Rehab program in Plano offers performance as part of therapy for teens

by Stan Ascher

PLANO — Lisa J’s 14-year-old son Lane overdosed on drugs last October. (She wishes to hide her last name to protect the identity of her son.)

He had been robo-tripping, a fad among teens in which they consume cough syrups that contain the drug Dextromethorphan, like Robitussin DM, in excess. On one occasion, he swallowed 40 capsules, and ended up in the hospital.

Lisa felt something dramatic had to be done. So the day they got home, she enrolled him in a program that was a bit out of the ordinary: the Intensive Outpatient Treatment at the Imagine Program’s substance abuse treatment center in Plano. What was unusual about the program is that part of the therapy allowed Lane to be involved in the performance of a musical.

Titled "The Journey," the musical is about teens dealing with drug addiction. It was written by Jim Savage, a recovered addict and adolescent substance abuse treatment counselor who founded the Imagine Program Clinic.

Savage is also a professional musician. He saw his experience with composition, performance, and recording as an opportunity to help teens get through their problems.

"The spiritual journey is about doing what we need to do to get back on the path," Savage says.

The musical is centered on the life of the main character, which can be male or female depending on who is playing the role. The plot takes the character from the end of a happy childhood, through the throes of teenage drug addiction, the defeat of hitting rock bottom, and the victory of recovery.

Savage wrote the music during different stages of his life, which he hopes gives it an authenticity that teens can relate to.

"There were some songs that I wrote when I was 17 or 18 that very accurately described what life was like for a kid in the middle of a drug addiction," he says.

The development of the dramatic production is a collaborative effort with everyone involved. Working together as a group helps the participants make new friends and increase self-esteem.

Steve Browne, a local recording engineer who helped Savage create the promotional recordings of the music used in the show, found that he was really moved by the performance when he saw it for the first time.

"It really choked me up and caused all sorts of feelings to bubble up from the inside," he says.

The program helped Lane immensely: He graduated through the workshops and now volunteers to work with kids who are just arriving, for whom he serves as inspiration and role model, says his mom. She also appreciates the fact that the program gets the entire family involved. Parents are invited to join in on the production of the show. Lisa helps backstage during scene changes and even sits in for a small role during the show.

"It makes you feel like you’re part of something bigger than yourself," she says. Lane’s 12-year-old sister has also offered her support by joining Alateen, a support group for teen-aged loved ones of addicts.

"[It shows] how the disease itself affects the entire family and shows them how to get on the road to recovery," Lisa says.

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