CAMP XRAYD SHOWS TEENS THE REALITIES OF DRUG, ALCOHOL USE

SARASOTA COUNTY -- Suzanne McBrayer knew she had to do something drastic
after her 15-year-old daughter nearly overdosed on prescription medication.

McBrayer, 48, researched teen boot camps, but she couldn't afford them.
Then she heard about Camp XRAYD, a local program for teens who use drugs or
alcohol.

The catch was that her daughter, Katy, would have to be arrested before she
could be referred to it. But that was not much of a problem.

"I wasn't putting up with any more foolishness," McBrayer said. "I found a
cigarette pack full of marijuana in her dresser drawer, and I called my
husband. He said, 'You know what you have to do.'"

She called the Sheriff's Office, and Katy was arrested on a drug possession
charge that landed her in Teen Court, where she was referred to Camp XRAYD.

It was 2001, and the program was in its first year. Modeled after programs
in other areas, Camp XRAYD includes a trip to the county jail, the morgue
and the emergency room.

But it's more than one scary field trip.

The program -- a collaboration between Teen Court, the Sheriff's Office and
the Sarasota Police Athletic League -- also includes four visits from a
counselor and six months of drug testing. Teens who successfully complete
the program have their criminal charges dismissed.

So far, it looks like it works.

Although research is limited, 88 percent of teens who complete the program
do not get arrested again, said Lt. Keith Muncy of PAL.

About 60 youngsters enroll in the program every year. XRAYD targets teens
around age 13 who have not become fully addicted to drugs and alcohol,
Muncy said.

"It's not a silver bullet," Muncy said. "It doesn't fix every kid. But no
kid leaves there not affected, and I'm 100 percent sure of that."

Katy McBrayer, who is now 19, said the program had a big impact on her.

During the visit to the hospital, she was pulled aside by a doctor who
recognized her. He was the one who treated her the day she took too many
painkillers at Riverview High and nearly overdosed.

"That was pretty intense," she said. "Until that moment, I hadn't thought
about overdosing. I had totally forgot it happened."

Adjusting to a drug-free life was difficult, Katy said. She felt
embarrassed and ashamed for what she put her family through. She felt
irritable because she was coming off the marijuana, ecstasy and painkillers
she had been taking since she started high school.

She said she has never used drugs again, and later rejoined XRAYD to tell
her story to other teens.

Katy McBrayer now lives in Texas. She works full-time and goes to night
school to study business.

Her mother offers some advice to other parents: "Be a parent and don't be
naive," she said. "Check on your kids; you're doing them a favor. Don't try
to be their friend."