible strength to turn her life around. Living out of a car, she put herself through school and became determined to have her own family, providing a loving home for her two children; something she never had.
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Social Media Addiction
With the rising phenomenon of social networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter, constant interconnectivity with friends and family is now part of daily life. But as opposed to enriching our lives, is social media just another thing for teenagers to become addicted to? Social Media can have its perks. We speak to Smoking Gun PR, a marketing company for hire to boost businesses social profiles – however, can this escalate too quickly? Martin Bryant comments on how over usage can leave society dependent on ‘checking in’ to their nearest coffee shop, rather than speaking to those they are with. Also, a variety of teens confess how many hours they tot up socialising online, but by doing so how unsociable are they actually becoming?
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Sex Addiction
Since the Tiger Woods scandal in 2010, sex addiction has been blasted into the public eye by the media with an ever-growing supply of films and TV shows focussing on the problem. Since the scandal, we have seen the number of people opening up about their own battles with sex addiction more than double. But how plausible is the idea that you can be addicted to sex? We speak to Shaun Brookhouse, Emma James & Carol Featherstone – professionals who have had to gain an understanding about sex addiction due to the recent surge in those coming forward with addiction. As well as this, we ask young people their thoughts and what there idea is of a sex addict. For teens living in a society where everything from perfume to pastry is sexualised, and internet porn is readily accessible, is it too easy to go too far?
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Alcohol Addiction
With a culture of drinking for a good time ingrained in British culture, is it time to question this established habit and recognise the damaging effect boozing can actually have on teenagers? Binge drinking is a relatively new cultural practise that is seen as the norm to many of Britain’s young people. But what is the point where boozing a lot becomes boozing too much?
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Gaming Addiction
Nintendo. X-Box. Playstation. Apps. Online Reality. Video gaming has exploded over the past 15 years, and the realism and escapism that is now on offer to teenagers can be a source of relaxation and pleasure. But this same realism and escapism can become a trap that turns carefree gamers to serious addicts.
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Gambling Addiction
Gambling is an addiction that is well recognised across the UK. However, with the growth of online casinos, mobile gambling and eye-catching slot machines, young people today live in a society surrounded by and encouraged to gamble. From Bingo to Blackjack, and penny slots to action on the pitch, gambling takes place anywhere and everywhere. We speak to numerous casinos & bookmakers about the younger audiences being drawn to ‘have a flutter’, including Kevin Torrington – managing director of B Lucky Casinos and Michael Crompton, a therapist who deals with the aftermaths of those lives who have been shattered by the effects of gambling.