KWTX News 10 anchor shares story of addiction and recovery with students for Red Ribbon Week

ROBINSON, Texas (KWTX) - School districts throughout Central Texas are holding special events for Red Ribbon Week, the national campaign to prevent drug and alcohol abuse for students.

Red Ribbon Week is celebrated annually, but Central Texas school districts are hoping to make life-changing impacts this year as drug and alcohol misuse among teens increases nationwide.

More than 60% of teenagers have abused alcohol and 50% have misused drugs, according to National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics About 10% of Texas teens are likely to have used drugs in the last month.

“We’re telling kids at the high school level that they’re really encountering some peer pressure and some choices that they have to make that could affect their future life,” Robinson High Counselor Lindsey Richard.

This year, Robinson High School hoped to make a more positive, effective impact on students for Red Ribbon Week to warn students about the dangers of alcohol and drugs as well as positive ways to cope with issues.

Counselors at the school asked KWTX News 10 Morning Anchor Pete Sousa to speak to students and share his story.

Sousa battled drug and alcohol addictions for years. He said he abused alcohol and drugs throughout high school and college.

He soon realized the addictions had taken over his life, causing him to go to rehab, eventually gaining the strength and confidence to reach sobriety. He shares his story and speaks with others on this journey on his podcast, ‘The Payoff with Pete.’

“Hopefully, they can relate and be able to see how he overcame the struggles in his life and can really help motivate them and to inspire them to do things differently,” Robinson High School Counselor Mindy Hancock said.

Students spent their class time in the auditorium as Sousa emphasized how drug use and abuse is a completely different ball game now.

“There are drugs out there that you think is just a joint or marijuana, but that is laced with Fentanyl and, then, that’s it,” Sousa said to the students. “That’s it. That was not in play when I was a kid. I would not be here if those drugs were out there on the street as they are today with you guys.”

Fentanyl-related teen overdose deaths tripled from 2019 to 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“You guys are literally on the front lines, and you have the ability to go right when you could go left, you should always want to stay in a safe place,” Sousa said.

Other school districts are also spreading awareness at a young age for students with dress-up and theme days, bracelets and activities.

Richard said students are facing multiple challenges daily, so that is why they are focusing so much on teaching other coping methods to battle those struggles.

“I think our kids are going through struggles a lot throughout their life, and so, again, they have those choices that they have to make, and we’re just hoping that they choose to do the right thing,” she said.

“I think drugs and alcohol are something we do that are often done to numb the pain or kind of cope with something we’re going through,” Hancock said. “I think that is just something that we really want to make sure that we’re hitting this week as well.”

Students will continue celebrating Red Ribbon Week until Oct. 31, but Central Texas school districts plan to keep working hard to prevent students from falling victim to drug and alcohol use and abuse.