RUMSON – When it comes to discussing the opioid epidemic, candor between parents and teens can be hard.
The Tigger House Foundation tried to meet the challenge head-on last week at Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School with a new approach to pre-prom awareness it hopes to eventually expand to more schools.
On the morning of March 28, members of the nonprofit Tigger House Foundation and its newly minted Student Alliance met with the Rumson-Fair Haven student body. Students heard from the foundation’s founder Lisa Stavola, mentor and former National Football League veteran Christian Peter, and volunteer Nick Spinelli.
Later that evening the speakers returned to meet with the teens’ parents. Some adults chose to attend the session; for others whose children will be attending the school’s prom, attendance was mandatory. The program was similar to the morning event, but included an anonymous question-and-answer session, for both parents and their kids, behind closed doors.
“I think the message we always try to get across at these sort of events is that there is help if you need it,” said Spinelli, a 25-year-old recovering opioid addict and addiction counselor. “No matter what you may be facing, we want to show that there’s hope and resources available to help get you better.”
Spinelli said the morning session was an emotional one. He shared his own story about how he chose an unhealthy path to alleviate academic pressure and social stress.
“I spoke about what I was going through at their age and what it felt like before the drugs,” said Spinelli. “The feelings are the same for them as they were for me. It’s OK to feel like that, but there’s a healthier way to deal with it than what I chose.”
For Spinelli, the mission is urgent. “You just hope you reached someone today. I work in this industry and see countless kids, 18 to 25 years old, lose their lives. Addiction doesn’t discriminate,” Spinelli said.
Addiction’s grip was also Christian Peter’s story. A former standout at Middletown High School South, Peter helped lead the Eagles to a state championship in 1990, before accepting a full athletic scholarship to the University of Nebraska, where he emerged as one of the top defensive tackle prospects in the nation after helping the Cornhuskers to consecutive national championships in 1994 and 1995.
Peter spoke of his successes, including an NFL career that featured stints with the New York Giants (1997-2000), Indianapolis Colts (2001) and Chicago Bears (2002), as well as his struggles with alcohol addiction and trouble with the law.
Peter sought help, got clean and has since focused his energy on his family, his career and mentoring those struggling with addiction.
“He really gets across the message that addiction can happen to anyone,” said Jaden Diehl, a Rumson-Fair Haven student who volunteers her time with the Tigger House Foundation. “It could be an adult, a child, a man and woman, it doesn’t matter. He’s also proof that you can reach out for help and get past any addiction issues you may have.”
With classmate Robert Gray, Diehl said she hopes to use Thursday’s events as a launch point to continue the conversation about addiction, coping mechanisms and mental health in her school community.
“Many kids don’t understand what we’re facing right now,” Gray said. “They don’t understand the real dangers of drugs. They don’t understand how to cope with the stresses they’re experiencing. And most of all they don’t understand that it’s OK to ask for help. It’s important for us to help educate them.”
Aside from educational efforts like this one – events Stavola said she hopes the foundation can perform more regularly in Monmouth County schools – the organization owns and operates a 12-bed home in Middletown that offers assistance to those suffering from opioid addiction.
For more information about the Tigger House Foundation, including services offered and the foundation’s namesake, the late Richard “Tigger” Stavola Jr., visit tiggerhouse.org.
