Invited by the Guidance and Counseling Department of the Armenian Catholic Mesrobian High School, Ms. Mariam Heber, a psychologist from the Oum El Nour organization, held a meeting organized by that department on March 13, 2024 with the parents of the intermediate and the secondary departments’ students of Mesrobian High School as well as with those of Mesrobian Technical College to talk about drug abuse.
Ms. Heber affirmed that drug abuse is a widespread problem in our society, having devastating effects on individuals, families and society, especially during difficult times. She said that parents of teenagers should understand the physical and psychological peculiarities of that age and deal with them accordingly. The psychologist warned that rash and thoughtless behavior from the parents’ part can alienate their children, which is one of the reasons why they become carried away by addictions. On this occasion, Ms. Heber presented a number of ways that can be useful for parents to monitor their children's healthy orientation.
The parents asked many questions to the speaker and expressed their desire to have more meetings organized on this topic as well as on similar ones at school.
It should be noted that in the next few days, a lecture on the same subject will be presented to the students of the 7th to the 12th grade.
It is known that the Oum El Nour organization, founded in 1989, aims to gradually reduce the level of drug addiction in Lebanon and to raise awareness about various factors aimed at this goal.