A local high school received a visit from an author to talk about challenges teenagers are faced with.
King David Victory Park High School were excited to have and host author Costa Carastavrakis to their school recently.
Carastavrakis, who wrote the book I am Costa: From Meth to Marathons, was at the school to present a talk on the hurdles faced by teenagers called Olympic Hero or Drug Hero. School counsellor Gita Lipschitz said, “Carastavrakis shared his journey as a teenager being bullied at school as he tried to conform as a sexually confused boy who didn’t feel he was enough.”
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As Carastavrakis spoke of his experience, he also shared details of how his interactions with alcohol and drugs started. Lipschitz explained, “He highlighted the role that intolerance and shaming played in the progression of his emotional trauma, and how this led him from alcohol and cigarettes to marijuana and eventually a crystal meth addiction.”
The learners present heard how this resulted in Carastavrakis give up his dreams of being an Olympic athlete. Carastavrakis explained that what should have been the realisation of his dream to become an Olympian triathlete, turned into a nightmare that nearly cost him his life.
The school hopes that the story of Carastavrakis will motivate and inspire the learners to make healthy lifestyle choices. Learners were also reminded to seek help whenever they felt confused or pressured to engage in acts that they are not ready for, such as sexual intercourse, or shouldn’t be entertaining at all, such as drugs.
